What belongs here
Open-source and source-available projects that help people keep control of their data and stay independent of large tech companies. Anything an individual can install for private use free of charge qualifies.
How projects are selected
A project is listed when it meets all of these:
- You can run it yourself. Anyone can install and run it on their own device or server.
- Free for private use. Self-hosting or installing it for personal use costs nothing.
- The source is public. Open source (OSI-approved license) or source-available. Every entry shows its license as a label, so you can tell the two apart.
- Checked at the source. License, links and other facts come from the project's own repository or website and carry a "checked" date.
Things that are shown but never decide inclusion:
- App or Server. Each entry is labeled as an app you install on a device, a server you host, or both.
- Audience. A rough guide to how much technical experience you need to run it: End user, Enthusiast, or Expert.
- Funding and support. If a project is funded or backed by an organization (for example FUTO or NLnet), the dossier says so with a source. Funding alone says nothing about the license.
- Ties to large companies. Noted for transparency, not a reason to exclude a project.
How this site is made
Most of this site is written and maintained with the help of AI tools: project research, descriptions, license labels and the site code itself. A human does light editorial review, picks what goes in and has the final say, but does not check every detail by hand. If you spot a mistake, an outdated license or a project that doesn't belong here, please open an issue on GitHub.
The person behind this site uses it too, to discover new tools and try them out. It is a list we rely on ourselves, not just one we publish.
License labels
Open source means the license is OSI-approved. Source-available means the source code is public, but the license is not OSI-approved and usually restricts some uses; these entries carry a LicenseRef-* id instead of a standard SPDX id. Every entry shows its license id and links to the license file it was checked against, with the date of the check.
Self-host marks server software you run on your own hardware. App marks software you install on your own device. Some projects are both.
What a card shows
Each card has a short paragraph on what the project is, what it replaces or helps with, and how you run it, followed by the license labels, links to the website and source code, and an audience indicator:
- ●○○ End user: Installs like any other app or program.
- ●●○ Enthusiast: Needs some comfort with a home server, Docker or similar.
- ●●● Expert: Running it well needs server administration skills and ongoing maintenance.
The audience level is an editorial estimate, not a rating of the project.
Logos and screenshots
Project logos and screenshots are shown only when their license or the project's brand guidelines allow this kind of use. They are shown unmodified, only to identify the project, and do not imply endorsement. Every logo and screenshot is credited on the project page with its author, license and source. Where the terms are unclear, the card shows a letter tile instead. FreeMind icon, GPL-2.0-or-later, © Joerg Mueller, Daniel Polansky, Christian Foltin, Dimitry Polivaev, Tolga Karatas (Denomas), and others. Shown unmodified on the Omakase page to identify the project.
Category icons by Lucide, ISC.
Funding
If a project is developed or funded by an organization such as FUTO or NLnet, its page says so and links to the source. The Funders page describes these organizations. Funding never decides inclusion, and it says nothing about a project's license.
Suggest a project
Know a tool that belongs here, or spotted something outdated or wrong? We're happy to hear about it. Open an issue on GitHub with the project's name, a link to its source code, and a sentence on why it fits. Every suggestion is checked against the criteria above before it's added.