Software as a service made business tools easy to buy and easy to keep paying for. Every user, every month, for software you neither own nor control, with your data on a vendor's infrastructure and features gated behind higher tiers. For a great many business tools there is a mature open source alternative that does the same job without the per-seat bill or the loss of control. Node deploys, hosts and manages these alternatives for you, so you get the savings and the data sovereignty without running anything yourself.
Why replace SaaS with open source
No per-seat licensing: open source applications have no licence fee. You pay Node a flat managed service fee, not a per-user subscription that climbs every time you hire.
Your data stays yours: customer records, contracts, documents and financials live on infrastructure you control, in a location you choose. They are not processed by a vendor's AI systems or visible to their support staff.
No feature gating: you get the complete feature set of each platform, including API access, integrations, advanced workflows and reporting, without upgrading a tier.
No vendor lock-in: every platform is open source and built on open standards. Your data stays in open formats, so you are never trapped by a proprietary licence or an export you cannot get.
One integrated stack: these are not isolated tools. Your CRM talks to your billing, your document management feeds your e-signature workflow, and every platform shares single sign-on through Keycloak or Authentik.
SaaS to open source: the alternatives we manage
Each open source platform below replaces one or more commercial SaaS products. Every one is deployed and fully managed by Node. Follow the links for the detail on each.
Business apps
Replaces SAP, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics
Full ERP: finance, inventory, manufacturing, HR.
Collaboration and documents
Replaces Google Workspace, Microsoft 365
Files, documents, spreadsheets and collaboration.
Replaces DocuWare, SharePoint document management
Document management with OCR and search.
Customer and marketing
Replaces WP Engine, Kinsta, Wix
WordPress and WooCommerce on a private LEMP stack.
Data and developer tools
Infrastructure and security
Data sovereignty and UK GDPR
For many organisations the deciding factor is not cost but control. When your data lives in a US SaaS platform, it is subject to that vendor's data processing terms, accessible to their support and increasingly their AI systems, and exposed to the US CLOUD Act regardless of where the servers sit.
Self-hosting on UK infrastructure removes that exposure. Your data stays in the UK under UK jurisdiction, we provide an Article 28 data processing agreement, and access is limited to people you authorise. For regulated sectors, for public bodies, and for any business handling sensitive commercial or personal data, that difference matters.
Managed, not do-it-yourself
Self-service platforms such as Elestio, PikaPods and Cloudron make it easier to run open source apps, but you still choose, configure, secure and maintain them yourself. Node is different: we run the platform for you as a managed service.
We deploy it properly: production configuration, high availability, backups and security hardening from day one.
We operate it: upgrades, patching, monitoring, backups and support are all included, so your team uses the software rather than maintaining it.
We integrate it: single sign-on, connections to your other systems, and data migration from the SaaS tool you are replacing.
We host it where you need it: on Node's UK cloud, on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, or on your own infrastructure, with the same managed service either way.
Predictable cost, not per-seat
SaaS pricing is designed to grow with your success: more users, more usage, more cost, every year. A managed open source platform is a flat service fee. You size it to the capability you need, not the number of people who log in, and the cost stays predictable as the business grows.
How migration works
Replacing a SaaS tool does not mean a risky big-bang switch. We export your data from the existing platform, build validated import pipelines into the open source alternative, and configure it to match the workflows your team already uses. We run both systems in parallel during a transition period, so you move across only when the replacement is proven.
Talk to us about the SaaS tools you want to replace, and we will map them to the open source alternatives that fit and tell you honestly which ones are worth moving first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between open source SaaS and self-hosting it yourself?
Open source software is free to run, but self-hosting means your team installs, secures, upgrades and monitors it. A managed service like Node's removes that burden: we run the platform in production for you, so you get the cost and control benefits of open source without needing an in-house operations team.
Can I get open source software fully managed instead of self-hosting it?
Yes. Node deploys, hosts, upgrades, backs up, monitors and supports each open source platform as a managed service, on our UK infrastructure, your cloud account or your own datacentre. You use the software while we operate it.
Is self-hosted open source software GDPR compliant, and where is my data stored?
Self-hosting makes UK GDPR compliance simpler because your data stays on infrastructure you control, in a location you specify. We host in the UK by default with clear data residency, and provide an Article 28 data processing agreement. There is no exposure to the US CLOUD Act that comes with many American SaaS vendors.
How much can we save by replacing per-seat SaaS with managed open source?
The saving grows with your headcount. Per-seat SaaS charges every user every month, so a growing team pays more each year for the same software. Open source has no per-seat licence, so you pay a flat managed service fee that does not climb as you add people. For a mid-sized team the difference is typically thousands of pounds a year per tool.
Can you migrate our data from Salesforce, DocuSign, Google Workspace or another SaaS tool?
Yes. Data migration is part of every deployment. We export from your existing platform, build validated import pipelines into the open source alternative, and run both systems in parallel during transition so nothing is lost.
How is Node different from platforms like Elestio, PikaPods or Cloudron?
Those are self-service platforms: you still choose, configure and manage the apps yourself. Node is a done-for-you managed service. We architect each platform for high availability, integrate it with your identity and other systems, and operate it with UK support and data residency. You get an outcome, not a control panel.
What happens to our data and deployment if we stop using Node?
There is no lock-in. The software is open source and your data stays in open, standard formats on infrastructure you control. If you leave, you keep the platform and the data, and can move it or run it yourself.