Open Source Free Software List

Leo Migdal

-Dec 4, 2025, 5:08 PM

This is a list of free and open-source software (FOSS) packages, computer software licensed under free software licenses and open-source licenses. Software that fits the Free Software Definition may be more appropriately called free software; the GNU project in particular objects to their works being referred to as open-source.[1] For more information about the philosophical... However, nearly all software meeting the Free Software Definition also meets the Open Source Definition and vice versa. A small fraction of the software that meets either definition is listed here. Some of the open-source applications are also the basis of commercial products, shown in the List of commercial open-source applications and services. Be advised that available distributions of these systems can contain, or offer to build and install, added software that is neither free software nor open-source.

The free software community has always thwarted the toughest challenges facing freedom in technology. This winter season, we want to thank the many individuals and projects that have helped us get where we are today: a world where a growing number of users are able to do their... Our work isn't over. We have so much more to do. Help us reach our fundraising goal of $400,000 USD by January 1, 2026 to help the FSF remain strong and independent, and empower users everywhere. The Free Software Directory (FSD) is a project of the Free Software Foundation (FSF).

We catalog useful free software that runs under free GNU-like systems, not limited to the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants. Many of those programs also runs on proprietary operating systems which can be used to replace nonfree software. If you are looking for a full operating system for your computer, please see our list of free GNU/Linux distributions. More about the Directory If so, visit our Participate page, and review the submission requirements to find out how you can get started today. Also make sure to join the directory-discuss mailing list to keep up on discussions or send in any questions you have about the directory.

Software in this list is distributed under terms that allow anyone to use, modify, and share the software for any purpose. The two most popular licenses are the MIT License and the GNU GPL, but there are many other licenses which grant these permissions. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. We list the best open source software, to make it simple and easy to set up and install free software for almost every task. Open source software is any kind of program that anyone in the world can download, modify and distribute it without paying fees.

It comes in a variety of flavors, from open source CRMs to cloud storage. This is because the developer has specifically chosen to release the source code for free under an open source license. Since the open source movement took off as a software development philosophy at the end of the 1990s, it’s changed the world. Estimates even suggest that a mind-blowing 96% of all web servers globally are running on some form of open source Linux operating system, for example. It’s important to remember that open source doesn’t just mean “free”. Lots of companies release their software for free but maintain full copyright ownership of their code, so other developers aren’t able to modify it.

By contrast, successful open source initiatives are built on the hard work of potentially thousands of collaborators who have voluntarily given up their time to create something awesome. It is time once again to share a list of the best free and open-source software I’ve come across in 2025. Some of these programs are long-standing favorites that continue to improve year after year, while others are newer projects that caught my attention and proved useful in my daily Linux workflow. As always, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather a personal collection of tools that I’ve found reliable, practical, and worth recommending. It is in the spirit of sharing that I’m writing this article, hoping you’ll discover something here that makes your Linux experience even better. Before diving into the list, let’s talk about how to actually get these tools installed through your distribution’s package manager.

A quick search will tell you if the software is available in your distro’s repositories: RHEL-based distributions (RHEL, CentOS, Fedora, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux), users can use the yum or dnf package manager: Debian-based distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc.), users can use the apt package manager: Free Software for Windows :- We can understand that excitement of getting a new laptop, however, it gets really perplexing with so many pre-installed softwares on the Windows. While you may be happy with the fact that you are being offered with a wide range of apps, eventually you will realize that most of them are of no use to you. These softwares therefore, end up jamming your computer’s memory adding no value to you.

In such cases, you can rather re-install Windows from the start to refresh the whole operating system that ensures removal of any unnecessary software. Once, the process is complete you can then install any software that you feel would be useful to you. With plenty of nice software available online for Windows, we cannot ask for more. And, most of them we will be talking about are really essential to almost every PC. See also :- Free software download websites Get your hands on the top free and open source software that can replace those pricey applications quite effectively.

So, we handpicked a few must-have softwares that are not only completely free to download but are the best in the lot. They are simply the best in open source category with first-rate features that are no less than the paid ones. These softwares are free of spyware and are reviewed by the best of editor’s. They are segregated into different categories based on their use. So go ahead and download the list and convert your PC into a super device. Open source software continues to revolutionize the tech world—and 2025 is no exception.

Whether you’re a developer, designer, student, or just a tech enthusiast, there’s an open source tool out there to fit your needs. These tools are not only free but also backed by strong communities and constant innovation. In this article, we’ve rounded up the 65 best open source software options in 2025, covering everything from system utilities and security tools to creative suites and coding platforms. Ready to upgrade your workflow without spending a dime? Let’s dive in! ✅ very important:All the links in this article point to the official websites of each service mentioned.

LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite written in C++, Java, and Python, which was first released in January 2011 by The Document Foundation and has since been known to be the most... Usually used as an alternative to Microsoft Office Suite, it is regularly updated and is also compatible with the doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx files. Nextcloud is an open-source, self-hosted file-sharing platform with support for communicating and collaborating with teams. The greatest collection of open source and free software Use the Open Source Software Directory to find the best open source and free software for at home or in business The Engineered Monitoring Platform, short EMP, is a project that arised to address the need of having an easy to customize Monitoring, Data Analytics and Dashboarding solution.

Company and team-specific data visualization can be created on the fly, without the necessity to rely on custom implementations by 3rd party vendors. The best value you get from EMP is its very flexible yet easy to use query language, which enables you to solve problems that other multi-million dollar tools are unable to tackle without considerable... (MIT) Business: Enterprise / Business intelligence VERT is a file conversion utility that uses WebAssembly to convert files on your device instead of a cloud. All image, audio, and document processing is done on your device.

Videos are converted on our lightning-fast servers. No file size limit, no ads, and completely open source. (AGPL)

Open Source Free Software List

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