For the tech savvy andd novices alike, there are many open source software options to consider this year. While buying a tried-and-true version for about $100 may have seemed reasonable in the past, it no longer has to be the norm. Excellent options abound, and below is listed just five of the best open source choices:

One of the most user-friendly choices is Codendi. This collaborative platform was developed by Xerox and merges all of the necessary features and tools for development teams to be successful. Code, requirements, bugs, tests, and reporting are all possibilities with Codendi. While possibly useful for newbies, this option is best for managers of software projects.

Project HQ, like most open source projects, is a collaboration. Similar to Basecamp and also activeCollab, this platform is built with Python, SQLAlchemy, and Pylons, and also it’s database independent, unlike a lot of others. Like Codendi, it helps managers with their projects.

Focused on collaboration, productivity, communication, and the team spirit that management wants, OpenGoo features awesome options like project management addons, email, and time management solutions. Presentations and text documents can both be created from OpenGoo, as well as uploaded, shared, organized, and made independent of specific formats for files.

A pressure cooker for busy coders who’d rather be playing on Reddit.com, ClockingIT keeps employees on task. This free, open source software is web-based. It keeps your guys on track, so you can sneak away to play on Fark.

Project management doesn’t have to be as boring and difficult to organize as it was once believed to be; with a few addons, the right free software, and a few helpful assistants, your project will be completed in no time. If you feel up to it, your team can even assist the software developers in creating these open source collaborations.