15 Amazing Open Source Alternatives For Expensive Software

 There are some software which are pretty costly. While cloud computing is becoming more popular, some software packages are opting for monthly subscription model and not one-time fee. On a monthly basis, the subscription charges don’t look much, but at the end of the year, it’s quite expensive. Open source applications resolve this issue to a large extent. We have a list of fifteen open source applications, for enterprises, small businesses as well as average users.

1. TurboCash:

As an alternative to QuickBooks Pro and Sage 50 Accounting, TurboCash is a nice accounting package which meets needs of debtors, creditors, stock control, trial balance and it supports several companies and users. It’s compatible with Windows platform.

2. Audacity:
It’s a replacement for Apple LogicPro, Adobe Audition, Sony ACID Pro and more. It’s a very nice option for not-so-expert musicians and average users. It’s very easy to record and edit audio files with this application. It’s also capable of converting tapes, records and CDs to digital files. It’s compatible with Windows, Linux and OS X.

3. WaveShop: 
It’s a replacement for the likes of Sonar X3 Producer, Adobe Audition and Sony ACID pro. It’s a Windows-only tool which has highlighted features like sample rate conversion, audio generation, spectral analysis and so on.

4. Jedox:
It’s a replacement for the likes of Oracle Business Intelligence Standard, SAS Analytics Pro and more. It’s a business intelligence suite which has an OLAP server, ETL and mobile support. It’s independent of all OSes.

5. SpagoBI:
It claims to be 100 per cent open source which is also a flexible business intelligence suite. It’s dependent on other open source projects too and offers modules for OLAP, charts, ad-hoc reporting, data mining, dashboard, master data management and more.

6. BIRT:
It focuses on creating reports and visualisations which can be embedded within applications. It’s sponsored by Actuate and to use it Eclipse is also required. It’s compatible with Windows, Linux and OS X.

7. Sugar Community Edition:
It’s a replacement for Sage ACT! And Salesforce.com Professional. It’s very popular worldwide and it helps connect sales, marketing and support teams with customers as well as business prospects. It’s OS independent too.

8. Firebird:
This is an alternative to Microsoft SQL Server Standard and Firebird has been under development for more than three decades. It;s a relational database which offers excellent performance level and powerful language support. Its paid support is available through third-party providers and it can be used on Windows, Linux, Unix, OS X and Solaris.

9. MikTeX:
If you are creatinga document with scientific expressions and mathematical formulas, then this application is a good alternative to InDesign CS5, QuarkXPress and Microsoft Publisher. It’s compatible with Windows and Linux only.

10. MonoDevelop:
This is an appropriate replacement for Microsoft Visual Studio Professional with MSDN. It has been designed for C# and Visual Basic .NET. With it developers can create multi-platform applications and its key features inlcude advanced text editing, unit testing and more.

11. Zimbra:
This is a replacement for Microsoft Exchange and it offers a cross-platform client-server mail solution. It’s compatible with Windows, Linux, Unix and OS X.

12. Openbravo:
This is a replacement for Microsoft Dynamics, SAP and NetSuite. It has been used by some huge brands like Oracle, Federal Bank and others. It offers a commerce platform and an ERP platform. It’s independent of all OSes.

13. Inskscape:
It acts like popular Gimp and it;s quite suitable for use by professional graphic designers. It offers a wide range of tools for creating vector graphics and it supports different file types. It can work with Windows, Linux and OS X.

14. Calligra:
It’s an excellent alternative to Microsoft Office and it was previously known as KOffice. It includes a word processor, spreadsheets, presentations, project management, database, vector graphics, diagramming and mind mapping. It also supports Microsoft file formats.

15. PDF SAM:
PDF SAM stands for PDF Split and Merge. It can extract pages, merge multiple documents, rearrange pages and so on. It’s usable with Windows, Linux and OS X.



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