The apps · Why now blog
Open source outgrew the compromise.
Files, customer records, chat, passwords and automation: for every subscription there is an open-source tool that does the job as well. Governments and armed forces already run them. Small teams can too.
As good as the paid product. Less advertised.
The old idea is that open source is the compromise: the free version you put up with until you can afford the real thing. That was true once. For most everyday business jobs it is not true any more. The open-source option is as good as the subscription, and it is often already running in places with far more at stake than a ten-person office.
The difference is marketing. Nobody buys a conference booth to sell you Nextcloud. So here is the list, with who already trusts it:
Nextcloud: files, documents and calendars.
Browser, desktop sync and phone apps, with shared editing built in. The German federal administration runs it for its civil servants, and it is the file layer of openDesk, Germany’s open-source office suite for the public sector.
Twenty: customer records and the sales pipeline.
A modern CRM built in Paris: companies, people, deals, notes and email in one place, with the layout you want instead of the one you are sold. The French state is on its customer list.
Matrix: chat and calls.
An open messaging standard with end-to-end encryption; Element is the usual client. The German armed forces run their own Matrix messenger for over 100,000 people, the French government’s Tchap is built on it, and NATO is trialling it between member states.
n8n: automation without a meter.
Connect your tools and let workflows run. On your own machine another step costs nothing extra, which is the whole point.
Vaultwarden: passwords.
Bitwarden is open source; Vaultwarden is a lightweight server that works with the same apps. Same password manager, your server.
Paperless-ngx: every document, searchable.
Scan it, drop it in, find it later by content. Invoices, contracts and letters stop living in a drawer.
Vikunja: tasks and tickets.
Projects, boards, lists and due dates for the work a team shares. It runs our own task list.
WordPress for the website, Gitea for code, Immich for photos and Home Assistant for the office building widen the choice. All of these appear in the OurGrove beta catalogue. Our own company runs on Nextcloud, Twenty, Matrix, Vikunja and Ollama.
Bring the hosting together.
Each of these projects has its own maintainers, community and way of doing things. Their work is why an OurGrove app store is worth opening in the first place.
Our part is the system around them. App recipes connect the services, databases and storage. The OS gives them a repeatable foundation. Backups and recovery bring the setup together when it needs to be restored.
You still choose the app, who can reach it and how it fits your work. A WordPress site can be public on your domain while team files stay private. The catalogue is a starting point for setup; individual apps have their own requirements, licences and optional paid features.
Take something back.
Start where you can see the benefit. A shared project folder in Nextcloud. The customer list in Twenty. Team chat in Matrix. Try the workflow with the people who will actually use it, including access from their phones and laptops.
Every useful service you bring home makes the machine more valuable to you. The software already exists. The next step is making ownership ordinary.
OurGrove is in beta. We’re preparing for first pilots.