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18 paid apps you can replace with free GitHub projects
The six from my video, plus twelve more. Every app below is something people pay for every month, next to the free GitHub project that does the same job, with the catch for each one.
Photoshop
CapCut Pro
Loom
Granola
Screen Studio
ElevenLabs
Lucidchart
Jobscan
InVideo AI
ChatGPT Plus
Cursor
Claude Design
CodeRabbit
Gamma
Bloomberg Terminal
Semrush
CleanMyMac
Wispr Flow
The six from the video
Same order as the reel.
Photoshopcosts $22.99/mo
Free alternative: Compositor
Free★ 8.1k starsLaunched Sep 16, 2026
- What it does
- A full image editor built around the Photoshop workflow. Layers and folders, masks, every blend mode, adjustment layers like Curves and Levels, brushes, and a Camera Raw style panel. The developer built it because Photoshop costs too much.
- The catch
- Mac only, and it's brand new, so expect rough edges compared with 30 years of Photoshop.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Mac
CapCut Procosts $19.99/mo
Free alternative: OpenCut
Free★ 92.5k stars+25k stars this summer
- What it does
- A video editor with a timeline, multiple tracks, text and effects. No subscription, and it opens right in your browser.
- The catch
- The team is rebuilding it from scratch. The classic version at opencut.app is the one to use today, and it doesn't have CapCut's big template library.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Browser
Loomcosts $24/mo
Free alternative: Clips by Builder.io
Free★ 7.1k starsLaunched June 2026
- What it does
- Record your screen and share a link, like Loom. The twist: AI agents can read the link, so Claude or ChatGPT can see the transcript, the frames and even the browser errors from your recording.
- The catch
- Simpler than Loom, with fewer team features. On GitHub it lives inside a bigger Builder.io project, not its own repo.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Browser
Clips by Builder.io on GitHub ↗Use the free hosted version ↗
Granolacosts $14/mo
Free alternative: Meetily
Free★ 31.5k stars+14k stars in July
- What it does
- Records your meetings, transcribes them live and writes the summary, all on your own computer. Nothing gets sent to the cloud.
- The catch
- Summaries come from a local AI model, so they're only as good as what your laptop can run. The free one is the open-source version; the company also sells a business edition.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Mac, Windows
Screen Studiocosts $29/mo
Free alternative: Recordly
Free★ 32.5k stars+9k stars in September
- What it does
- Screen recordings that look edited: automatic zooms, a smooth cursor, styled backgrounds and a webcam bubble. Screen Studio only runs on Mac. This runs everywhere.
- The catch
- On Linux the real cursor can't be hidden yet, and very old Windows versions fall back to a basic capture mode.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Mac, Windows, Linux
ElevenLabscosts $22/mo
Free alternative: VoiceStudio
Free★ 53.5k stars#1 trending repo on GitHub in September
- What it does
- Voice cloning, voice design, video dubbing, dictation and audiobooks, running on your own computer. Your voice never leaves your laptop.
- The catch
- A big install with several GB of voice models. Works without a graphics card, just slower.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Mac, Windows, Linux
12 more, ranked by hype
Ranked by how many GitHub stars each one gained from July to September. The last two didn't make the monthly charts, so they're ranked by total stars. Anything marked Needs an AI coding agent runs inside Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or OpenCode rather than on its own.
Lucidchartcosts $9/mo
Free alternative: Archify
Free★ 77.9k stars+71k stars this summer
- What it does
- Describe an idea, a plan or a whole codebase and get back a clean, interactive diagram: architecture, workflows, step-by-step sequences and data flows.
- The catch
- It's a skill for an AI coding agent, not an app. Pair it with OpenCode (below) and its free models if you don't pay for one.
- Runs on
- Needs an AI coding agent Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode
Jobscancosts $49.95/moAJ
Free alternative: AI Job Search
Free★ 45k stars+32k stars this summer
- What it does
- Searches job boards, scores each posting against your profile, then tailors your CV and cover letter and preps you for the interview. The creator built it after being laid off and used it to land a new job.
- The catch
- Built for Claude Code, so you need a Claude plan. You fill in your profile once before it's useful.
- Runs on
- Needs an AI coding agent Claude Code
InVideo AIcosts from $20/moM
Free alternative: MoneyPrinterTurbo
Free★ 128.6k stars+31k stars this summer
- What it does
- Type a topic and it writes the script, pulls stock footage, adds a voiceover, captions and music, and exports a finished short video.
- The catch
- It makes stock-footage style faceless videos. You need a free Pexels key for footage and an AI model (a free local one works).
- Runs on
- Standalone app Mac, Windows, Linux
ChatGPT Pluscosts $20/mo
Free alternative: Odysseus
Free★ 89.6k stars+26k stars in July
- What it does
- Your own AI workspace: chat, agents, deep research, documents, email, notes and a calendar in one place.
- The catch
- You install it with Docker, and you bring the AI: free local models, or your own API keys for the big ones.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Your computer or server
Cursorcosts $20/mo
Free alternative: OpenCode
Free★ 211.8k stars+26k stars this summer
- What it does
- An AI coding agent that builds apps for you. It comes with free coding models and works with almost any other model you want to plug in.
- The catch
- The free models are good, not the best. For the hardest work you'll still want a paid model. The desktop app is in beta.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Mac, Windows, Linux, terminal
Claude Designcosts $20/mo
Free alternative: Open Design
Free★ 99.5k stars+23k stars this summer
- What it does
- Prototypes, landing pages, dashboards, slides and motion graphics on a canvas you keep refining, like Claude Design. Exports real files.
- The catch
- It runs on the coding agent you already have, so the AI isn't free unless you use a local model.
- Runs on
- Needs an AI coding agent Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and 20+ more
CodeRabbitcosts $24/mo
Free alternative: Open Code Review
Free★ 43.8k stars+21k stars in September
- What it does
- Reviews your code changes line by line and flags real bugs and security issues. Alibaba used it internally for two years before open-sourcing it.
- The catch
- You connect your own AI model, and it's a developer tool: you run it from the terminal or your build pipeline.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Terminal, plus plugins for coding agents
Gammacosts $20/moPM
Free alternative: PPT Master
Free★ 57.7k stars+20k stars this summer
- What it does
- Turns a document or a topic into a real PowerPoint file with native shapes, animations, charts and even narration. It can use your own template.
- The catch
- Runs inside an AI coding agent. It makes .pptx files, not Gamma-style web pages.
- Runs on
- Needs an AI coding agent Claude Code, Cursor, Codex
Bloomberg Terminalcosts $31,980/yr
Free alternative: World Monitor
Free★ 87.8k stars+19.5k stars this summer
- What it does
- A live world dashboard: 500+ news feeds summarized by AI, and a 3D globe with conflicts, markets, flights, ships and outages. Its creator built it as a Bloomberg Terminal for world events.
- The catch
- It's for news and world events, not Bloomberg's deep financial data or trading tools.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Browser, desktop
Semrushcosts $139.95/mo
Free alternative: OpenSEO
Free★ 22.4k stars+11k stars this summer
- What it does
- Keyword research, rank tracking, backlinks and site audits, plus ready-made skills so your AI agent can do the SEO work for you. Also replaces Ahrefs ($129/mo).
- The catch
- Not 100% free: you pay the data provider a few cents per lookup. Still a fraction of $140 a month.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Browser (self-hosted)
CleanMyMaccosts $39.95/yr
Free alternative: Mole
Free★ 69.3k stars
- What it does
- Deep-cleans caches and leftovers, fully uninstalls apps, shows what's eating your disk and monitors your Mac live. One free tool that covers CleanMyMac, AppCleaner, DaisyDisk and iStat Menus.
- The catch
- The free open-source version runs in the Terminal. The native Mac app is a separate download.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Mac
Wispr Flowcosts $15/mo
Free alternative: Handy
Free★ 32.9k stars
- What it does
- Hold a shortcut, talk, and your words appear in whatever app you're typing in. Runs fully offline, so your voice never leaves your computer.
- The catch
- Simpler than Wispr Flow: it does one job, turning speech into text.
- Runs on
- Standalone app Mac, Windows, Linux
Stars and prices checked 5 October 2026. Prices are for the plan most people pick, and some are cheaper if you pay yearly. They change often, so check before you cancel anything.
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