Freedom251 › Startup Databases
OSSEAN
What OSSEAN is
OSSEAN is a web directory of open-source startups for engineers and founders looking for alternatives to software they already pay for. Visitors can search by project name, organization, language, or topic, and browse by category. Each project is grouped as still shipping, slowed, or gone silent according to the time since its latest repository push or whether the repository is archived. OSSEAN says it updates its data daily from GitHub and uses the GitHub API to check activity. Its Jev classifier assigns product categories based on a repository’s name, description, and homepage. The homepage reported 728 open-source startups on October 9, 2026. The directory is available as a free plan, while paid sponsorships place a tile on the homepage. There are twelve tiles, with monthly prices ranging from 100.00 USD to 500.00 USD. Sponsored tiles carry a Sponsor tag, and OSSEAN says payment does not affect a project’s ship status, ship score, leaderboard position, or presence on the silent list. Sponsorship is invoiced monthly in advance and can be cancelled before the next month without a notice period.
Who it suits
OSSEAN suits engineers and founders searching for open-source alternatives by category, topic, language, organization, or project name. Its shipping-status labels can also help people distinguish active projects from slowed or silent ones.
What it does well
- Search by name, organization, language, or topic.
- Browse projects by category.
- Shipping labels reflect repository activity or archived status.
- Data is updated daily from GitHub.
- The directory has a free plan.
What to know first
- Paid homepage sponsorship starts at $100 a month.
- The listed platform is web.
Limits
The free plan provides directory access. Homepage sponsorship costs from $100 a month, with listed placements ranging up to $500 a month.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| tide-06–tide-10 | Monthly, invoiced in advance · Homepage grid tile · 130 × 130 at 1280px+ | $100 a month |
| tide-01–tide-05 | Monthly, invoiced in advance · Homepage grid tile · 130 × 130 at 1280px+ | $150 a month |
| beacon | Monthly, invoiced in advance · Homepage featured tile · 180 × 180 at 1280px+ | $350 a month |
| lighthouse | Monthly, invoiced in advance · Homepage featured tile · 264 × 264 at 1280px+ | $500 a month |
As ossean.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit https://www.ossean.com/ in a web browser.
- Search by project name, organization, language, or topic, or browse by category.
- Use the directory’s free plan to explore projects.
- For a homepage tile, choose a sponsorship placement and pay monthly in advance.
Verdict
Choose OSSEAN if you want to find open-source startups and check whether their repositories are still active. Its free directory covers discovery; look elsewhere if you need a platform other than web, or consider the sponsorship costs if you want a homepage tile.
Questions
Is OSSEAN free?
OSSEAN has a free plan. Paid sponsorship placements start at $100 a month.
What does OSSEAN help users find?
It is a directory of open-source startups, searchable by name, organization, language, or topic and browsable by category.
How does OSSEAN label project activity?
It groups projects as still shipping, slowed, or gone silent based on time since a repository push or whether the repository is archived.
How current is its data?
OSSEAN says it updates data daily from GitHub and uses the GitHub API to check repository activity.
Can sponsorship change a project’s ranking or status?
OSSEAN says payment cannot change a project’s ship status, ship score, leaderboard position, or presence on the silent list.
What platforms does OSSEAN support?
The listed platform is web.
Facts from OSSEAN's own pages
- Audience
- OSSEAN describes its audience as engineers and founders looking for open-source alternatives to tools they already pay for. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Billing and cancellation
- Sponsorship is invoiced monthly in advance and can be cancelled before the next month with no notice period. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Classification
- OSSEAN says its Jev classifier reads a repository’s name, description, and homepage to assign product categories. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Data source
- The site says its data is updated daily from GitHub. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Directory scale
- The homepage reported 728 open-source startups on October 9, 2026. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Integration
- OSSEAN says it uses the GitHub API to check repository activity. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Listing independence
- OSSEAN says payment cannot change a project’s ship status, ship score, leaderboard position, or presence on the silent list. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Project discovery
- The directory lets visitors search by name, organization, language, or topic and browse by category. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Service refund
- OSSEAN says it refunds a paid month pro rata if the site is down for more than a few days during that month. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Ship status
- OSSEAN groups projects as still shipping, slowed, or gone silent based on how long it has been since a push or whether a repository is archived. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Sponsorship
- Sponsors can buy one of twelve homepage tiles, and the displayed monthly prices range from $100 to $500. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Sponsorship disclosure
- Sponsored tiles carry a visible Sponsor tag, and their links use rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer". · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
- What it is
- OSSEAN is a directory of open-source startups that tracks whether each project is still shipping. · ossean.com, 9 Oct 2026
Where OSSEAN stands on Freedom251
- Startup Databases#10 of 26