The word OPEN became mainstream and popular among common, non-technical, non-business people only in 2022-2023, when OpenAI released its first major ChatGPT model.
But the history of open-source software and tools goes far back to the late 80s.
It became an official movement when the Open Source Initiative was founded in 1998. Since then, various individuals, non-profit organisations, universities & companies have released countless open-source tools and softwares for the general public and businesses.
And today, open-source technology and tools play a crucial role for millions of businesses across the world, in every sector you can imagine.
In fact, there is a huge number of businesses that run their entire operations using open-source tools & softwares or provide such services to their clients (like AutomateSmart). It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry in itself.
For most non-nerdy people, it’s impossible to believe that some individual or organisation would build fully functional, highly capable, constantly updated software and give it away to everyone to use for absolutely free, without asking for a single $ or even a mention!
But just look around for a second. Your mobile operating system (Android), internet browser (Firefox & Chrome), the website you are looking at right now (WordPress), the databases that store information on the internet (SQL), and countless other utilities you don’t even know are all open source.
And just because open source is free, it doesn’t mean it lacks features or security. The majority of open source tools have the same features and security as commercial solutions without any limits; it’s just that you have to install and run them on your own server and must have the knowledge to operate and maintain these tools.
Or you can simply hire a domain expert or agency to do it for you, still way more affordable compared to commercial solutions.
I have been personally using such tools for myself and for my clients, including those for Marketing, Sales, Design, Website Building, Workflows and even for AI.
Here is a small list of directories that you can explore to find the free, opensource alternates of commercial options
And if you want to cut your AI & Automation subscription bill by almost 80% without sacrificing any of the features & functions you are currently using, request a FREE Assessment Here.