The best open-source intranet software in 2026
Open-source intranet software lets an organization own its internal platform instead of renting it. This guide compares the options that appear on most shortlists, says what each one is good at, and how each one can be hosted. We host HumHub, so read our verdict with that in mind; the facts are sourced.
The options at a glance
| Software | License | What it is | Best for | Hosted by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HumHub | AGPL v3 (commercial Professional Edition) | A social network organized like an intranet: spaces, streams, wiki, files, calendar, tasks, mobile app, 120+ modules | Social intranets and member communities, for organizations without a large IT team | HumHub GmbH (Professional Edition SaaS, EU), CUZY (Germany (EU), the USA or Singapore (APAC), from €90/month) |
| eXo Platform | AGPL Community Edition; Enterprise by subscription | A digital workplace: social intranet, collaboration, knowledge, portal | Companies that want a broad suite from one vendor | eXo Hubs, per user; Enterprise on quote |
| Liferay Portal CE | LGPL 2.1 (DXP under a commercial license) | A Java digital experience platform for portals and intranets | Large employee portals with developers in-house | Liferay DXP cloud, on quote |
| Open Social | GPL (open core) | A community platform built as a Drupal distribution | Institutions that want a vendor-led community on Drupal | Open Social cloud, on quote |
| Plone | GPL | A Python content management system used for websites, extranets and intranets | Content-heavy intranets managed by editors | Plone service providers |
| Nextcloud | AGPL | File sync and collaboration: files, calendar, groupware, Talk | File-centered collaboration and document sharing | Nextcloud Enterprise per user; many hosting providers |
| Foswiki / TWiki | GPL | Enterprise wikis written in Perl | Documentation-driven technical teams | Rarely offered hosted |
| dotCMS | Business Source License 1.1 (free below $5M revenue) | A headless and hybrid content management system | Organizations building a content portal with a web team | dotCMS cloud, on quote |
| Bitrix24 self-hosted | Proprietary with source code (not open source) | An all-in-one suite: CRM, tasks, intranet | Teams that want CRM and intranet in one product | Bitrix24 cloud, by user tier |
Third-party lists that include most of these: dotCMS (dotCMS, Liferay, Uintra, eXo, HumHub, Bitrix24, TWiki, Plone) and SoftwareSuggest. Note that several products on such lists are proprietary with a free tier, not open source.
How to choose
- Social or editorial? If everyone should be able to post and comment, pick a social platform (HumHub, eXo, Open Social). If a communication team publishes and others read, a CMS (Liferay, Plone, dotCMS) fits.
- Who runs it? Java portals and Drupal distributions need developers. HumHub and Nextcloud are administered from the browser, and are the easiest to have hosted.
- Who is invited? Only employees, or also volunteers, members and partners? Per-user pricing grows with the second group; flat hosting does not.
- Is it really open source? Check the license: AGPL, GPL and LGPL let you take the software elsewhere; "source available" or "free tier" do not.
- Can you leave? Ask for a complete export that runs on another server.
Why we chose HumHub
We have built HumHub modules since 2017 because it is the open-source platform that non-technical organizations actually adopt: it looks like the social networks people know, a volunteer can administer it, and its marketplace covers what companies, associations and schools ask for. Its limits are real: it is not a chat tool, not a document management system, and not a web CMS. What HumHub is · every module · comparisons with proprietary platforms.
Questions
What is the best open-source intranet software?
It depends on what the intranet is for. For a social intranet where people post, comment and work in spaces, HumHub and eXo Platform are the usual choices. For a content-heavy portal managed by editors, Liferay or Plone. For file collaboration first, Nextcloud. For a documentation wiki, Foswiki or a wiki module.
Is there a free open-source intranet?
Yes. HumHub, Liferay Portal CE, Plone, Foswiki, Nextcloud and Open Social can all be downloaded and installed for free. The cost is in the server, the updates and the time of the person who runs it, or in a hosting subscription.
Can I get an open-source intranet without hosting it myself?
Yes. Several open-source products are sold as hosted services, by their publishers or by independent hosts. HumHub is hosted by HumHub GmbH and by partners such as CUZY, which runs it in Germany (EU), the USA or Singapore (APAC) from €90 a month.