The best kind free and open source software for your company

Free and open-source software (FOSS) is a fantastic way to cut back on costs when running your business. Studies have shown that more than 30% of a company’s IT budget goes to buying software licenses. However, most companies in fact end up wasting at least 50% of their budget on unnecessary or redundant software. This is a huge problem for smaller to medium-sized businesses because proprietary software such as Microsoft and Adobe can be incredibly expensive. Therefore, an internet marketing and advertising company may balk at the prices but feel they have no choice to but buy them, which brings down their overall bottom line. Moreover, you may be paying for services and apps that you don’t even need! For instance, most companies only need Photoshop and maybe Illustrator or InDesign, but not necessarily the entire Adobe Suite to run their business.

This is where FOSS comes in. You can be sure they are entirely free to use and download (even updates are free), meaning you won’t have to pay a single dime. Their open-source nature means you are also able to study and edit the software’s source code to your heart’s content. You can also redistribute it to anyone for free!

Here, we take a look at some of the best kinds of FOSS that you can use to be more productive in your business.

LibreOffice

Most companies need a writing, presentation, and spreadsheet app, which is why most of them turn to Microsoft. However, Microsoft’s costly license can hold you back from improving your bottom line, especially if your company needs a lot of computers, or if you don’t even need to use all of Microsoft’s apps. In this case, LibreOffice is a good alternative. Aside from writing, presentation, and spreadsheet software, LibreOffice includes a graphics editor (similar to Publisher) and databases. LibreOffice’s writer has a lovely interface and is also surprisingly compatible with Microsoft word formats, meaning you can switch between the programs with ease. The software is entirely free to download, and you can get it up and running right away.

Thunderbird

Nearly everyone uses emails nowadays to communicate, and companies are no exception. However, just using the desktop browser version can be clunky, and may not be very straightforward. In this case, a FOSS alternative is Thunderbird, made by Mozilla. It lets you manage multiple email accounts, in addition to providing many of the same services that Outlook does. This includes setting auto-replies, and company signatures, allowing you to see a calendar and letting you import contacts and address books. Thunderbird also protects you by offering support for user privacy and scanning your emails to find out if it contains dangerous links.

GIMP

GIMP is incredibly popular due to being the ‘free version’ of Photoshop, and with its recent updates, it does live up to that standard. Despite being completely free to download, GIMP’s features are very robust, and it includes all sorts of filters, effects, layer masks, and color-grading tools you would find in Photoshop. If you need to get any photo editing or raster graphics editing done (such as creating social media posts or YouTube thumbnails), you can do so through GIMP. If you are worried that it may not seem very professional, just know that there are plenty of graphic designers, illustrators, and photographers that are using GIMP to create beautiful and amazing pieces.

Mozilla Firefox

When it comes to a FOSS internet browser, Mozilla Firefox has you covered. It is a customizable internet browser that also offers thousands of plugins much like Google Chrome does with its extensions. If you are worried that it is going to look like the 2007’s internet era, then don’t worry! Mozilla recently had a complete revamp of its interface and now it looks sleek and modern like everything else. Another thing that Mozilla has going for it is that it is privacy-focused. In an era where everything is tracked, you can still use Mozilla to customize your tracking protection and how much you want to be tracked online. It also can be integrated will Mozilla’s other products such as its VPN service. You can use Mozilla Firefox on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Scribus

If your company requires you to regularly publish print such as newspapers, brochures, posters, books, or magazines, instead of using Adobe’s suite, you can use Scribus instead. Scribus is much like a simpler version of InDesign and focuses on setting up documents for print. The app also allows you to edit documents to you can make them look professional and beautiful. A few companies have turned to use Scribus, which has allowed them to save a lot when it comes to paying for IT software. Scribus also allows you to create files in CMYK – the standard for printing – meaning you no longer need to go to a third party to convert any RGB files before sending them to the printers.

Taiga

When it comes to running your business or dealing with clients, it’s safe to say most of us need some kind of project management tool. If you are looking for a free and open-source app, then Taiga has you covered. It has a minimalistic and beautiful interface and allows you to view your workflow in a Kanban board and list format. You can also communicate with the whole team, see an overview of your progress, and whether you are meeting your KPIs. Other big-name companies have also started using Taiga, such as Airbus, the University of Washington, and Red Hats.

Kimai

Most businesses need a way to price their products and services, and one popular way to do so is through time (usually by the hour). In this case, you will need some kind of time-tracking app to make sure you know exactly how much you are getting paid. Even if you are not necessarily basing your pricing model on the hour, it can still be eye-opening to see how long you take to do a particular task. Kimai allows you to manage projects for each client, see their current status, and lets you calculate your wage based on your rates. You can also run the app both on mobile and desktop, for an unlimited number of users. Kimai also allows you to generate an invoice, so you can give it to your client directly after the work has been done.