{"id":120555,"date":"2026-03-29T16:57:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T16:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/8-open-source-apps-that-save-money-and-beat-their-paid-alternatives\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T16:59:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T16:59:04","slug":"8-open-source-apps-that-save-money-and-beat-their-paid-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/8-open-source-apps-that-save-money-and-beat-their-paid-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"8 open-source apps that save money and beat their paid alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I like open-source software program not solely as a result of the apps are freed from cost, however they’re typically higher than their proprietary counterparts. Listed below are those which have changed widespread proprietary apps for me.<\/p>\n

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\n Joplin
\n <\/h2>\n

\n Who wants Evernote when you’ve gotten free note-taking?
\n <\/h3>\n
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\n \"Joplin\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

I used to make use of Evernote to maintain observe of data and jot down concepts, together with producing concepts for articles like this one. However Evernote kept jacking up the price and moving features into the paid versions<\/a>. I had had sufficient and located Joplin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like Evernote, I can create quick notes in addition to “clip” gadgets from the web to save lots of for later. That is useful when doing my analysis. It even has the identical cloud sync options. I can maintain my notes in sync throughout my gadgets with the Android app.<\/p>\n

I have been joyful that I swapped Evernote for Joplin.<\/p>\n

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\n GIMP
\n <\/h2>\n

\n Adobe Who?
\n <\/h3>\n

I am not a heavy graphics consumer, however I nonetheless must handle photographs like everybody else does. It will be exhausting to justify a subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud<\/a>. Even when Photoshop was supplied as a product you would purchase, I could not have afforded it after I was in faculty. GIMP<\/a> has confirmed to be an ready alternative. I primarily use it for cropping and resizing screenshots for my articles. It really works nicely sufficient for me.<\/p>\n

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\n LibreOffice
\n <\/h2>\n

\n Nobody has to know I am not utilizing Phrase or Excel
\n <\/h3>\n
\n
\n \"LibreOffice\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

As a author, I do make use of a phrase processor. As Microsoft has moved to providing Phrase as a subscription as a part of Microsoft 365, I did not need to maintain paying subscription charges.<\/p>\n

For that cause, I switched to LibreOffice<\/a> for any offline writing work in its Write phrase processor. The UI feels a bit clunky, however Write works fairly nicely for truly writing.<\/p>\n

The opposite LibreOffice app I exploit is Calc, a spreadsheet much like Excel. I have a tendency to make use of it extra to format and enter knowledge for my statistical experimentation within the Scientific Python stack talked about later.<\/p>\n

I like how LibreOffice can learn widespread Workplace information from Phrase and Excel. This makes it simple to trade information with different individuals. I used LibreOffice for a contract writing consumer that required .doc information for years, and nobody appeared to catch on that I wasn’t truly utilizing Microsoft Phrase to put in writing them.<\/p>\n

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\n Vim
\n <\/h2>\n

\n I can truly exit it, however I do not need to
\n <\/h3>\n
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\n \"Editing\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

I prefer to dabble in code. I might fork out for a proprietary IDE like JetBrains, however I’ve discovered that Vim provides me what I want in a code editor.<\/p>\n

I used to make use of GNU Emacs, however I more and more most popular my editor to simply be an editor, and I’ve additionally discovered the default keystrokes to be uncomfortable on the “chiclet” keyboards that laptop computer producers appear to have standardized on.<\/p>\n

Regardless of the quirk of Vim’s mode-based modifying, I’ve discovered it to be a succesful editor. It additionally feels very comfy to make use of for my fingers. Not solely can I exit Vim<\/a>, however I do not see a cause to.<\/p>\n

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\n Scientific Python: NumPy, SciPy, SymPy, Jupyter
\n <\/h2>\n

\n Who wants Mathematica?
\n <\/h3>\n
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\n \"Jupyter\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

What I name the “scientific Python” stack of NumPy, SciPy, SymPy, and pandas could be an equal of Mathematica, Maple, or MATLAB. This is able to be much less of a alternative for one thing I used and extra of a alternative for one thing I might by no means have used within the first place as a result of it was so costly.<\/p>\n

I primarily use NumPy, SciPy, Jupyter, IPython, pandas, and Seaborn, with dabbling in SymPy as the final word desk calculator. NumPy is a library that provides highly effective linear algebra calculations, SciPy gives widespread scientific calculations, IPython is an enhanced interactive mode<\/a>, Seaborn gives powerful statistical plots<\/a>, and SymPy is a computer algebra system that offers symbolic computations<\/a> starting from easy algebra to calculus to linear algebra.<\/p>\n

Jupyter notebooks<\/a> are helpful for saving information of my computations.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n SageMath
\n <\/h2>\n

\n One other free Mathematica different
\n <\/h3>\n
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\n \"Sagemath\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Whereas I exploit the scientific Python stack primarily for statistical calculations, SageMath<\/a> positions itself extra explicitly as a replacement for proprietary math programs like Mathematica or Maple<\/a>. SageMath can be primarily based in Python. I have a tendency to make use of it extra for pure math exploration, regardless that it has NumPy and R for statistical calculation.<\/p>\n

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\n Audacity
\n <\/h2>\n

\n A dependable audio editor
\n <\/h3>\n
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\n \"Audacity\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

I am not a heavy audio editor, however after I do must edit some audio information, Audacity<\/a> has all the time been there. It is fairly simple to make use of for a newbie, and it is enjoyable to use audio results to information. I will in all probability by no means compete with Pink Floyd, although, nevertheless it’s an excellent app to have round. It looks as if one thing fundamental that is not included with most OSes as of late, or at the very least in Home windows.<\/p>\n

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\n SumatraPDF
\n <\/h2>\n

\n The perfect PDF reader
\n <\/h3>\n
\n
\n \"SumatraPDF\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

SumatraPDF<\/a> is a pleasant utility to have, since PDFs will probably be round till the warmth demise of the universe. I might use Adobe Acrobat to learn my PDFs, however that will imply voluntarily utilizing an Adobe product. SumatraPDF is an efficient program by itself. I can not converse for every other superior options, however I like the flexibility to tab PDFS to indicate a couple of without delay, much like tabbed searching. It additionally remembers earlier tabs. Now I can have too many PDF tabs open the identical means I’ve too many browser tabs open.<\/p>\n

I like how SumatraPDF “simply works.”<\/p>\n\n

These apps have changed proprietary ones in my arsenal as a result of they work they usually’re a pleasure to make use of. Not solely can these apps change proprietary software program, however most of them simply do a greater job than their closed-source counterparts. The argument for open supply could in the end be how good these apps are for practical-minded customers.<\/p>\n

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\n
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\n \"Dell\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWorking System<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUbuntu Linux 22.04 LTS<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCPU<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthirteenth Gen Intel Core i7-1360P<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGPU<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIntel Iris Xe Graphics<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRAM<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16GB DDR5<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStorage<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t512GB SSD<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWeight<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2.71 lbs<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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