https://www.freesoftlabs.com/ Open-source tools, tested in the lab. en Thu, 12 Nov 2026 03:01:39 GMT https://www.freesoftlabs.com/cheap-router-openwrt-mesh-kit-lab/ https://www.freesoftlabs.com/cheap-router-openwrt-mesh-kit-lab/ We spent 30 days comparing a $40 router running OpenWrt with a $199 three-node mesh kit in a busy home office. The cheap box lost the coverage contest, won the bufferbloat fight, and forced us to put a dollar value on setup time. FreeSoft Labs Lab Benchmarks Thu, 12 Nov 2026 00:07:45 GMT https://www.freesoftlabs.com/linux-mint-week-small-office-invoice/ https://www.freesoftlabs.com/linux-mint-week-small-office-invoice/ A three-person office spent five working days on Linux Mint, and we logged every support ticket and hidden cost. The software was free; the labor bill was not. FreeSoft Labs Cost Analysis Thu, 12 Nov 2026 00:07:45 GMT https://www.freesoftlabs.com/6-vps-help-desk-three-free-options-2026/ https://www.freesoftlabs.com/6-vps-help-desk-three-free-options-2026/ We installed osTicket, Zammad, and UVdesk on the same $6/month VPS and ran the same ticket scenarios for a week each. Setup time, email ingestion, routing, SLA tracking, upgrades, and one messy recovery later, here is the pick for US small shops. FreeSoft Labs Lab Benchmarks Wed, 11 Nov 2026 20:06:41 GMT https://www.freesoftlabs.com/75-dollar-thin-client-opnsense-firewall-diary/ https://www.freesoftlabs.com/75-dollar-thin-client-opnsense-firewall-diary/ I replaced a consumer router with a $75 surplus thin client running OPNsense and tracked 90 days of real work-from-home traffic, video calls, VPN sessions, and power draw. The cheap firewall wins more often than I expected, but it also has a few time traps worth knowing before you buy. FreeSoft Labs Cost Analysis Wed, 11 Nov 2026 20:06:41 GMT https://www.freesoftlabs.com/free-open-source-backup-hidden-costs-audit-2026/ https://www.freesoftlabs.com/free-open-source-backup-hidden-costs-audit-2026/ Restic, Borg, Duplicati, and UrBackup cost zero dollars to license and several thousand dollars a year to operate. We model the egress fees, scripting hours, and untested-restore risk across three small-business scenarios so you can see the real number before you commit. FreeSoft Labs Cost Analysis Wed, 11 Nov 2026 16:08:25 GMT https://www.freesoftlabs.com/open-source-local-llm-runners-250-mini-pc-benchmarks-2026/ https://www.freesoftlabs.com/open-source-local-llm-runners-250-mini-pc-benchmarks-2026/ We stuffed llama.cpp, Ollama, LocalAI, Jan, and GPT4All onto a $239 Intel N100 mini PC and measured tokens per second, RAM ceilings, and setup pain. Two of them are worth your time on this hardware — the rest depend entirely on what you're building. FreeSoft Labs Lab Benchmarks Wed, 11 Nov 2026 16:08:25 GMT