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title: I replaced ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity with...
description: A writer describes swapping paid AI subscriptions (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Cursor) for free open-source alternatives: Jan replaces ChatGPT/Claude...
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og:description: A writer describes swapping paid AI subscriptions (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Cursor) for free open-source alternatives: Jan replaces ChatGPT/Claude...
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# I replaced ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity with free open-source alternatives

**[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 6 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

A writer describes swapping paid AI subscriptions (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Cursor) for free open-source alternatives: Jan replaces ChatGPT/Claude as a local LLM frontend with MCP and web search support; Vane (formerly Perplexica) replicates Perplexity's search-and-summarize workflow via Docker; an open design workflow using Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, or OpenCode generates slides, prototypes, and visual assets without vendor lock-in; OpenCode offers a Claude Code/Codex-like coding agent that works across any model provider; and Open Notebook mimics NotebookLM's source-grounded chat, summaries, and Audio Overview podcasts.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.xda-developers.com/these-open-source-ai-tools-got-so-good-i-finally-cancelled-my-subscriptions>

## Questions this post answers

### What open-source tool can replace Perplexity for AI-powered web search?

Vane, formerly known as Perplexica, is an open-source AI-powered search engine that searches the web, aggregates relevant information, and returns a summarized answer with sources. It supports image and video search, file uploads with Q&A, domain-restricted searches, and widgets for weather, calculations, and stock prices. It is typically set up via Docker rather than used as a hosted service.

_Those weighing self-hosted search tools against paid services like Perplexity can track comparisons like this on daily.dev._

### How can I use Claude Code or Codex workflows without being locked into one AI provider's models?

OpenCode replicates the Claude Code and Codex workflow, including planning mode, Skills, MCP server support, and project-wide code editing, but lets you swap between Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, or local models without rebuilding your setup. This avoids being bound to a single vendor's models, which is the main limitation of Claude Code and Codex.

_Developers picking a model-agnostic coding agent can follow tool comparisons like this on daily.dev._

### What is Open Notebook and how does it compare to NotebookLM?

Open Notebook is an open-source alternative to NotebookLM that lets you upload your own sources, ask questions grounded in them, generate summaries and notes, and create NotebookLM-style Audio Overview podcasts from your material. It covers source-grounded chat and audio summaries well, though NotebookLM still has more polish and some newer features it does not fully replicate.

_Anyone evaluating self-hosted research tools versus NotebookLM can follow finds like this on daily.dev._

## Similar posts on daily.dev

- [I ditched Claude, ChatGPT, NotebookLM, and Perplexity for these free open-source tools](https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-claude-chatgpt-notebooklm-and-perplexity-for-these-free-open-source-tools-wqu8lcuyy) · XDA Developers · 2 upvotes · 0 comments
- [I stopped paying for multiple AI coding tools and built one setup that can use Claude, GPT, Gemini, and local models](https://daily.dev/posts/i-stopped-paying-for-multiple-ai-coding-tools-and-built-one-setup-that-can-use-claude-gpt-gemini--4a44dlugk) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
- [I found this Claude feature so good that I canceled ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity](https://daily.dev/posts/i-found-this-claude-feature-so-good-that-i-canceled-chatgpt-gemini-and-perplexity-uzq69f6x0) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

---

Tags: [#claude](https://daily.dev/tags/claude), [#local-ai](https://daily.dev/tags/local-ai), [#opencode](https://daily.dev/tags/opencode)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-replaced-chatgpt-claude-gemini-and-perplexity-with-free-open-source-alternatives-iiwdr3baz)

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