In a world that wants to track every move you make, we think it’s important to have alternatives that are free, open and respect your digital rights. Purism is a company dedicated to freedom, privacy, and security. At Purism, we make freedom-respecting hardware, software and online services.

Software is the life-blood of any hardware. If you are looking for programs available from the PureOS store, here is a comprehensive guide to help you choose.

Alternatives for Desktop Users

Jam out to your favorite music tracks with Lollypop, or load up Totem or VLC for your movie watching.Need to put together a chart Inkscape help you create an excellent looking diagram.The LibreOffice suite offers word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation applications, much like MS Office.Instead of Edge or Safari, our default browser is Gnome-web; however, Firefox is also supported.Keep track of your passwords the same way you would with Lastpass, using with password-safe.Take notes like you mean it.When it’s time to fill in a PDF, Xournal++ is simple to use and has no paywalls.For text editing, Gedit is a seamless replacement for notepad.For backups and restoration, we recommend Déjà Dup.Managing a small business or personal finances? GNUCash can help keep you organized and on track.

Desktop software breakdown:

UseName
Music playerLollypop
Video playbackTotem and VLC
DiagramsInkscape
Office suiteLibreOffice
Web BrowsingGnome Web
PDFsXournal
Text editingGedit
Note takingNotes
BackupsDéjà Dup
Password managementpassword-safe
FinancesGNUCash

Alternatives for Visual Artists

Krita is a professional painting program packed full of features you’ll love.

Inkscape is a lot like Illustrator, giving you the freedom to edit SVG files with ease.

Visual Artists software breakdown:

UseName
Digital paintingKrita, Gimp
SVG artworkInkscape

Alternatives for Video Production

OBS Studio can stream or record your desktop and cameras. Editing video in Kdenlive is straight forward and well documented.Blender can help you build 3D models or even full animations.Audacity can help you clean up your audio for a clear, crisp sound.

Video Production software breakdown:

UseName
Video EditingKdenlive
3d modelingBlender
RecordingOBS Studio

Alternatives for Researchers

Need to analyze data, develop algorithms, and create parametric models? Test out Octave and Freecad.Drive your 3D printers using Cura slicer.

Libre for Researchers software breakdown:

UseName
Algorithmic models and data analysisOctave, Freecad
3D printing and slicingCura

Alternatives for Gamers

PureOS has a lot to offer for gaming lovers. For example, if you’re a fan of Minecraft, Minetest can behave just about identically when selecting the correct mod pack within the menu.Need a racing game? SuperTuxKart can scratch that itch.PureOS has quite a few first-person shooters just clicks away. Enjoy games like Openarena and Red Eclipse.Side-scrolling fans will be please to find a fully fleshed-out game in Super Tux.We have a lot of games that work out of the box on our Librem devices; check out these videos for a more in-depth view of all the game options.

Games software breakdown:

UseName
Phone gamesLibrem 5 Gaming
Desktop gamesLibrem 14 Gaming

Alternatives for the Web

To get started avoiding online trackers and data collection, try out DuckDuckGo instead of Google.Instead of uploading your project to google drive, try out online document sharing with Nextcloud.Instead of streaming from 12 different online services, put your media on a service like Jellyfin.Need to meet up online? Skip the account setup and set up a meeting using Jitsi.Need to chat with friends and family; instead of being subjected to creepy metrics and data analytics, try out Element. This is a perfect place to create a safe encrypted digital chat.

Services software breakdown:

UseName
SearchDuckDuckGo
File upload and editNextcloud
Video streamingJellyfin
Online video chatJitsi
MessagingElement

Alternative Social Media

Get social media without the tracking or algorithms, and find the server right for you inside the Fediverse. For example, our Librem social instance refines your feed to just your subscriptions. No automatically generated content will be shoved in your face. While mobile, you can easily toot at your friends with Tootle.

Services software breakdown:

UseName
SocialMastodon and Librem Social

Wrap Up

Software should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn, edit, or share a program. In just about every case, there is a free software alternative for whatever you do, and it’s easy to install on PureOS. If we missed your favorite PureOS program, feel free to send us feedback at feedback@puri.sm

UseName
Music playerLollypop
Video playbackTotem and VLC
DiagramsInkscape
Office suiteLibreOffice
Web BrowsingGnome Web
PDFsXournal
Text editingGedit
Note takingNotes
BackupsDéjà Dup
Password managementpassword-safe
FinancesGNUCash
Digital paintingKrita, Gimp
SVG artworkInkscape
Video EditingKdenlive
3d modelingBlender
RecordingOBS Studio
Algorithmic models and data analysisOctave, Freecad
3D printing and slicingCura
Phone gamesLibrem 5 Gaming
Desktop gamesLibrem 14 Gaming
SearchDuckDuckGo
File upload and editNextcloud
Video streamingJellyfin
Online video chatJitsi
MessagingElement
SocialMastodon and Librem Social

Purism Products and Availability Chart

 ModelStatusLead Time 
USB Security Token Purism Librem KeyLibrem Key

(Made in USA)
In Stock
($59+)
10 business days
Librem 5In Stock
($699+)
3GB/32GB
10 business days
Librem 5 COMSEC BundleIn Stock
($1299+)
Qty 2; 3GB/32GB
10 business days
Purism Liberty Phone with Made in USA ElectronicsLiberty Phone
(Made in USA Electronics)
Backorder
($1,999+)
4GB/128GB
Estimated fulfillment February
Librem 5 + SIMple
(3 GB Data)
In Stock
($99/mo)
10 business days
Librem 5 + SIMple Plus
(5 GB Data)
In Stock
($129/mo)
10 business days
Librem 5 + AweSIM
(Unlimited Data)
In Stock
($169/mo)
10 business days
Librem 11In Stock
($999+)
8GB/1TB
10 business days
Most Secure Laptop Purism Librem 14Librem 14Backorder
($1,370+)
Estimated fulfillment December
Most Secure PC Purism Librem Mini
Librem MiniBackorder
($799+)
10 business days
Most Secure Server Purism Librem ServersLibrem ServerIn Stock
($2,999+)
45 business days
The current product and shipping chart of Purism products, updated on October 18th, 2024

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