Three out of Four Companies Use Open Source

Open source software has become an integral part of the digital economy. It drives innovation, enables technological sovereignty and influences business models and public administration. But what exactly is the role of open source today? How is its use developing? And what opportunities and challenges does it present?

The Open Source Monitor 2025 provides answers. Building on the studies from 2019, 2021 and 2023, the current edition provides a comprehensive overview of the use and prospects of open source in Germany. Almost three quarters (73%) currently use open source software, compared to 69% two years ago.

Likewise, 73 percent consider open source to be a suitable means of strengthening digital sovereignty, while 60 percent want the state to invest more in open source software due to the current geopolitical situation.

"The economy would come to a standstill"

For the Open Source Monitor 2025, 1152 companies with 20 or more employees in Germany and 103 people from public administration were surveyed on behalf of the digital association Bitkom. "Open source has continued to gain attention. Without open source solutions, our economy would grind to a halt, while they are also a driver of innovation, for example in cloud technologies or artificial intelligence," says Bitkom President Dr. Ralf Wintergerst. Open source refers to software for which the source code is disclosed and whose license allows the software to be freely executed, analysed, adapted and distributed in both unmodified and modified form.

Clear open source strategy

61% of companies explicitly state that they are open to open source, compared to only 53% in 2023. The proportion of companies with an open source strategy has also risen from 32% in 2023 to 37% today.

4 out of 10 (42 percent) expect the importance of open source software in their own company to increase in the future. "Open source has established itself in Germany, but there is still a lot to do. Open source should be approached strategically. This means defining goals, defining responsibilities and making resources available," says Wintergerst.

Costs and source code

Companies see cost savings as the biggest advantage (26%), closely followed by the ability to access the source code (19%). Among other things, this makes it possible to make individual adjustments, but also to check for possible security vulnerabilities. The main arguments against the use of open source software are a lack of specialists in the company (20%), the unclear warranty situation (15%) and legal uncertainties regarding the licensing obligation (13%).

Mainly internal use

Overall, it is clear that open source software is predominantly used as an internal solution, while integration into customer products or even independent development has only been implemented by a small group to date. 43% consider it advisable to use open source AI models in public administration.

In business, this figure is slightly higher at 51%. 38% agree with the statement that future critical dependencies can be avoided through open source-based AI models. At 45%, the business sector is also above the overall average.