7 Open-Source Projects Built with PHP | Real-World Applications

From Analytics to ERP: Real-World PHP Applications in Production   

When people talk about PHP today, the conversation often revolves around frameworks like Laravel or Symfony. While those tools are powerful and popular, many large-scale open-source projects still rely on plain PHP or custom-built architectures instead of heavy frameworks.

In this article, we’ll explore seven well-known open-source projects built with PHP that prove PHP is still a strong choice for building scalable, real-world applications.

1. Matomo

Matomo is one of the most successful open-source analytics platforms in the world. It is a privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics and gives users full control over their data.

Matomo is a full-featured PHP + MySQL application that you install on your own server. After a simple setup, you add a small JavaScript tracking code to your website and start viewing real-time analytics.

Today, Matomo is used on over 1.4 million websites, making it one of the largest PHP applications in production.

Key highlights:

• Self-hosted analytics
• Strong privacy features
• Real-time reporting
• Enterprise-ready

🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/matomo-org/matomo

2. OpenCart

OpenCart is a popular open-source eCommerce platform used by merchants all over the world. It provides a solid foundation for building online stores with product management, orders, payments, and extensions.

Unlike many modern platforms, OpenCart is built with core PHP and follows a lightweight MVC structure, making it easy to customize and extend.

Key highlights:

• Free and open source
• Large extension ecosystem
• Multi-store support
• Beginner-friendly admin panel

🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/opencart/opencart

3. Kimai

Kimai is a professional open-source time-tracking application built with PHP. It’s suitable for freelancers, agencies, and companies with large teams.

Kimai allows users to track working hours per project, customer, or activity, and comes with detailed reporting, user permissions, and integrations.

Key highlights:

• Time tracking for teams and freelancers
• Project-based reporting
• Multi-user support
• Actively maintained

🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/kimai/kimai

4. Friendica

Friendica is a decentralized social networking platform designed for privacy and freedom. It connects users to the Fediverse, allowing interaction with platforms like Mastodon, Diaspora, Lemmy, and many more.

Built in PHP, Friendica supports multiple communication protocols and gives users full control over their content and privacy settings.

Key highlights:

• Decentralized social networking
• Fediverse integration
• Privacy-focused design
• Add-on system for extensions

🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/friendica/friendica

5. Grocy

Grocy is a self-hosted web application for managing groceries and household items. It’s designed for personal or family use and helps track inventory, shopping lists, chores, and more.

Grocy shows how PHP can be used to build practical, real-life productivity tools with a clean UI and efficient backend.

Key highlights:

• Household inventory management
• Shopping list automation
• Self-hosted
• Lightweight and fast

🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/grocy/grocy

6. osTicket

osTicket is one of the most widely used open-source support ticket systems. It integrates support requests from email, web forms, and API into a single management interface.

Many organizations rely on osTicket to provide structured customer support while maintaining full control over their system.

Key highlights:

• Email and web ticket integration
• Multi-user support
• Knowledge base
• Mature and stable project

🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/osTicket/osTicket

7. Hubleto ERP & CRM Platform

Hubleto is a modern open-source ERP and CRM platform built with PHP. It provides a modular set of applications to manage business operations of any size.

Hubleto focuses on flexibility and customization while remaining fully open source and free to use.

Key highlights:

• ERP and CRM in one platform
• Modular architecture
• Business-ready features
• Fully open source

🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/hubleto/erp

Conclusion

These projects clearly show that PHP is still a powerful and reliable language for building large-scale, production-ready applications—without necessarily relying on heavy frameworks.

From analytics and eCommerce to social networks and ERP systems, PHP continues to power some of the most impactful open-source software in the world.

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