Why do open-source tools need licences – isn't it just free?

Open source doesn't automatically mean free of charge – it means freedom. Licences govern four fundamental freedoms: to use, study, modify, and distribute the software. The source code is open, but the conditions of redistribution vary considerably. Permissive licences like MIT or Apache 2.0 allow almost anything, including commercial use without obligation. Copyleft licences like AGPL or GPL require that modifications to the code must also be released as open source – that's the «give and take» of the community. Many vendors fund their development through enterprise editions, support contracts, or hosting services. The core code stays free; additional features, guarantees, and professional support cost money. This is a sustainable model that enables quality software long-term.

Why should companies rely more on open source?

Data sovereignty: Running your own infrastructure means controlling where data is stored and processed. For Swiss SMEs this is crucial – the DSG and GDPR require transparency over data flows that is difficult to guarantee with US cloud providers. No dependency: Proprietary software creates vendor lock-in. Price increases, product discontinuations, or changed licence terms – as seen in 2023 with VMware and HashiCorp – hit companies off guard. Open source returns control: source code remains available even if the original vendor disappears. Taxpayer money stays local: When public authorities buy Microsoft licences, taxpayers' money flows directly into the coffers of an American corporation. That money funds research and development in the US – not in Switzerland or Europe. Open-source solutions, by contrast, are frequently developed by European projects and communities. Maintenance, operations, and customisations are carried out by local IT service providers: the money stays in the region, strengthens local businesses, and promotes innovation that remains accessible to society as a whole. Long-term predictability: No subscription shock, no unexpected licence audits, no forced upgrades. The investment flows into your own operations and local service providers, not into the quarterly targets of American corporations.

What are the concrete advantages of open-source software?

Transparency and security: Source code is publicly visible and can be audited by security experts worldwide. Vulnerabilities are discovered and patched faster than with closed software – «more eyes see more». Organisations can verify for themselves what the software does. Customisability: Every tool can be tailored to specific needs – from small UI adjustments to deep integration with existing systems. This flexibility simply doesn't exist with proprietary software. Vibrant ecosystem: Large open-source projects like Nextcloud, Kubernetes, or Gitea have thousands of contributors and an active community. Features arrive faster, bugs are fixed more quickly, and documentation is often better than that of commercial products. Cost control: Instead of user-based pricing models where every additional employee increases licence costs, open-source projects frequently use flat-rate pricing: a fixed monthly amount regardless of user count. Altcha (CAPTCHA alternative), for example, costs a flat €99/month or €799/month for the enterprise tier – whether 10 or 10,000 users are using the tool. This creates genuine predictability: no audit surprises, no subscription shock when your organisation grows.

Is it complex to connect various open-source tools together?

Integration effort exists – but open standards make it manageable. LDAP and OIDC/SAML centralise user management for all tools at once. Once a Keycloak server is set up, Nextcloud, Gitea, Jitsi, and Grafana all inherit authentication automatically. Kubernetes and Docker create a unified operational foundation. All tools run containerised, share the same monitoring and logging infrastructure, and deployments become reproducible with Helm charts. One stack instead of twenty silos. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) significantly accelerates provisioning. With Terraform, Ansible, or Helm charts, the entire infrastructure is described declaratively: a single Git commit is enough to spin up Nextcloud, Keycloak, and Grafana completely and identically in a new environment. Changes are versioned, traceable, and rollback-ready. What used to take days takes hours with IaC – and can be reproduced as many times as needed. Compared to proprietary suites, the complexity is often lower because interfaces are openly documented. Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace seem simple – until you want to do something outside the intended boundaries. Open source has no such boundaries. For getting started, a step-by-step migration is recommended: begin with one tool, establish processes, then expand. Or rely on an experienced partner who builds and operates the stack.

Swiss IT Navigatordigitally sovereign open-source

Digitally sovereign Open-Source-solutions for Switzerland

Kubernetes & Linux – self-hosted, without vendor lock-in

Swiss SMEs, IT departments, and MSPs find curated alternatives to proprietary US cloud services here – GDPR/DSG compliant, data in Switzerland or the EU, full control over your own infrastructure.

123 curated tools

123Solutions

22Categories

100%Open Source

CH/EUData sovereignty

123solutions

Contribute

Solution missing or incorrect?

This list is continuously expanded. Fill in the form to suggest a new solution – we will review it and add it if appropriate.

Or alternatively

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FAQ

Understanding Open Source

Answers to the most important questions about open-source software, licences, and operating sovereign infrastructure.

Licence guide

What does each licence mean?

All licence types used on this platform explained – so you know what to consider when using and operating the software.

MIT✓ OSI-recognised

Very permissive. Allows commercial use and modification without restrictions – the only condition is retaining the copyright notice.

Apache-2.0✓ OSI-recognised

Like MIT, but with an explicit patent grant. Contributors grant users a licence to their patents – particularly business-friendly.

AGPL-3.0✓ OSI-recognised

Strong copyleft with a network clause: anyone offering the software as a service (SaaS) must disclose the source code of their modifications.

GPL-3.0✓ OSI-recognised

Strong copyleft: modifications and derivative works must also be released under the GPL. Includes protection against tivoisation.

GPL-2.0✓ OSI-recognised

Older GPL version used by, among others, the Linux kernel. Copyleft obligation upon distribution, without anti-tivoisation protection.

LGPL-3.0✓ OSI-recognised

Weaker copyleft: inclusion as a library in proprietary software is permitted. Modifications to the library itself remain subject to copyleft.

MPL-2.0✓ OSI-recognised

File-based copyleft: only modified files must remain under the MPL. Allows combination with proprietary code in other files.

EUPL-1.2✓ OSI-recognised

European open-source licence by the EU, available in 23 official languages. Copyleft, but compatible with GPL, AGPL, and other licences.

BSD-2-Clause✓ OSI-recognised

Very permissive licence similar to MIT – without advertising clause or name protection. Allows commercial use, modification, and redistribution without restrictions. Popular for system-level tools and libraries.

BSD-3-Clause✓ OSI-recognised

Permissive licence similar to MIT, but with an additional clause: advertising materials may not use the contributors' names without permission.

PostgreSQL✓ OSI-recognised

Very permissive OSI-certified licence, functionally identical to BSD-2-Clause. Allows commercial use, modification, and redistribution without restrictions – the only condition is retaining the copyright and licence notice.

BSL-1.1✗ Not OSI

Not OSI-certified. Source code is viewable, but commercial use is restricted for 4 years, after which it typically converts to Apache 2.0.

Fair-Code✗ Not OSI

Not a recognised OSS standard. Source code is viewable, but commercial use is restricted. Not recognised as open source by the OSI.

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Digitally sovereign Open-Source-solutions for Switzerland

Kubernetes & Linux – self-hosted, without vendor lock-in

Swiss SMEs, IT departments, and MSPs find curated alternatives to proprietary US cloud services here – GDPR/DSG compliant, data in Switzerland or the EU, full control over your own infrastructure.

123 curated tools

123Solutions

22Categories

100%Open Source

CH/EUData sovereignty

123solutions

Contribute

Solution missing or incorrect?

This list is continuously expanded. Fill in the form to suggest a new solution – we will review it and add it if appropriate.

Or alternatively

Open GitHub issue bluematic.com

FAQ

Understanding Open Source

Answers to the most important questions about open-source software, licences, and operating sovereign infrastructure.

Licence guide

What does each licence mean?

All licence types used on this platform explained – so you know what to consider when using and operating the software.

MIT✓ OSI-recognised

Very permissive. Allows commercial use and modification without restrictions – the only condition is retaining the copyright notice.

Apache-2.0✓ OSI-recognised

Like MIT, but with an explicit patent grant. Contributors grant users a licence to their patents – particularly business-friendly.

AGPL-3.0✓ OSI-recognised

Strong copyleft with a network clause: anyone offering the software as a service (SaaS) must disclose the source code of their modifications.

GPL-3.0✓ OSI-recognised

Strong copyleft: modifications and derivative works must also be released under the GPL. Includes protection against tivoisation.

GPL-2.0✓ OSI-recognised

Older GPL version used by, among others, the Linux kernel. Copyleft obligation upon distribution, without anti-tivoisation protection.

LGPL-3.0✓ OSI-recognised

Weaker copyleft: inclusion as a library in proprietary software is permitted. Modifications to the library itself remain subject to copyleft.

MPL-2.0✓ OSI-recognised

File-based copyleft: only modified files must remain under the MPL. Allows combination with proprietary code in other files.

EUPL-1.2✓ OSI-recognised

European open-source licence by the EU, available in 23 official languages. Copyleft, but compatible with GPL, AGPL, and other licences.

BSD-2-Clause✓ OSI-recognised

BSD-3-Clause✓ OSI-recognised

Permissive licence similar to MIT, but with an additional clause: advertising materials may not use the contributors' names without permission.

PostgreSQL✓ OSI-recognised

BSL-1.1✗ Not OSI

Not OSI-certified. Source code is viewable, but commercial use is restricted for 4 years, after which it typically converts to Apache 2.0.

Fair-Code✗ Not OSI

Not a recognised OSS standard. Source code is viewable, but commercial use is restricted. Not recognised as open source by the OSI.

Digitally sovereign Open-Source-solutions for Switzerland

Why open source? Our selection criteria

solutions for Switzerland

Altcha

AnythingLLM

Apache Airflow

Apache Cassandra

Apache CouchDB

ArgoCD

Asterisk / FreePBX

Authelia

Authentik

BigBlueButton

BookStack

BorgBackup

cert-manager

Chroma

ClickHouse

Coraza

Cozy Cloud

CrowdSec

DokuWiki

DuckDB

ERPNext

Falco

FerretDB

Firezone

Flowise

FreeIPA

Gitea

GLPI

Guacamole

Harbor

Harvester

Headscale

Hermes Agent

Immich

Infisical

Jitsi Meet

Keycloak

Kimai

Kopia

Leantime

LightRAG

LocalAI

Loki

Longhorn

MariaDB

Matomo

Matrix / Element

Mattermost

Meilisearch

Milvus

MinIO

MiroFish

MISP

ModSecurity

Neo4j Community

NetBird

NetBox

Nextcloud

Octelium

Odoo Community

Ollama

OnlyOffice Docs

Open WebUI

OpenBao

OpenClaw

OpenCode

OpenDesk

OpenProject

OpenSearch

OpenTalk

OpenTelemetry

OpenTofu

OPNsense

oVirt

OX App Suite

Paperless-ngx

pfSense CE