ToolGPA report · October 2026 edition
Open source, self-hosting and buying once in 2026
How many of 1281 productivity tools are open source, can run on your own server, encrypt end to end or can be bought once, by category.
17%
of the 1281 tools are open source, according to their own sites.
11%
can be run on a server of your own.
5%
describe themselves as end-to-end encrypted.
16%
can be bought once instead of by subscription.
45%
of the open-source tools have no paid plan at all.
Counted from 1281 listings, each read from the vendor’s own pages up to Oct 9, 2026. toolgpa.com/reports/open-source-and-ownership
01
Open source is common in a few categories and rare in most
214 of the 1281 tools are open source. The share is highest in Read Later & Bookmarks, Desktop Utilities and Voice Dictation and lowest in Daily Planner Apps, AI App Builders and Presentations.
Open source does not mean free of charge: 97 of the 214 have no paid plan, and the rest sell hosting, support or extra features. 105 can be run on a server of your own.
- Read Later & Bookmarks38%
- Desktop Utilities36%
- Voice Dictation32%
- AI Agents31%
- Password Managers29%
- File Storage & Sync29%
- Docs & Wikis29%
- Note-Taking Apps23%
- AI Assistants22%
- Team Communication21%
- Browsers19%
- Spreadsheets & Databases18%
- Forms & Surveys18%
- Project Management16%
- Email Apps15%
- Automation15%
- Time Tracking14%
- Journaling Apps14%
- Habit Trackers14%
- CRM Software13%
- Writing Tools13%
- To-Do List Apps13%
- Calendar & Scheduling13%
- AI Research Tools11%
- Whiteboards & Mind Maps10%
- Screen Recording & Video9%
- Focus Apps5%
- AI Meeting Notes4%
- Presentations4%
- AI App Builders4%
- Daily Planner Apps2%
02
Where you can still buy once
16% of the tools can be bought with a single payment. The share is highest in Focus Apps, Desktop Utilities and Voice Dictation, which are mostly apps for one person on one device, and lowest in Browsers, Forms & Surveys and Team Communication.
- Focus Apps47%
- Desktop Utilities47%
- Voice Dictation32%
- Note-Taking Apps28%
- Writing Tools25%
- Habit Trackers25%
- Screen Recording & Video23%
- Daily Planner Apps22%
- Time Tracking19%
- To-Do List Apps18%
- Password Managers18%
- File Storage & Sync18%
- Automation17%
- Journaling Apps17%
- Whiteboards & Mind Maps16%
- Calendar & Scheduling14%
- AI Assistants10%
- Email Apps10%
- Presentations8%
- Read Later & Bookmarks8%
- Spreadsheets & Databases5%
- AI Meeting Notes4%
- Docs & Wikis2%
- Project Management2%
- AI Agents0%
- AI Research Tools0%
- AI App Builders0%
- CRM Software0%
- Team Communication0%
- Forms & Surveys0%
- Browsers0%
Every category
| Category | Tools | Open source | Self-hostable | End-to-end encrypted | One-time purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Meeting Notes | 48 | 4% | 2% | 2% | 4% |
| AI Assistants | 58 | 22% | 12% | 5% | 10% |
| AI Agents | 42 | 31% | 31% | 0% | 0% |
| AI Research Tools | 28 | 11% | 11% | 0% | 0% |
| AI App Builders | 27 | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Voice Dictation | 28 | 32% | 0% | 0% | 32% |
| Note-Taking Apps | 64 | 23% | 16% | 11% | 28% |
| Writing Tools | 48 | 13% | 6% | 0% | 25% |
| Docs & Wikis | 52 | 29% | 31% | 4% | 2% |
| Whiteboards & Mind Maps | 31 | 10% | 13% | 6% | 16% |
| Spreadsheets & Databases | 22 | 18% | 32% | 5% | 5% |
| Presentations | 24 | 4% | 0% | 0% | 8% |
| To-Do List Apps | 56 | 13% | 2% | 7% | 18% |
| Daily Planner Apps | 60 | 2% | 0% | 2% | 22% |
| Calendar & Scheduling | 56 | 13% | 4% | 4% | 14% |
| Email Apps | 52 | 15% | 2% | 15% | 10% |
| Project Management | 58 | 16% | 26% | 0% | 2% |
| CRM Software | 46 | 13% | 15% | 2% | 0% |
| Team Communication | 34 | 21% | 24% | 15% | 0% |
| Automation | 41 | 15% | 24% | 0% | 17% |
| Forms & Surveys | 28 | 18% | 18% | 0% | 0% |
| Focus Apps | 57 | 5% | 0% | 0% | 47% |
| Time Tracking | 43 | 14% | 14% | 0% | 19% |
| Habit Trackers | 44 | 14% | 7% | 2% | 25% |
| Journaling Apps | 36 | 14% | 3% | 11% | 17% |
| Read Later & Bookmarks | 37 | 38% | 24% | 0% | 8% |
| Screen Recording & Video | 53 | 9% | 2% | 0% | 23% |
| Desktop Utilities | 58 | 36% | 0% | 2% | 47% |
| Browsers | 16 | 19% | 0% | 19% | 0% |
| Password Managers | 17 | 29% | 12% | 41% | 18% |
| File Storage & Sync | 17 | 29% | 6% | 41% | 18% |
| All categories | 1281 | 17% | 11% | 5% | 16% |
How this was counted
- Each of these is counted only when the vendor states it outright on its own site, so a tool without the mark is a fair no.
- Open source means the vendor publishes the source code under an open licence. It does not mean every feature is free.
- End-to-end encrypted is the vendor's own description. Nobody here has audited it.
These figures describe the 1281 tools listed on ToolGPA, not every product on the market. They are counted again whenever a listing changes; this is the October 2026 edition. You may quote them with a link to this report.