List of free and open-source software packages

This is a list of free and open-source software (FOSS) packages, computer software licensed under free software licenses and open-source licenses. Software that fits the Free Software Definition may be more appropriately called free software; the GNU project in particular objects to their works being referred to as open-source.[1] For more information about the philosophical background for open-source software, see free software movement and Open Source Initiative. However, nearly all software meeting the Free Software Definition also meets the Open Source Definition and vice versa. A small fraction of the software that meets either definition is listed here. Some of the open-source applications are also the basis of commercial products, shown in the List of commercial open-source applications and services.

Artificial intelligence

General AI

Large language models

  • BLOOM – open multilingual language model with 176B parameters
  • DeepSeek - R1 and V3
  • GPT-J - LLM with 6 billion parameters developed by the nonprofit EleutherAI
  • XLNet - Google LLM released as an open source project in June 2019 under the Apache 2.0 license
  • BERT - Google LLM released as an open source project in October 2018 under the Apache 2.0 license
  • T5 - Google LLM released as an open source project in 2019 under the Apache 2.0 license

Computer vision

Machine learning

Planning

  • TREX – Reactive planning

Robotics

Assistive technology

Speech (synthesis and recognition)

Other assistive technology

CAD

Computer-aided engineering (CAE)

Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)

Subtractive

Additive Manufacturing

Electronic design automation (EDA)

Computer simulation

  • Blender3D computer graphics software toolset used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, and motion graphics.
  • FreeCad, equivalent of Blender, towards to mechanical engineering
  • OpenFOAM – open-source software used for computational fluid dynamics (or CFD).
  • FlightGear - atmospheric and orbital flight simulator with a flight dynamics engine (JSBSim) that was used in a 2015 NASA benchmark[2] to judge new simulation code to space industry standards.
  • SimPy – Queue-theoretic event-based simulator written in Python
  • Salome – a generic platform for Pre- and Post-Processing for numerical simulation

Cypherpunk software

Cryptography and Privacy Software

Hacking and Network Security Tools

Decentralized and Anonymous Communication Projects

Decentralized File Sharing and Storage

Cryptocurrencies and Anonymous Finance

  • Zerocoin – Privacy-focused cryptocurrency protocol
  • Zcash – Cryptocurrency based on Zerocoin using zk-SNARKs
  • Monero – Privacy-focused cryptocurrency using ring signatures
  • Nym (mixnet) — Mix network

Cybersecurity

Antivirus

Data loss prevention

  • MyDLP not updated since 2014

Data recovery

Forensics

Anti-forensics

Disk erasing

Encryption

Disk encryption

Firewall

Network and security monitoring

Secure Shell (SSH)

Password management

Other cybersecurity programs

Data storage and management

Disk cleaning utilities

Backup software

Database management systems (including administration)

Data mining

  • Environment for DeveLoping KDD-Applications Supported by Index-Structures (ELKI) – Data mining software framework written in Java with a focus on clustering and outlier detection methods
  • FrontlineSMS – Information distribution and collecting via text messaging (SMS)
  • Konstanz Information Miner (KNIME)
  • OpenNN – Open-source neural network software library written in C++
  • Orange (software) – Data visualization and data mining for novice and experts, through visual programming or Python scripting. Extensions for bioinformatics and text mining
  • RapidMiner – Data mining software written in Java, fully integrating Weka, featuring 350+ operators for preprocessing, machine learning, visualization, etc. – the prior version is available as open-source
  • Scriptella ETL – ETL (Extract-Transform-Load) and script execution tool. Supports integration with J2EE and Spring. Provides connectors to CSV, LDAP, XML, JDBC/ODBC, and other data sources
  • Weka – Data mining software written in Java featuring machine learning operators for classification, regression, and clustering
  • JasperSoft – Data mining with programmable abstraction layer

Data Visualization Components

  • ParaView – Plotting and visualization functions developed by Sandia National Laboratory; capable of massively parallel flow visualization utilizing multiple computer processors
  • VTK – Toolkit for 3D computer graphics, image processing, and visualisation.

Digital Asset Management software system

Disk partitioning software

Enterprise search engines

ETLs (Extract Transform Load)

File archivers

File systems

Desktop publishing

  • Collabora Online Draw and Writer – Enterprise-ready edition of LibreOffice accessible from a web browser. The Draw application is for flyers, newsletters, brochures and more, Writer has most of the functionality too.[3]
  • Scribus – Designed for layout, typesetting, and preparation of files for professional-quality image-setting equipment. It can also create animated and interactive PDF presentations and forms.
  • LyX – A "What You See Is What You Mean" document creation system, LyX makes use of the LaTeX markup macro system for TeX, allowing the elegant creation of documents which match up with the layouts in it for various document classes.

E-book management and editing

  • Calibre – Cross-platform suite of ebook software
  • Collabora Online Writer – Enterprise-ready edition of LibreOffice accessible from a web browser. Allows exporting in the EPUB format.[4]
  • Sigil – Editing software for e-books in the EPUB format

Education

E-learning, learning support

  • ATutor – Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS)
  • Canvas LMS – Web-based, open, extensible learning management system
  • Chamilo – Web-based e-learning and content management system
  • Claroline – Collaborative Learning Management System
  • DoceboLMS – SAAS/cloud platform for learning
  • eFront – Icon-based learning management system
  • H5P – Framework for creating and sharing interactive HTML5 content
  • IUP Portfolio – Educational platform for Swedish schools
  • ILIAS – Web-based learning management system (LMS)
  • Moodle – Free and open-source learning management system
  • OLAT – Web-based Learning Content Management System
  • Omeka – Content management system for online digital collections
  • Sakai Project – Web-based learning management system
  • SWAD – Web-based learning management system

Academic advising

  • FlightPath – Academic advising software for universities

Educational suites for children

  • Tux Paint – Painting application for 3–12 year olds
  • GCompris – Educational entertainment, aimed at children aged 2–10

Language

Operating systems

Mind mapping & others

Offline learning & Open data

  • Kiwix: A free and open-source offline web browser that allows users download Wikipedia entire content and use for offline learning, later was expanded with repositories for Wikimedia Foundation, public domain texts from Project Gutenberg, many of the Stack Exchange sites, and other resources.
  • OpenStreetMap: OpenStreetMap was developed in 2004, it uses Open data and users data input through Crowdsourcing and Web mapping to create a complete and downloadable alternative to other online maps, this allow users to enter data when there is no data available due to lack of governance and economic interest or due lower population of the places mapped

Typing

  • KTouch – Touch typing lessons with a variety of keyboard layouts
  • Tux Typing – Typing tutor for children, featuring two games to improve typing speed

Engineering

File formats

2D

Raster imagery

Vector imagery

3D

Video

Audio

Document & Text

  • .adoc - AsciiDoc
  • .epub - Ebook format
  • .latex - LaTeX, macro package built on top of TeX for simplification.
  • .md - Markdown
  • .odt - OpenDocument
  • .rtf - Rich Text Format
  • .tex - high-quality typography for mathematical notation, physics, chemistry, engineering/scientific notation.
  • .texinfo

Web and Interactive Media

Database & Data Storage

File managers

Finance

Accounting

Cryptocurrency

  • Bitcoin – Blockchain platform, peer-to-peer decentralised digital currency
  • Ethereum – Blockchain platform with smart contract functionality

CRM

  • CiviCRM – Constituent Relationship Management software aimed at NGOs
  • iDempiere – Business Suite, ERP and CRM
  • SuiteCRM – Web-based CRM

ERP

Human resources

  • OrangeHRM – Commercial human resource management

Microfinance

  • Mifos – Microfinance Institution management software

Process management

Games

Game engines

Physics engines

Shader languages

Action

  • Nexuiz – First-person shooter
  • OpenArena – First-person shooter
  • Red Eclipse – First-person shooter
  • Tremulous – First-person shooter
  • Unvanquished – First-person shooter
  • Xonotic – First-person shooter that runs on a heavily modified version of the Quake engine known as the DarkPlaces engine
  • Warsow – First-person shooter fast-paced arena FPS game that runs on the Qfusion engine

Application layer

Chess

Educational games

Video game emulation

  • MAME – Multi-platform emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems
  • MESS – Multi-platform emulator designed to recreate the hardware of video game consoles
  • RetroArch – Cross-platform front-end for emulators, game engines and video games
  • Snes9x – A Super Nintendo emulator
  • Stella – Atari 2600 emulator
  • PCSX – A PlayStation emulator designed to recreate the hardware of the original PlayStation system
  • PCSX2 – A PlayStation 2 emulator designed to recreate the hardware of PlayStation 2 system
  • PPSSPP – A PlayStation Portable emulator designed to recreate the hardware of PlayStation Portable system
  • Project64 – A Nintendo 64 emulator
  • RetroArch - An emulator and media player frontend
  • RPCS3 – A PlayStation 3 emulator designed to recreate the hardware of PlayStation 3 system
  • Dolphin (emulator) – A GameCube and Wii emulator designed to recreate the hardware of GameCube and Wii systems
  • Citra (emulator) – A Nintendo 3DS and Wii emulator designed to recreate the hardware of Nintendo 3DS systems
  • Cemu – A Wii U emulator designed to recreate the hardware of Wii U systems
  • TIC-80virtual machine game engine that mimics the 8-bit systems of the 1980s

Music video games

Karaoke

  • UltraStar

Rhythm game

Puzzle

  • Pingus – Lemmings alternative with penguins instead of lemmings

Sandbox

  • Luanti – An open source voxel game engine

Snake games

  • GLtron

Simulation

  • Endless Sky – Space trading and combat simulation
  • FlightGear – Flight simulator
  • OpenTTD – Business simulation game in which players try to earn money via transporting passengers and freight by road, rail, water and air
  • SuperTuxKart – Kart racing game that features mascots of various open-source projects

Strategy

  • 0 A.D. – Real-time strategy video game
  • Freeciv – Turn-based strategy game inspired by proprietary Sid Meier's Civilization series
  • Glest
  • The Battle for Wesnoth – Turn-based strategy video game with fantasy setting

Genealogy

Geographic information systems

Graphical user interface

Desktop environments

Window managers

Windowing system

Groupware

Content management systems

Wiki software

Healthcare software

Integrated library management software

  • Evergreen – Integrated Library System initially developed for the Georgia Public Library Service's PINES catalog
  • Koha – SQL-based library management
  • NewGenLib
  • OpenBiblio
  • PMB
  • refbase – Web-based institutional repository and reference management software

Image editor

  • Darktable – Digital image workflow management, including RAW photo processing
  • digiKam – Integrated photography toolkit including editing abilities
  • GIMP – Raster graphics editor aimed at image retouching/editing
  • Hugin – panorama stitching
  • Inkscape – Vector graphics editor
  • Karbon – Scalable vector drawing application in KDE
  • Krita – Digital painting, sketching and 2D animation application, with a variety of brush engines
  • LazPaint – Lightweight raster and vector graphics editor, aimed at being simpler to use than GIMP
  • LightZone – Free, open-source digital photo editor software application.
  • Luminance HDR – high dynamic range images
  • RawTherapee – Digital image workflow management aimed at RAW photo processing

Maps & Navigation

  • OpenStreetMap – open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration
  • OsmAnd - Freemium maps & navigation Android and iOS app
  • Organic Maps - Offline map and navigation app for Android & iOS
  • CoMaps (Android, iOS)

Mathematics

Computer algebra systems

Cryptography

Physics

Computational astrophysics

symbolic manipulation systems

Statistics

  • R – Statistics software

Numerical analysis

  • Octave – Numerical analysis software
  • Scilab – Numerical analysis software

Geometry

Plotting software

Charting

Mathematical notation software

Mathematical art software

Spreadsheet

Mobile software

Media

Audio editors, audio management

CD/USB-writing software

Flash animation

Game engines

Chess engines

Graphics

2D

  • Pencil2D – Simple 2D graphics and animation program
  • Synfig – 2D vector graphics and timeline based animation
  • TupiTube (formerly KTooN) – Application for the design and creation of animation
  • OpenToonz – Part of a family of 2D animation software
  • Krita – Digital painting, sketching and 2D animation application, with a variety of brush engines
  • Blender – Computer graphics software, Blender's Grease Pencil tools allow for 2D animation within a full 3D pipeline.
  • mtPaintraster graphics editor for creating icons, pixel art

3D

  • Blender – Computer graphics software featuring modeling, sculpting, texturing, rigging, simulation, rendering, camera tracking, video editing, and compositing
  • FreeCAD
  • MakeHuman
  • OpenFX – Modeling and animation software with a variety of built-in post processing effects
  • Picogenterrain generator
  • Seamless3d – Node-driven 3D modeling software
  • Wings 3D – subdivision modeler inspired by Nendo and Mirai from Izware.

3D rendering

Image galleries

Image viewers

Maps

Multimedia codecs, containers, splitters

Music

Subtitle

Television

Video converters

Video editing

DVD authoring

Screencast

Other media packages

  • Celtx – Media pre-production software

Ripping

Video encoders

Video players

Networking and Internet

Advertising

E-mail

File transfer

Grid and distributed processing

Instant messaging

IRC Clients

Middleware

  • Apache Axis2 – Web service framework (implementations are available in both Java & C)
  • Apache Geronimo – Application server
  • Bonita Open Solution – a J2EE web application and java BPMN2 compliant engine
  • GlassFish – Application server
  • Apache Tomcat – Servlet container and standalone webserver
  • JBoss – Application server
  • OpenRemote – IoT Middleware
  • TAO (software) – C++ implementation of the OMG's CORBA standard
  • Enduro/X – C/C++ middleware platform based on X/Open group's XATMI and XA standards

RSS, Atom readers, aggregators

Peer-to-peer file sharing

  • I2P – anonymous network layer (implemented as a mix network) that allows for censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer communication.
  • OnionShare – File sharing app using tor network
  • Popcorn Time – Multi-platform, free, and open-source media player
  • qBittorrent – Alternative to popular clients such as μTorrent
  • Transmission – BitTorrent client
  • Deluge – BitTorrent client

Portal Server

Remote access and management

Routing software

Web browsers

Graphical

Text-based

Webcam

  • Cheese – GNOME webcam application
  • Guvcview – Linux webcam application

Webgrabber

  • Apache Cocoon – A web application framework
  • Apache Tomcat
  • Apache – The most popular web server
  • AWStats – Log file parser and analyzer
  • BookmarkSync – Tool for browsers
  • Caddy – an extensible, cross-platform, open-source web server written in Go.
  • Cherokee – Fast, feature-rich HTTP server
  • curl-loader – Powerful HTTP/HTTPS/FTP/FTPS loading and testing tool
  • Docker – Docker Engine is open-source for Linux only
  • FileZilla – FTP
  • H2O – supports HTTP/2, TLS, and server push
  • Hiawatha – Secure, high performance, and easy-to-configure HTTP server
  • HTTP File Server – User-friendly file server software, with a drag-and-drop interface
  • lighttpd – Resource-sparing, but also fast and full-featured, HTTP Server
  • Lucee – CFML application server
  • Nginx – Lightweight, high performance web server/reverse proxy and e-mail (IMAP/POP3) proxy
  • NetKernel – Internet application server
  • Qcodo – PHP5 framework
  • Squid – Web proxy cache
  • thttpd – designed for simplicity, small memory footprint, and speed
  • Vaadin – Fast, Java-based framework for creating web applications
  • Varnish – High-performance web application accelerator/reverse proxy and load balancer/HTTP router
  • XAMPP – Package of web applications including Apache and MariaDB
  • Zope – Web application server

Web search engines

Other networking programs

Office software

Text editors

Software Platform Formats
AbiWord Linux, Windows .txt
Atom (text editor) macOS 10.9 or later, Windows 7 and later, and Linux .txt
gedit Linux, MacOS .txt
GNOME Text Editor Linux .txt
Kate (text editor) 25 Linux distributions, Microsoft Windows, macOS .txt
Leafpad Linux, BSD, Maemo .txt
Metapad Windows .txt
Mousepad Linux, BSD, Maemo .txt
Notepad++ Windows .txt
Visual Studio Code Linux, Windows, MacOS .txt

Spreadsheet software

Software Operating system Format
Gnumeric Unix-like (Linux included) .gnm, .gnumeric
GNU Oleo Linux .oleo[5]
Pyspread Unix-like, Windows .CSV, .XLS, .SVG, .PDF
Sheetster Cross-platform JSON, XML, .XLS, .CSV, xlsx/.ooxml, .exml, .zip

Office suites

  • Apache OpenOffice – The cross platform office productivity suite from Apache Software Foundation (ASF) consists of programs for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, diagrams and drawings, databases, etc.
  • Calligra Suite – The office productivity suite from KDE consists of programs for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, databases, vector graphics, and digital painting
  • Collabora Online – Enterprise-ready edition of LibreOffice, web application, mobile phone, tablet, Chromebook and desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)[6]
  • LibreOffice – The cross platform office productivity suite from The Document Foundation (TDF) consists of programs for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, diagrams and drawings, databases, etc.
  • OnlyOffice Desktop Editors – An open-source offline edition of the Cloud

PDF Editors

  • PDFsam Basic edition - A free, open source, platform independent software designed to split, merge, mix, extract pages and rotate PDF files for Windows, Linux, MacOS. Open-source version of their commercial offering.

Operating systems

Be advised that available distributions of these systems can contain, or offer to build and install, added software that is neither free software nor open-source.

Emulation and Virtualization

Personal information managers

Programming language support

Programming languages

Source code editors

Compilers and assemblers

Bug trackers

Code generators

  • BabelJavaScript transcompiler
  • Bison
  • CodeSynthesis XSD – XML Data Binding compiler for C++
  • CodeSynthesis XSD/e – Validating XML parser/serializer and C++ XML Data Binding generator for mobile and embedded systems
  • Flex lexical analyser – Generates lexical analyzers
  • Open Scene Graph – 3D graphics application programming interface
  • OpenSCDP – Open Smart Card Development Platform
  • SableCC – Parser generator for Java and .NET
  • SWIG – Simplified Wrapper and Interface Generator for several languages
  • xmlbeansxx – XML Data Binding code generator for C++
  • YAKINDU Statechart Tools – Statechart code generator for C++ and Java

Documentation generators

  • Doxygen – Tool for writing software reference documentation. The documentation is written within code
  • Mkd – Extracts software documentation from source code files, pseudocode, or comments
  • Natural Docs – Claims to use a more natural language as input from the comments, hence its name

Configuration software

Debuggers (for testing and trouble-shooting)

Integrated development environments

Version control systems

Reference management software

Risk Management

Science

Bioinformatics

Cheminformatics

Data science

  • Apache Hadoop – distributed storage and processing framework
  • Apache Spark – unified analytics engine
  • ELKI - data analysis algorithms library
  • JASP - GUI program for data analytics, data science, and machine learning
  • Jupyter Notebook – interactive computing
  • Keras – neural network library
  • KNIME – data analytics platform
  • Matplotlib – data visualization library
  • NumPy – numerical computing library
  • Orange – data mining tool
  • pandas – data manipulation library
  • Python
  • R – statistical computing language
  • SciPy – scientific computing library
  • scikit-learn – Python machine learning library
  • TensorFlow – machine learning framework
  • WEKA – machine learning and data analysis suite

Electronic lab notebooks

Geographic information systems

Geoscience

Grid computing

Microscope image processing

  • CellProfiler – Automatic microscopic analysis, aimed at individuals lacking training in computer vision
  • Endrov – Java-based plugin architecture designed to analyse complex spatio-temporal image data
  • Fiji – ImageJ-based image processing
  • Ilastik – Image-classification and segmentation software
  • ImageJ – Image processing application developed at the National Institutes of Health
  • IMOD – 2D and 3D analysis of electron microscopy data
  • ITK – Development framework used for creation of image segmentation and registration programs
  • KNIME – Data analytics, reporting, and integration platform
  • VTK – C++ toolkit for 3D computer graphics, image processing, and visualisation
  • 3DSlicer – Medical image analysis and visualisation

Molecular design software

Molecular dynamics

  • GROMACS – Protein, lipid, and nucleic acid simulation
  • LAMMPS – Molecular dynamics software
  • MDynaMix – General-purpose molecular dynamics, simulating mixtures of molecules
  • ms2 – molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation package to predict thermophysical properties of fluids
  • NWChem – Quantum chemical and molecular dynamics software

Molecule editors

Molecular graphics systems

Molecular mechanics modeling

Molecular structure

Molecule viewer

  • Avogadro – Plugin-extensible molecule visualisation
  • BALLView – Molecular modeling and visualisation
  • Jmol – 3D representation of molecules in many formats, for teaching use
  • Molekel – Molecule viewing software
  • MeshLab – Able to import PDB dataset and build up surfaces from them
  • PyMOL – High-quality representations of small molecules and biological macromolecules
  • QuteMol – Interactive molecule representations offering an array of innovative OpenGL visual effects
  • RasMol – Visualizes biological macromolecules

Nanotechnology

  • nanoHUB
  • Ninithi – Visualise and analyse carbon allotropes, such as carbon nanotube, Fullerene, graphene nanoribbons

Plotting

Quantum chemistry

  • CP2K – Atomistic and molecular simulation of solid-state, liquid, molecular, and biological systems

Screensavers

Simulation software

Statistics

  • R – Statistics software
  • LimeSurvey – Online survey system

Theology

Bible study tools

Typesetting

Web conferencing

See also

General directories

Open-source organizations

References

  1. ^ Richard Stallman (July 13, 2011). "Why Open Source misses the point of Free Software". Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  2. ^ "Further Development of Verification Check-casesforSix-Degree-of-Freedom Flight Vehicle Simulations" (PDF). NASA Engineering and Safety Center Academy. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "Create great flyers, newsletters, brochures and more with open source software". opensource.com.
  4. ^ Bärwaldt, Eric (2020). "Collaborative online office solutions". Admin Network & Security. 60/2020. ...users can also convert text files to the ePub format for displaying appear on ebook readers or with desktop software for reading ePub files.
  5. ^ "File Formats".
  6. ^ Bärwaldt, Eric (2020-09-01). "Working Together Tools for collaborative office work". Linux Magazine (238/2020). For cross-platform use, the suite not only supports the Open Document Format (ODF) but also all newer Microsoft formats, which makes interaction with other office suites easier.