https://github.com/mrjoelkemp/awesome-paid-open-source

132 stars today
Collection of links around paid/sustainable open source development

awesome-paid-open-source

Collection of links around paid/sustainable open source development

Feel free to add links via PRs and file issues to start discussions.

Perspectives

• Open Source Ain't Free by David DeSandro
• Money and Open Source by Isaac Schleuter
• Vue.js author now works on it full time thanks to donations by Evan You
• Fine Uploader attempted a FOSS-friendly commercial license by Ray Nicholus
• OptaPlanner gets picked up by Red Hat by Geoffrey De Smet
• Open Source Exploitation by SupportedSource
• Redis author sponsored by Pivotal labs by Antirez
• Charging for Open Source by Mike Perham (author of Sidekiq)
• Corporations and OSS do not mix by Ian Cordasco
• More Money for Better Open-Source Software by Marijn Haverbeke
• Marijn's Sustainable Open Source Fund by Marijn Haverbeke
• The Perils of Mixing Open Source and Money by DHH
• The Ethics of Unpaid Labor and the OSS Community by Ashe Dryden
• Commerce and Open Source by the Open Source Initiative
• Open Source Work by Ryan Bigg
• Who Pays to Keep OS Software Working? by Jen Quraishi
• Github Issues and Mental Health by Dave DeSandro
• The Path to Full-time Open Source by Mike Perham

Reference

• MySQL dual licensing
• Wikipedia: Open source business models
• Paying the Piper by PyBee / Russell Keith-Magee

Donation sites

• Patreon
• BountySource
• Open Collective
• Indiegogo

Payment Platforms

• plasso.co
• Gumroad
• Simple Goods
• Pulley

Open Source Software Foundations

• jQuery Foundation
• The Apache Software Foundation
• Software Freedom Conservancy
• Linux Foundation
• Open Source Robotics Foundation

Example Projects

A collection of paid open source projects to use as a reference for your own efforts.

• Synergy (GPL) charges for downloads, but also provides free access.
• Sidekiq (LGPLv3) offers pro and enterprise add-ons, but offers free access for a hobbyist usage level.
• Greenkeeper (Apache-2.0) offers premium individual and organization levels of usage, but offers free usage for open source projects.
• npm (Artistic-2.0) is free to use for all projects, but offers premium individual and enterprise add-ons.
• Ember.js (MIT) is free to use for all projects, but premium consulting and training services are provided by the authors.
• Meteor.js (MIT) is free to use for all projects, but offers a premium hosting solution for meteor projects.
• Intern (New BSD) is free to use for all projects, but has premium support offered by SitePen.
• Docker (Apache 2.0) is free to use for all projects, but offers premium hosting and training support.
• Tern.js (MIT) is free to use for all projects, but releases language expansion packs via crowdfunded campaigns.
• JW Player (CC-BY-NC) charges for streaming video service and ad platform

These projects are dual-licensed. They require a paid license for non-commercial or closed-source use, but offer a free license for non-commercial or open-source use.

• Isotope, Flickity, Packery (GPLv3)
• Sequence.js (GPLv3)
• MixItUp (CC-BY-NC)
• Highcharts (CC-BY-NC)
• Fresco, Tipped, Strip, Lightview

Sponsored Projects

These projects are/were sponsored by organizations or donation-based backers.

• Vue.js is sponsored by donations via a Patreon campaign.
• react-boilerplate is sponsored by donations via an Open Collective campaign.
• Redis was sponsored by Pivotal labs and other backers and is now sponsored by Redis Labs.
• Prosemirror was sponsored via a kickstarter-like campaign on Indiegogo.
• Tern.js was sponsored via a crowdfunded campaign on Indiegogo.
• Ghost was sponsored via a kickstarter campaign.
• Angular.js is sponsored by Google.
• React.js is sponsored by Facebook.
• Dojo is sponsored by SitePen under the Dojo Foundation.
• Fine Uploader is sponsored by Widen.
• Imageflow (APGLv3) successfully funded development effort on Kickstarter.
• Phaser (MIT) is sponsored on Patreon.
• Brunch (MIT) is sponsored by Hell Yeah.

FAQ and Key Terms

Dual licensing

Quote from "Open Hardware Business Models"

The first license is a GPL-like license, which is free but forces users to disclose the source code of any modified version of the original design. The second is a commercial license, which has a fee but allows buyers to conceal the source code of any modified version.

Source software foundations

• About jQuery Foundation by Mike Sherov

License

To the extent possible under law, Joel Kemp has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work.