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Tools4 min readJanuary 13, 2026
Replacing $800+ of Software Subscriptions with Open Source
6 months ago, I stopped using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Figma, and n8n. I replaced them all with Claude Code.
Here's what happened:
Instead of paying $800+/year for software subscriptions, I built open-source repos that do the same thing - but better.
$800+
saved per year
6
tools replaced
3
step workflow
The workflow is simple:
- 1.Clone the repo
- 2.Write a prompt
- 3.Get production-ready output
Here's what I built:
openword
Professional business letters & contracts (replaces Word)
opendraft
Academic thesis generation with 19 AI agents (replaces research tools)
openfigma
Social graphics & marketing visuals (replaces Figma/Canva)
openblog
5-stage SEO content pipeline (replaces n8n + content tools)
openkeyword
AI-powered keyword research (replaces Ahrefs/SEMrush)
openinvoice
Gmail invoice extraction (replaces manual bookkeeping)
All free. All open source. Clone them, prompt them, ship faster.
The philosophy
If a tool can be built with AI in a weekend, it has no business being a $20/month subscription. The value is in the workflow, not the wrapper.
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