8 Free GitHub Repos That Replace Paid Software (Photoshop, Fusion, Descript)
I made one real product launch, a Raspberry Pi case, in one day without opening a single paid app. The 3D design, the product photo, the spec sheet and the launch video all came from 8 free GitHub repos, replacing $161.97 a month of subscriptions. Every app in this video was installed and run on my Mac, including the one that completely failed. Comment UNPAID and I'll send you the free PDF with all 8 links, install lines and catches.
▶️ Tip: watch at 1.25× or 1.5× for the best experience.
THE 8 REPOS (stars from GitHub, prices from each vendor's own page, Oct 16 2026)
1. SolidCraft → Autodesk Fusion ($680/yr): tangency-labs/solidcraft
2. Compositor → Adobe Photoshop ($22.99/mo): robbietilton/Compositor
3. GenOffice → Microsoft 365 ($99.99/yr): genspark-ai/genoffice
4. Handy → Wispr Flow Pro ($15/mo): cjpais/Handy
5. PureMac → CleanMyMac ($39.95/yr): momenbasel/PureMac
6. Concat → CapCut Pro ($19.99/mo): jub0t/Concat
7. Rescript → Descript ($24/mo): wassgha/rescript (noncommercial license)
8. Tinycast → Raycast Pro ($10/mo): abue-ammar/tinycast
WHAT HAPPENED (all real, Oct 16 2026, on a 24 GB Mac)
• Claude Code built the Pi case in SolidCraft over MCP in 1m 34s, added a fan grille and SD slot in 41 s, then made it taller: 21 steps rebuilt, no errors.
• Compositor: Remove Background, drop shadow, Content-Aware Fill past the edges (look closely: seams).
• GenOffice on a local model (Gemma 4 12B via Ollama) timed out after about a minute. Bring your own AI.
• PureMac found 36.29 GB on a 99%-full Mac. Concat voiced and captioned the launch clip locally.
• Handy and Rescript are shown with their creators' own demo media.
FREE PDF: comment UNPAID and I'll send you The Unpaid Stack.
CHAPTERS
0:00 One launch, zero paid apps: the $161.97 bill
0:43 1. SolidCraft replaces Autodesk Fusion (Claude builds the case)
2:08 2. Compositor replaces Photoshop
3:22 3. GenOffice replaces Microsoft 365 (it failed on my laptop)
4:43 4. Handy replaces Wispr Flow
5:20 5. PureMac replaces CleanMyMac
6:09 6. Concat replaces CapCut Pro
6:56 7. Rescript replaces Descript (the license catch)
7:36 8. Tinycast replaces Raycast Pro
8:18 The bill: $161.97 → $24, and when to still pay
9:07 Free PDF (comment UNPAID)
NEW TO CLAUDE CODE? MY BEGINNER GUIDES
📗 The Complete Claude Code Guide: hyperautomationlabs.gumroad.com
📘 The OpenAI Codex Guide: hyperautomationlabs.gumroad.com
📙 Claude Cowork Sales Guide: hyperautomationlabs.gumroad.com
📕 Claude Certified Architect Prep Kit: hyperautomationlabs.gumroad.com
FOLLOW
YouTube (deep dives): youtube.com
Instagram (bite-size AI): instagram.com
Facebook (bite-size AI): facebook.com
Website: hyperautomationlabs.co
Every repo belongs to its authors and every product name to its owner. Independent channel, not affiliated with any of them. Check each repo's license before using it for paid work.
#opensource #github #freesoftware
21 likes · 12 comments · 3,230 views
Tinycast: A tiny, fully native macOS launcher (8.5k stars)
What it does
All text below is quoted directly from the project README.
>A tiny, fully native macOS launcher. One hotkey, everything you reach for all day, under 100 MB of RAM.
>SwiftUI and AppKit, zero third-party dependencies, no Electron and no telemetry. It also runs real Raycast extensions, rendered as native SwiftUI. Free, open source, and staying that way.
Features:
- App launcher: fuzzy-search and launch anything, pin favorites, see what's running, quit an app or every app at once.
- Global hotkey: one shortcut summons the palette from anywhere.
- Per-app hotkeys: bind a key to an app; press it to toggle (focus/hide).
- Search Files: open files and folders from the folders you choose, through Spotlight, with no index of our own.
- Dictionary: look a word up with the Define Word command, or define whatever you typed from the launcher's fallbacks, read from the Mac's own dictionaries.
- Clipboard history: text and images, searchable, pasted back into the app you were using.
- Calculator: do math, unit, live currency and crypto conversions inline, right in the palette.
- Quicklinks: turn a URL, search, file or deeplink into a command, with placeholders for typed input, the clipboard or the date.
- Apple Shortcuts: search and run the shortcuts you built in the Shortcuts app, with aliases and global hotkeys.
- Snippets: reusable Markdown templates with dynamic placeholders, arguments, nested references and optional keyword expansion.
- Custom commands: run named shell commands through fuzzy search or their own global hotkeys.
- Window management: 34 Rectangle-style actions: halves, quarters, thirds, sizing, nudging, display moves, fullscreen and Spaces.
- System actions: lock, sleep, restart, empty trash, toggle appearance, Bluetooth, mute, hidden files, and more.
- Calendar and meetings: your next meeting on the empty palette and in the menu bar, one key to join it, or let it join itself.
- Notes: an unlimited collection of plain Markdown files in one floating editor, searchable from the palette and rendered as you write.
- Emoji picker: a searchable emoji grid, one keystroke away.
- AI chat: use your own key or an installed AI account: ask Quick AI from the palette, or keep longer conversations in the AI Chat window, with a searchable, pinnable history. Off out of the box, like every AI feature.
- Quick Actions: fix grammar, rewrite, translate or summarize the selected text in any app.
- Raycast extensions: run the ones you already have natively, rendered as SwiftUI.
- Backup and import: export your settings to a file, or import your setup from Raycast.
Permissions:
>Accessibility: needed when Tinycast pastes or expands text into another app, and the only permission snippet keyword expansion needs. You're prompted when you first use a feature that needs it; grant access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility. Snippets ship disabled, and keystrokes are matched locally, never stored and never sent anywhere.
Using it:
- Open Settings > General and record a global shortcut to summon Tinycast.
- Press it anywhere, the palette floats in. Type to filter, Enter to launch.
- Tab switches between Apps and Clipboard; Up/Down move, Esc dismisses.
- Settings > Shortcuts: search an app or custom command and record a global shortcut.
- Settings > Snippets: enable the feature, then create templates with expansion keywords.
Repository
abue-ammar/tinycast
Repository stats
|Metric|Value|
|:-|:-|
|Stars|8,485|
|Forks|492|
|Last release|v0.11.19 (2026-10-10)|
|Languages|Swift 91.6%, JavaScript 5.1%, TypeScript 2.1%|
|Contributors|75|
|AI contributor accounts (Claude / Codex / Cursor / Copilot)|None|
|AI co-authored commits|None|
Main contributor
|Field|Value|
|:-|:-|
|Name|Abue Ammar|
|GitHub|@abue-ammar|
|Commits to this repo|653 (top contributor)|
|Bio|die lit|
|Company / Location|US-Bangla Airlines, Dhaka, Bangladesh|
|X / Twitter|@abue_ammar|
|Followers|294|
5 points · 3 comments
Mentions
$Tinycast is a tiny native macOS launcher (SwiftUI/AppKit) with hotkeys, clipboard, snippets, window mgmt & AI ~9k stars. Created by @abue_ammar. Free & open source. All fees going to the devs GitHub to onboard him abue-ammar/tinycast
8 Free GitHub Repos That Replace Paid Software (Photoshop, Fusion, Descript) I made one real product launch, a Raspberry Pi case, in one day without opening a single paid app. The 3D design, the product photo, the spec sheet and the launch video all came from 8 free GitHub repos, replacing $161.97 a month of subscriptions. Every app in this video was installed and run on my Mac, including the one that completely failed. Comment UNPAID and I'll send you the free PDF with all 8 links, install lines and catches. ▶️ Tip: watch at 1.25× or 1.5× for the best experience. THE 8 REPOS (stars from GitHub, prices from each vendor's own page, Oct 16 2026) 1. SolidCraft → Autodesk Fusion ($680/yr): tangency-labs/solidcraft 2. Compositor → Adobe Photoshop ($22.99/mo): robbietilton/Compositor 3. GenOffice → Microsoft 365 ($99.99/yr): genspark-ai/genoffice 4. Handy → Wispr Flow Pro ($15/mo): cjpais/Handy 5. PureMac → CleanMyMac ($39.95/yr): momenbasel/PureMac 6. Concat → CapCut Pro ($19.99/mo): jub0t/Concat 7. Rescript → Descript ($24/mo): wassgha/rescript (noncommercial license) 8. Tinycast → Raycast Pro ($10/mo): abue-ammar/tinycast WHAT HAPPENED (all real, Oct 16 2026, on a 24 GB Mac) • Claude Code built the Pi case in SolidCraft over MCP in 1m 34s, added a fan grille and SD slot in 41 s, then made it taller: 21 steps rebuilt, no errors. • Compositor: Remove Background, drop shadow, Content-Aware Fill past the edges (look closely: seams). • GenOffice on a local model (Gemma 4 12B via Ollama) timed out after about a minute. Bring your own AI. • PureMac found 36.29 GB on a 99%-full Mac. Concat voiced and captioned the launch clip locally. • Handy and Rescript are shown with their creators' own demo media. FREE PDF: comment UNPAID and I'll send you The Unpaid Stack. CHAPTERS 0:00 One launch, zero paid apps: the $161.97 bill 0:43 1. SolidCraft replaces Autodesk Fusion (Claude builds the case) 2:08 2. Compositor replaces Photoshop 3:22 3. GenOffice replaces Microsoft 365 (it failed on my laptop) 4:43 4. Handy replaces Wispr Flow 5:20 5. PureMac replaces CleanMyMac 6:09 6. Concat replaces CapCut Pro 6:56 7. Rescript replaces Descript (the license catch) 7:36 8. Tinycast replaces Raycast Pro 8:18 The bill: $161.97 → $24, and when to still pay 9:07 Free PDF (comment UNPAID) NEW TO CLAUDE CODE? MY BEGINNER GUIDES 📗 The Complete Claude Code Guide: hyperautomationlabs.gumroad.com 📘 The OpenAI Codex Guide: hyperautomationlabs.gumroad.com 📙 Claude Cowork Sales Guide: hyperautomationlabs.gumroad.com 📕 Claude Certified Architect Prep Kit: hyperautomationlabs.gumroad.com FOLLOW YouTube (deep dives): youtube.com Instagram (bite-size AI): instagram.com Facebook (bite-size AI): facebook.com Website: hyperautomationlabs.co Every repo belongs to its authors and every product name to its owner. Independent channel, not affiliated with any of them. Check each repo's license before using it for paid work. #opensource #github #freesoftware
Tinycast: A tiny, fully native macOS launcher (8.5k stars) What it does All text below is quoted directly from the project README. >A tiny, fully native macOS launcher. One hotkey, everything you reach for all day, under 100 MB of RAM. >SwiftUI and AppKit, zero third-party dependencies, no Electron and no telemetry. It also runs real Raycast extensions, rendered as native SwiftUI. Free, open source, and staying that way. Features: - App launcher: fuzzy-search and launch anything, pin favorites, see what's running, quit an app or every app at once. - Global hotkey: one shortcut summons the palette from anywhere. - Per-app hotkeys: bind a key to an app; press it to toggle (focus/hide). - Search Files: open files and folders from the folders you choose, through Spotlight, with no index of our own. - Dictionary: look a word up with the Define Word command, or define whatever you typed from the launcher's fallbacks, read from the Mac's own dictionaries. - Clipboard history: text and images, searchable, pasted back into the app you were using. - Calculator: do math, unit, live currency and crypto conversions inline, right in the palette. - Quicklinks: turn a URL, search, file or deeplink into a command, with placeholders for typed input, the clipboard or the date. - Apple Shortcuts: search and run the shortcuts you built in the Shortcuts app, with aliases and global hotkeys. - Snippets: reusable Markdown templates with dynamic placeholders, arguments, nested references and optional keyword expansion. - Custom commands: run named shell commands through fuzzy search or their own global hotkeys. - Window management: 34 Rectangle-style actions: halves, quarters, thirds, sizing, nudging, display moves, fullscreen and Spaces. - System actions: lock, sleep, restart, empty trash, toggle appearance, Bluetooth, mute, hidden files, and more. - Calendar and meetings: your next meeting on the empty palette and in the menu bar, one key to join it, or let it join itself. - Notes: an unlimited collection of plain Markdown files in one floating editor, searchable from the palette and rendered as you write. - Emoji picker: a searchable emoji grid, one keystroke away. - AI chat: use your own key or an installed AI account: ask Quick AI from the palette, or keep longer conversations in the AI Chat window, with a searchable, pinnable history. Off out of the box, like every AI feature. - Quick Actions: fix grammar, rewrite, translate or summarize the selected text in any app. - Raycast extensions: run the ones you already have natively, rendered as SwiftUI. - Backup and import: export your settings to a file, or import your setup from Raycast. Permissions: >Accessibility: needed when Tinycast pastes or expands text into another app, and the only permission snippet keyword expansion needs. You're prompted when you first use a feature that needs it; grant access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility. Snippets ship disabled, and keystrokes are matched locally, never stored and never sent anywhere. Using it: - Open Settings > General and record a global shortcut to summon Tinycast. - Press it anywhere, the palette floats in. Type to filter, Enter to launch. - Tab switches between Apps and Clipboard; Up/Down move, Esc dismisses. - Settings > Shortcuts: search an app or custom command and record a global shortcut. - Settings > Snippets: enable the feature, then create templates with expansion keywords. Repository abue-ammar/tinycast Repository stats |Metric|Value| |:-|:-| |Stars|8,485| |Forks|492| |Last release|v0.11.19 (2026-10-10)| |Languages|Swift 91.6%, JavaScript 5.1%, TypeScript 2.1%| |Contributors|75| |AI contributor accounts (Claude / Codex / Cursor / Copilot)|None| |AI co-authored commits|None| Main contributor |Field|Value| |:-|:-| |Name|Abue Ammar| |GitHub|@abue-ammar| |Commits to this repo|653 (top contributor)| |Bio|die lit| |Company / Location|US-Bangla Airlines, Dhaka, Bangladesh| |X / Twitter|@abue_ammar| |Followers|294|
Tomorrow I will release Tinycast new stable version along with Dictation and so many QOL improvement, optimizations and 🐞 Bugs fix. ⭐ Star On GitHub: abue-ammar/tinycast 💌 Enjoying it? Support Tinycast: tinycast.dev t.co
Improved search in launcher and now searches category properly as well. and also fixed lots of bug and implemented lots of QOL. abue-ammar/tinycast t.co
i would love to nominate my open source project called Tinycast. It's a free and open source macOS launcher and productivity tool loved by the community. GitHub: abue-ammar/tinycast Website: tinycast.dev
@syntaxfm i would love to nominate my open source project called Tinycast. It's a free and open source macOS launcher and productivity tool loved by the community. GitHub: abue-ammar/tinycast Website: tinycast.dev