Open source apps I used in 2025 (pt.2)
Caption: By Julian Herzog, CC BY 4.0
I look back on the year 2025 and the open source apps that were critical to me. This weeks post is probably my final part looking back at 2025.
I took some time to make note of the open source apps that I use on a regular basis. I've also categorised them into two groups. These are listed in no particular order and are non-exhaustive.
Indispensible Apps I can't live without
These are the apps that I keep using day in and day out.
- Joplin: The very app that I am writing this blog post on. Key piece of software for my (relative) consistency with Tony Tries Stuff blog posts.
- Bearblog: You are probably reading this post on this platform. I have a lifetime membership that offers a variety of features like image hosting and I truly believe in it's mission as well.
- Wikimedia foundation: I pretty much keep coming back to everything that is done by Wikipedia from their interesting pictures to their artfully written travel guides.
- Super productivity: The app I use every single day at work to manage my tasks. I can no longer imagine working without it.
- Logseq: Another critical piece of software I use at work for knowledge retention. Thanks to this app, I can recall information from a long time ago fairly easily.
- Framasoft: I use a lot of their software on a regular basis. Peertube is the closest contender to youtube and I regularly use their poll software for a run club and badminton club that I organise.
- Spliit: I wouldnt be able to organise my badminton sessions without this critical piece of software. Helps take the admin out of managing money within our badminton group.
- Beeper (benefitting Matrix.org): Lets face it, nobody wants to look through hundreds of messages from dozens of scattered apps. Beeper lets me centralise my messages on one app making it super easy to keep in touch with people important to me.
- Medito: My meditation app of choice, which is especially geared towards people who are new to Meditation. I still use their evergreen resources to further my meditation practice.
- Taiga: Hands down the best collaborative task planning application I have ever used. It is critical to us at work.
Honourable mention
These are apps that I use from time to time and are worthy of being featured on this list.
- Crossover (benefitting Wine): Only recently started using Crossover but it has already helped me avoid buying an entirely new laptop for gaming.
- Tiddlywiki: The platform I chose for the Hundred Climbs dashboard. I can see myself using Tiddlywiki quite a bit in the coming months and years for all sorts of non-linnear information.
- Signal: It would be my messenger of choice if there were more people using it, but unfortunately no one I know uses it
- Lichess: My favoured app for playing correspondence chess. Only gripe is that they dont do notifications which makes it harder for me to know when my opponent has played their turn
- CoMaps: An offline-first map that runs off the Open Street Map data. Allows simple tools to contribute to OSM as well.
- Anki: Absolutely critical if learning anything, especially with their growing list of free resources created by passionate people.
- Mastodon: My social media app of choice as it is an independent and decentralised, meaning we as users retain a lot more control than traditional social media platforms. Although I don't use it as much as I'd like to since most people in my social circle do not use it.
- Blender: Yet another app I use for work and sometimes as a hobby. The best open source 3D software.
What are some of your indispensible apps? Do leave a comment on Mastodon or reply via email to let me know!
Until next time,
Tony
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