Stop paying for these 9 apps. Use the free ones.
Acrobat, Grammarly, Notion, Loom, Otter, Wispr Flow, ElevenLabs, Topaz and Midjourney. Each one has a free version. The free ones are open source: the code is public, and anyone can download the app at no cost. The paid ones cost you at least $1,025 a year.
On your phone? These are apps for your computer. Open federicodonatone.com/apps there, or .
Stirling PDF
Harper
AppFlowy
Cap
Buzz
OpenWhispr
VoiceStudio
Upscayl
ComfyUISmall logo: the app you pay for. Big logo: its free version.
What open source means for you
You pay $0
Each app on this page is free to download and use. A few sell extras for teams. The guide tells you which, and what the free part covers.
The code is public
It lives on GitHub, a site where programmers share their code. You download the app from there, or from the app's own site. The stars below are how many people saved each one there.
Many run on your computer
Your files stay with you. The other side of it: the AI ones want a recent computer with enough memory. Each card in the guide says what yours needs.
What you pay for, and its free twin
Prices from each company's own page, read on 7 Nov 2026, before tax. Stars from GitHub on 7 Nov 2026.
-
1
Adobe AcrobatPrice set by countryStirling PDF
Edit and sign any PDF. 50+ PDF tools, on your computer.
★ 96.0K starsOpen source -
2
Grammarly
$12/moHarperIt fixes your writing, even offline. Every check happens on your computer.
★ 17.5K starsOpen source -
3
Notion
$10/moAppFlowyNotes and docs, with AI built in. Projects, wikis and notes in one place.
★ 78.4K starsOpen source -
4
Loom
$18/moCapRecord your screen in one click. A share link the moment you stop.
★ 24.6K starsOpen source -
5
Otter
$16.99/moBuzzIt turns any recording into text, offline, with the Whisper model on your computer.
★ 22.5K starsOpen source -
6
Wispr Flow
$15/moOpenWhisprYou talk, it types. Press a key, speak, and the words appear where your cursor is.
★ 10.9K starsOpen source -
7
ElevenLabs
$6/moVoiceStudioClone your voice on your own laptop. No account, no cloud.
★ 103.8K starsOpen source -
8
Topaz Photo
$39/moUpscaylSmall, pixelated photos made big and sharp, with AI on your computer.
★ 51.9K starsOpen source -
9
Midjourney
$10/moComfyUIIt makes any image you describe, on your computer, with free open source models.
★ 145.6K starsOpen sourceThe best one
Over $1,000 a year. Here is how.
The cheapest paid plan of each app, paying yearly where that costs less. That is the lowest number possible, so the real one is likely higher.
- Midjourney Basic$8 × 12, paying yearly$96
- Grammarly Pro$12 × 12$144
- Notion Plus$10 × 12, less 20% paying yearly$96
- ElevenLabs Starter$1 the first month, then $6 × 11$67
- Wispr Flow Pro$12 × 12, paying yearly$144
- Loom Business$18 × 12, less 17% paying yearly$179
- Otter Pro$8.33 × 12, paying yearly$100
- Topaz Photo$199 a year, paying yearly$199
Paying month by month: $126.99 a month for the same 8 apps.
Adobe Acrobat is not in the total. Its pricing page shows the price in your local currency, so there is no single dollar figure to add.
The honest part
Free does not mean the same in every way. Here is what each project says on its own pages.
What you need
- ComfyUI: An Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 13 or newer, or Windows 10 or Linux. It says it runs big open models with as little as 4 GB of graphics memory and 8 GB of RAM.
- VoiceStudio: An Apple Silicon Mac, Windows 10 or 11, or Linux. On an Intel Mac it needs VoiceStudio running on another computer. No graphics card works too, just slower.
- Buzz: Runs Whisper on your computer. New versions need an Apple silicon Mac: 1.4.5, the one out today, is the last for Intel.
- Upscayl: A graphics card that supports Vulkan. Many built-in ones do not work, says the project.
- Harper Desktop: A Mac with macOS 14 or newer, and it is in beta. On Windows and Linux, Harper is a browser extension.
- A warning on the first launch: Windows says Buzz and Upscayl are not signed, and macOS may block Stirling PDF or VoiceStudio. The guide says what to click.
What they do not do, next to the paid one
- ComfyUI works with nodes: boxes you join with lines. The models on your computer are free. Its Partner nodes, the closed models of other companies, are paid.
- Harper checks English only: British, American, Canadian, Australian and Indian.
- Upscayl makes small or pixelated photos big and sharp. It cannot fix a photo that is out of focus, its own FAQ says.
- Cap is free for personal use: share links up to 5 minutes, 25 a month. For work you need Pro, $12 a month.
- AppFlowy on the free Personal plan: the AI is a limited trial, and 100 MB of storage in its cloud.
- Stirling PDF is free for one person. Teams pay, from $99 a month.
- VoiceStudio asks you to clone a voice only with its owner's permission. Each voice model has its own licence, shown in the app.
- OpenWhispr on an Intel Mac has no live speaker labels in meetings.
- Prices change. These are from each company's page on 7 Nov 2026, before tax.
Get all 9 links and how to install each one
- The official link of each app: its site and its GitHub page.
- Mac: the one line to install it, with a copy button. Or the download.
- Windows and Linux: the official installer, and which file to pick.
- The first thing to do once it is open: the model to download, the key to press.
- One line for 6 of the 9 apps at once, on a Mac.
- What to click if your computer warns you on the first launch.
The quick way on a Mac
One tool that installs apps with one line, and the line that installs 6 of the 9 at once. On Windows or Linux, go straight to the 9 cards.
Locked. The tool to install apps with one line, the line for 6 apps at once, with copy buttons, and what to do on an older Mac.
Open it with your emailInstall each one on Mac, Windows or Linux
What your computer needs, where to download it, the first thing to do once it is open, and the official links.
Locked. 9 cards: the official links, the Mac line with a copy button, the Windows and Linux installer, and the first thing to do in each app.
Open it with your email