Open source tools I replaced paid SaaS with — saving over RM500/month
by Joanna Leong·May 23, 2026
Audited my subscriptions last year and made some cuts. Here's what I replaced and with what.
Replaced Notion (RM40/month) → Obsidian (free) + Logseq (free)
For personal knowledge management, open source is genuinely better. The local-first approach means your data isn't someone else's problem.
Replaced Postman (RM70/month for team) → Bruno (free, open source)
Bruno is local-first API client. No cloud sync of your API requests. Better for security-conscious teams.
Replaced Loom (RM80/month) → OBS + Handbrake (both free)
More effort to use, but for async video communication that doesn't need a subscription.
Replaced LastPass (RM35/month) → Bitwarden (free or RM10/month for premium)
Bitwarden is genuinely as good as the paid alternatives and the premium tier is trivially priced.
Kept paying for: GitHub Copilot, Cloudflare (minimal), and Linear. Not everything should be replaced — only where the open source alternative is genuinely competitive.