Macrostack open alternatives — 387 rows, 2026-09-05

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+---
+license: cc-by-4.0
+language:
+  - en
+pretty_name: Macrostack Open Alternatives
+size_categories:
+  - n<1K
+task_categories:
+  - tabular-classification
+tags:
+  - open-source
+  - self-hosting
+  - software-alternatives
+  - cloud
+  - licensing
+  - vendor-lock-in
+configs:
+  - config_name: default
+    data_files:
+      - split: train
+        path: data/alternatives.csv
+---
+
+# Macrostack Open Alternatives
+
+**387 verified open-source and self-hostable alternatives** to
+85 proprietary products, across 78 categories and the
+five layers of the AI and cloud stack.
+
+Maintained at **[macrostack.net](https://www.macrostack.net)**. Data version `2026-09-05`.
+
+## What makes this different from a listicle
+
+Every licence is read from the project's own `LICENSE` file rather than from a
+marketing page. That sounds like a small distinction and it is not: vendors
+routinely describe source-available and business-source licences as "open
+source", and a dataset that repeats the marketing is worse than no dataset.
+
+Each row also carries what a person actually needs in order to decide:
+
+- **`self_hostable`** — can you run it yourself at all
+- **`local_first`** — does it work with no network
+- **`pricing`** — the shape of the cost, not a number that rots
+- **`sovereignty_score`** — a transparent 0–100 score for how much control you keep
+- **`stack_layer`** — where it sits, L1 chips through L5 applications
+
+Of 387 entries, **295 are open source** and
+**311 are self-hostable**.
+
+## Columns
+
+| Column | Meaning |
+|---|---|
+| `alternative` | The open or self-hostable option |
+| `replaces` | The proprietary product it is an alternative to |
+| `vendor_replaced` | Who sells that product |
+| `category`, `category_slug` | The decision category |
+| `stack_layer`, `stack_layer_name` | L1 chips → L5 applications |
+| `license` | SPDX identifier, read from the project's own LICENSE |
+| `open_source` | True only for an OSI-approved licence |
+| `self_hostable` | Can be run on your own infrastructure |
+| `local_first` | Works without a network connection |
+| `sovereignty_score` | 0–100, how much control you retain |
+| `recommended` | Our pick in that category |
+| `pricing` | free · freemium · paid · usage |
+| `kind` | software · service · hardware |
+| `website`, `repo`, `docs` | Canonical links |
+| `last_verified` | When a human last checked the row |
+| `source_page` | The page on macrostack.net this row is rendered on |
+
+## Use it
+
+```python
+from datasets import load_dataset
+
+ds = load_dataset("Macrostack/macrostack-open-alternatives", split="train")
+
+# Self-hostable options that are genuinely open source
+open_selfhost = ds.filter(lambda r: r["open_source"] and r["self_hostable"])
+print(len(open_selfhost))
+```
+
+Straight from the source, always current:
+
+```bash
+curl -sL https://www.macrostack.net/data/macrostack-alternatives.csv
+```
+
+## Licence and attribution
+
+**CC-BY-4.0.** You may use this commercially. Attribution is a condition of the
+licence, and it must include a link:
+
+> Data from [Macrostack](https://www.macrostack.net) — CC-BY-4.0
+
+## Method and limits
+
+The full method is at [https://www.macrostack.net/methodology](https://www.macrostack.net/methodology).
+
+Worth stating plainly:
+
+- **`sovereignty_score` is our judgement**, not a measurement. The inputs are
+  documented; the weighting is a considered opinion and you may disagree with it.
+- **`recommended` is a single pick per category** and never reflects a
+  commercial relationship. Several top-ranked entries here have no affiliate
+  programme at all, which is the point.
+- **`pricing` is a shape, not a price.** Real prices change faster than any
+  dataset can track, so we record the model instead.
+- **Coverage is deliberately narrow.** Infrastructure, developer tooling, AI and
+  business software. Not consumer apps, not games.
+
+Corrections are welcome — every row links to the page it came from.