Open Source Alternatives

In the context of software, open source refers to software whose source code is publicly accessible. This generally means that the software is free to use and modify, as well as redistribute. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on proprietary software by businesses and individuals around the world. However, since the 1990s and early 2000s, open source software has grown in popularity as a viable alternative to proprietary software. There are open source alternatives for most consumer and business software. The open source alternatives in the most common software use cases are listed on this page.