I am very, very passionate about open-source projects, as they make technology accessible to more people than ever. There is an undeniable magic in community-driven tech. It builds more transparent software, fosters incredible global collaboration, and proves that world-class innovation should be accessible to everyone. My passion carries through into all software I work on: my PhD code is fully open-source (written using Python, an open-source programming language) and I volunteer as a core team member of the OpenFlexure project which develops open-source microscopy software and hardware.

When you’re looking for software to help you manage a project, like a PhD or a wider project, every “must-have” app seems to come locked behind a hefty monthly subscription. As a PhD student, I don’t have unlimited money for tech! Luckily, there are countless brilliant open-source alternatives out there that get the job done just as well, if not better, than their expensive corporate counterparts.

In this blog, I’m going to share some of my absolute favourite open-source tools that I rely on in my day-to-day workflow. I use all of the tools listed below regularly, they are completely free to access, and (as always) all thoughts are my own.

Documents and Drafting

Board.net is a fantastic collaborative text editor that I regularly use for drafting things up or taking meeting notes. Think of it like an open-source alternative to Google Docs or Microsoft Word that you don’t need an account to access. It’s incredibly quick to set up a workspace and share the link with your team so everyone can type together in real-time. I will be completely honest with you though, the comments feature is a bit broken! But despite that little quirk, it’s still my go-to for lightweight, fuss-free document collaboration when I just need a blank canvas to get my thoughts down with others.

When it comes to reviewing PDFs and leaving comments, I rely on Firefox’s built-in PDF viewer as an alternative to Adobe’s software. It is fast, lightweight, and doesn’t cause me as many headaches with advertising add-ons!

Agile and Planning

QuickRetro is awesome for running sprint retrospectives. If you work in an agile team, you know how important a good retro is, but you don’t always need an overly complicated or expensive corporate tool to run one. QuickRetro is clean, simple, and entirely privacy-focused. You can spin up a simple board with classic columns (like start, stop, continue), use the built-in timer to keep things moving, and let team members vote on topics or contribute anonymously. QuickRetro also requires no accounts, so your data isn’t being harvested. You just download your finished board as a PDF for future review, and two days later, the board is wiped from their servers. Alternatively, if you want full control and longer storage, you can even host your own QuickRetro server!

Diagrams and Documentation

PlantUML is a brilliant tool if you need to create diagrams, especially if you are a developer who prefers writing code over dragging and dropping shapes on a canvas! With PlantUML, you can generate sequence diagrams, use-case diagrams, and so much more just by writing plain text. I love how it treats diagrams as code, making it super easy to update them later or store them alongside your projects in version control. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you learn the syntax, it’s a game-changer for technical documentation.

… and finally, a directory for everything else!

Open Source Alternative To is the perfect resource if you are looking to replace some of your favourite paid apps with open-source equivalents. It is a massive, searchable directory where you can look up popular commercial software and instantly find brilliant open-source alternatives. This website is an incredible resource for anyone wanting to explore the wider open-source universe, find privacy-friendly apps, and support community-driven tech.

I hope you found this helpful! If you have any open-source tools that you love and would recommend, please leave them in the comments!