A carefully-tested collection of free and open alternatives to the subscriptions you have outgrown. Clear trade-offs included.
Explore the field guideSearch by the paid app you use, the job you need done or the device in your hand. Every result opens a plain-English guide with the drawbacks included.
Website ownersReplacesPushover, Pushbullet and paid automation notification steps
Sending simple private alerts from servers, backups and monitoring tools to the devices you already carry.
EverydayReplacesPaid portfolio trackers and complicated investment spreadsheets
Keeping a private record of investments without giving a tracker live brokerage access.
Privacy & storageReplacesManual folder copying and paid backup clients
Encrypted, versioned backups of important files to storage you choose and can restore from.
Work & documentsReplacesBasic FreshBooks, QuickBooks invoicing, Zoho Invoice and document templates
Creating estimates and invoices, recording payments and expenses, and giving customers access without a monthly software fee.
MediaReplacesFull video editors for simple trims, splits and joins
Removing unwanted footage from large recordings quickly without recompressing the video and audio streams.
Home & familyReplacesPaid home-inventory apps and household spreadsheets
Tracking possessions, rooms, receipts, warranties and maintenance in one household-owned inventory.
EverydayReplacesSubscription trackers, budgeting add-ons and renewal spreadsheets
Seeing recurring costs and renewal dates without connecting another company to a bank account.
Work & documentsReplacesOtter.ai, Descript transcription and manual transcription
Turning permitted recordings into searchable text or subtitles without sending the audio to a transcription service.
Home & familyReplacesPaid car-maintenance apps, spreadsheets and paper receipts
Keeping service history, fuel spending, receipts and reminders together for every household vehicle.
Work & documentsReplacesManual copy-and-paste and some paid AI scraping tools
Extracting organised facts from permitted public pages without paying API fees or sending the page to a cloud AI model.
EverydayReplacesAirDrop, USB drives and emailing files to yourself
Moving photos, videos and folders directly between nearby devices—even when they come from different brands.
Work & documentsReplacesThe desktop-document part of Microsoft 365
Writing documents, building spreadsheets and making presentations without a permanent Office subscription.
Privacy & storageReplacesEvernote and personal OneNote notebooks
Keeping searchable notes, checklists and attachments offline while choosing where they synchronise.
Home & familyReplacesA pile of smart-home apps and cloud-only routines
Bringing compatible lights, plugs, sensors and routines into one private household system.
Work & documentsReplacesAdobe Acrobat, Smallpdf and iLovePDF
Editing, signing and converting PDFs without uploading private documents to random websites.
Home & familyReplacesTodoist and TickTick
Sharing chores, shopping lists, appointments and recurring tasks with your household.
Website ownersReplacesUptimeRobot and paid monitoring plans
Getting an alert when a small-business website, portfolio or home service stops working.
Home & familyReplacesHevy, Strong and subscription workout apps
Planning workouts and keeping years of training history under your own control.
EverydayReplacesYNAB and subscription budgeting apps
Building a serious household budget without paying another monthly subscription.
Privacy & storageReplacesDocument scanner apps and filing cabinets
Turning bills, warranties and important papers into a searchable private archive.
Home & familyReplacesPaprika, recipe subscriptions and shared notes
Keeping recipes, meal plans and the family shopping list together in one place.
Privacy & storageReplacesPocket and Raindrop.io
Saving useful links, notes, images and articles before they disappear into open tabs.
Work & documentsReplaces$100+ per month of popular software
Browsing a broad shortlist before choosing which open-source tool deserves a closer look.
MediaReplacesPlex and the streaming-library experience
Organising and streaming movies and shows your household already owns.
We begin with the familiar paid app and the everyday problem—not the technology.
Hardware, hosting, updates, backups and your time all belong on the price tag.
If the paid option is still better for most people, the guide says that clearly.