HACKER Q&A
📣 node_monk

Name popular apps that have better open-source alternatives?


I can start -

VLC > any media player | Bitwarden > Lastpass | Excalidraw > FigJam


  👤 sergiotapia Accepted Answer ✓
I like Metabase more than Looker. It's simpler, nicer to look at, easier to get to where you need to go.

CAVEAT: If you're an enterprise and need beefy things like SOC2 compliance, SAML controls. source control, have 3+ data engineers working together, and other things that you are just not interested in if you're say Series B or earlier, just use Looker and avoid the headaches.


👤 nicbou
OSM data is much better than Google Maps data for some things. OsmAnd is a really powerful map tool for when Google assumes too much about your use case.

👤 precompute
Emacs >>> [power gap] >>> Everything Else

Seriously though, most of the software I use is open source. Here's a fun fact: there are some use-cases for which there is no proprietary, public-release software because the open-source software is so much better. For example, ebook management with Calibre.


👤 jstx1
lichess.org > chess.com or any other paid chess platform

👤 qsort
Any sane mail client of your choice > whatever the fuck Outlook does.

👤 fmerian
Gitpod > Codespaces | Plausible > Google Analytics | Cal > Calendly | Ghost > WordPress | Dub > Bitly

👤 _benj
Inkscape > Illustrator I recently used it for a project and it was rock solid. Apart from that I could script/automate workflows with CLI!

👤 mtmail
organicmaps -> google maps Of course Google Maps has traffic prediction and restaurant ratings, there's no good open alternative yet. For standard foot, cycle, car navigation I fuond organicmaps enough. And it's open, free, offline, no tracking.

👤 mejutoco
3d Studio Max > Blender

👤 montgomery_r
Word < emacs