58 Open Source Software Apps for Small Business

You don’t have to lay out a lot of money for small business software … or pay for a bunch of features you're never likely to use. Instead of brand name applications, open source small business software costs less (and is often free), lets you change the code to suit your customization needs, and in most cases comes with some type of paid support.

Don’t think there's anything out there for you? Well we've got 58 different small business software applications that run the gamut from accounting to data backup and from ecommerce to point-of-sale – and a lot in between. If it's not on this list you probably don’t need it. So check out what open source software can do for your small business -- Datamation.com has the full list.

Many small business owners have never heard of open source software. That's unfortunate because in many ways small businesses are ideal environments for open source applications.

In a small business, every dollar matters. Open source offers opportunities for companies to cut their software costs. Even if you need paid support, you'll probably pay less for an open source solution than for a comparable closed source solution.

In addition, many small businesses don't need all the fancy features that drive up the prices on commercial software. In some cases, those extra features just get in the way and make the applications more difficult to use. While many open source tools are quite complex, others are much simpler, allowing companies to pick the level of functionality that works for them.

Read the complete open source small business software article