42 Trending Open Source Library Businesses [2024]

Updated: January 18th, 2023
An Open Source Library

Open-source libraries become a widely used method of software development, stories from some of the top names in the field can help you with your development or help build your confidence in adopting this methodology for your own projects.

Open-source libraries have a lot to offer the world of programming. The potential for improvement and simplification of a wide range of computer applications is huge. However, with so many options available, how are developers and architects to see which ones are right for them? Following open-source library success stories that could help you determine your best options.

Looking for some examples of a open source library?

Interested in case studies of a successful open source library? Check out our full list of success stories.

1. Apple

Where they're located: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Website traffic: 438M/month

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2. SourceForge

Free, secure and fast downloads from the largest Open Source applications and software directory - SourceForge.net

Where they're located: Aurora, Colorado, USA
Website traffic: 25.9M/month

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Learn more about starting an open source library:

Where to start?

-> How much does it cost to start an open source library?
-> Pros and cons of an open source library

Need inspiration?

-> Other open source library success stories
-> Marketing ideas for an open source library

Other resources

4. Android

Find the latest and greatest on the world’s most powerful mobile platform. Browse devices, explore resources and learn about the latest updates.

Where they're located: Stockton, California, USA
Website traffic: 58.6M/month

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5. APACHE

Home page of The Apache Software Foundation

Website traffic: 12.4M/month

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6. getbootstrap

The most popular HTML, CSS, and JS library in the world.

Website traffic: 12.5M/month

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7. PLOS

Website traffic: 5.34M/month

8. TensorFlow

An end-to-end open source machine learning platform for everyone. Discover TensorFlow's flexible ecosystem of tools, libraries and community resources.

Website traffic: 2.93M/month

9. cdnjs

Simple. Fast. Reliable. Content delivery at its finest. cdnjs is a free and open-source CDN service trusted by over 12.5% of all websites, serving over 200 billion requests each month, powered by Cloudflare. We make it faster and easier to load library files on your websites.

Website traffic: 770K/month

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10. Open Library

Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Read, borrow, and discover more than 3M books for free.

Where they're located: Jacksonville, Florida, USA

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11. SourceForge

Free, secure and fast downloads from the largest Open Source applications and software directory - SourceForge.net

Website traffic: 1.63M/month

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12. OpenCV

OpenCV provides a real-time optimized Computer Vision library, tools, and hardware. It also supports model execution for Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Website traffic: 1.15M/month

13. Leaflet

14. curl

Website traffic: 560K/month

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15. ApexCharts.js

ApexCharts is a a free and open-source modern charting library that helps developers to create beautiful and interactive visualizations for web pages.

Website traffic: 230K/month

16. Rasa

Build contextual AI assistants and chatbots in text and voice with our open source machine learning framework. Scale it with our enterprise grade platform.

Website traffic: 250K/month

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17. Remix Icon

Remix Icon is a set of open source neutral style system symbols elaborately crafted for designers and developers. All of the icons are free to use for both personal and commercial.

Website traffic: 200K/month

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18. opensource.google

Google <3 Open Source

Website traffic: 270K/month

19. OER Commons

OER Commons is a dynamic digital library and network. Explore open education resources and join our network of educators dedicated to curriculum improvement.

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20. illlustrations

Large set of opensource illustrations. You can use completely free and without attribution.

Website traffic: 240K/month

21. PyCaret

Website traffic: 70K/month

22. Official Website of Koha Library Software

23. React Flow

Highly customizable React.js library for building interactive node-based editors, flow charts and diagrams.

Website traffic: 50K/month

24. Skia

Website traffic: 70K/month

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25. Deeplearning4j

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26. OGRE

Website traffic: 70K/month

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27. Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.

How much they make:
Website traffic: 5.39B/month

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28. Plausible Analytics

Plausible is a lightweight and open-source web analytics tool. Your website data is 100% yours and the privacy of your visitors is respected.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
Current team size: 0
Website traffic: 150K/month

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How Our Privacy Friendly Web Analytics Tool Reached $4K/Month Without Paid Ads

Plausible Analytics, a privacy-friendly web analytics tool, reached $4,557 MRR and 743 paying subscribers by focusing on content marketing and engaging relevant communities, rather than paid advertising, while positioning itself as a lightweight, cookie-free and affordable alternative to Google Analytics.

About
Marko started Plausible Analytics about 5 years ago
Revenue
Marko grew the business to $100K/month
Read by 9,533 founders

29. Vuetify

Vuetify is a Material Design component framework for Vue.js. It aims to provide all the tools necessary to create be...

How much they make: $300K/year
Where they're located: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Current team size: 1
Website traffic: 1.56M/month

I Built A $300K/Year Vue.js Component Library

Vuetify is a popular open-source user interface library, built with the Vue.js framework, that generates revenue through digital content and services such as paid digital content in the Vuetify store, direct support through consulting, ad revenue from Carbon ads on the documentation pages, and donations/sponsorships via GitHub and Patreon, generating an average income of $6,500 per month.

About
John started Vuetify almost 7 years ago
Revenue
John grew the business to $25K/month
Read by 44,889 founders

30. EspoCRM

EspoCRM is an Open Source CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software that allows you to see, enter and evaluate all your company relationships regardless of the type. People, companies, projects or opportunities - all in an easy and intuitive interface. Try for Free.

How much they make: $360K/year
Where they're located: Chernivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 1

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How We Developed A $30K/Month Open Source CRM

EspoCRM, an open-source CRM application for small and mid-size businesses, has seen an average of over 16,000 downloads per year and makes up to $30k per month, offering efficient tools to systematize customer data, improve sales cycles, and automate routine administrative tasks.

About
Oleksii started EspoCRM over 12 years ago
Revenue
Oleksii grew the business to $30K/month
Costs
It cost Oleksii $10000 to start the business
Read by 10,033 founders

31. GanttProject

Free desktop project scheduling and management app with Gantt chart for Windows, Linux and macOS

How much they make: $36K/year
Where they're located: Prague, Czechia
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 0

I Grew My Open-Source Software Side Project To $3K/Month [$0 Spent On Ads]

GanttProject, a popular free open-source project scheduling application, generated $3000-5000 monthly through the pay-what-you-want model, despite not spending a single dollar on paid traffic, and has now grown to over 2-3k monthly active users.

About
Dmitry started GanttProject over 11 years ago
Revenue
Dmitry grew the business to $3K/month
Read by 3,977 founders

32. HollaEx

bitHolla has a mission to create customized, future-proofed technology to help guide businesses into the age of the digital marketplace. It provides professional exchange trading software and crypto asset wallet management to create and run your digital asset system based on blockchain. They are dedicated to providing practical, reliable, and security-first solutions that get the job done.

How much they make: $420K/year
Where they're located: Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 13

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We Built An Open Source Crypto Platform & Make $420K/Year

HollaEx, an open-source crypto software startup, evolved into a general-purpose crypto service and created a white-label exchange software with a one-day launch, resulting in a revenue of $420k per year as of 2021, with a focus on exchange technology and tackling key crypto infrastructure solutions like wallet tech, exchange hosting, and white-label services.

About
Adrian started HollaEx almost 7 years ago
Revenue
Adrian grew the business to $35K/month
Costs
It cost Adrian $10000 to start the business
Read by 4,895 founders

33. Blazorise

Blazorise is a component library built on top of Blazor with support for CSS frameworks like Bootstrap, Bulma, AntDesign and Material. View it on GitHub

34. OPALS

35. VCV Rack

VCV Rack - the Eurorack simulator. Free download

36. HAPI FHIR

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37. FOLIO

Join a community of libraries and vendors building the open source library services platform of the future.

38. Evergreen ILS

39. Index Data

Index Data creates innovative software products & discovery tools and delivers custom software development projects for libraries and the library ecosystem

40. BiblioBoard

BiblioBoard Library

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41. PortAudio