The subscription I've likely kept around the longest is Google Workspace. I've personally never been the biggest fan of Microsoft Office and the entire Microsoft 365 world, and given that I rely heavily on Google's AI tools like NotebookLM and Gemini, it isn't difficult to justify the monthly fee.

However, lately, I’ve realized that both the tools’ free versions suffice, which made me wonder why I was still paying for Workspace in the first place. I'm an Apple user, so I use iCloud when it comes to syncing files across devices. That said, I still found myself relying on Workspace apps out of habit more than necessity. That's precisely what pushed me to finally see if I could replace the entire setup with free, open-source alternatives.

OnlyOffice

I spend most of my day writing, writing and, well, writing. So, the Google Workspace app I use most is naturally Google Docs. Unsurprisingly, this was also the tool that took the most effort to replace.

While I did find some good options, like Ellipsus, the only free and open-source alternative I actually ended up sticking with was OnlyOffice. OnlyOffice is one of the most established open-source suites in this space, developed by Ascensio System SIA, and one of the services it offers is OnlyOffice DocSpace.

This is a “room-based collaborative platform” that brings alternatives to three Google services under one hood: Docs, Sheets, and Slides. While the user interface of these tools leans more toward Microsoft Office, the overall experience still feels clean, modern, and easy to adjust to. OnlyOffice is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS — so compatibility isn't an issue either (unlike a lot of the alternatives I went hands-on with).

When using Google Docs, my workflow isn't all that complex. I just want a clean distraction-free editor that would auto-save my work. I only write on my personal laptop, so I wasn’t looking for fancy real-time collaboration or anything advanced. OnlyOffice is completely open-source and can be self-hosted if you want full control over your documents.

Grist

While OnlyOffice also has a Google Sheets alternative, the tool I've been using for a while now is Grist. This tool is completely open-source, and what's interesting about it is that it combines the familiarity of traditional spreadsheet tools like Excel and Sheets with the flexibility of a database. The reason why I've always preferred Google Sheets is because of how seamless collaboration is with it.

With Grist, I get to enjoy the same type of functionality as Google Sheets, including real-time collaboration, shared access, and the ability to customize views and workflows. It offers practically every feature one would need in a solid spreadsheet editor (and more), like the ability to add conditional styles and formatting, create pivot tables, create forms and surveys, and more. Grist supports Python's full syntax and also has support for a bunch of Excel functions.

It has a minimalist interface, and it even lets you create a "card" view (widgets) to interact with your spreadsheets better. Whether you're looking for a basic spreadsheet editor where you can simply manage your finances or want to build a complex, database-like system for tracking projects, Grist can handle it.

Immich

Immich is one of the most well-known Google Photos alternatives out there, and you've likely heard people argue that it's even better than Google Photos itself! Immich is a self-hosted, fully open-source photo and video management solution.

Unlike Google Photos, where your personal moments live on Google’s servers, Immich gives you full control over your media and runs on your own hardware. Given that photos and videos are essentially the most personal data we store, having full control over them is a huge advantage.

Immich offers a web view, as well as native mobile apps for both Android and iOS devices. So, you also get Google Photos-like convenience, with features such as automatic backups, easy browsing, and quick sharing.

When it comes to cost, Immich is completely free to use. Since it’s open-source, there are no subscription fees, and you can run it on your own hardware without any ongoing expenses. That said, you will need some kind of storage solution (whether it’s a spare hard drive or a NAS) to host all your photos and videos locally. Given that’s a one-time cost, it's still far more affordable in the long run compared to a Google Photos subscription.

Finally, Immich is also filled with practically every feature you’d expect from a modern photo and video management platform. The tool has facial and object recognition, and even supports AI-powered search that lets you quickly find specific people, places, or objects in your photos. You also get the typical organization features like albums and tags.

Jitsi Meet

The majority of meetings and briefings I attend daily are on Google Meet. When looking for a solid free open-source alternative for it, I came across Jitsi Meet. This is a fully encrypted video conferencing solution that is completely free, and you don't even need to create an account to join a meeting. The only time you'll be required to create an account is if you want to host your own persistent meeting room. Otherwise, joining and participating in calls is completely frictionless.

Jitsi Meet practically offers every feature the average person looks for in a tool of this sort. You can share your screen, show a whiteboard, record calls, select a background, and more. A fun touch I really liked in the app is that you can pick meeting URLs! That adds a fun personalized element to your calls and makes it easier to share links with others.

These open-source picks cover almost everything you need

As mentioned above, the tools I covered are all completely open-source and give me everything I needed from Google Workspace without locking me into an ecosystem.