Shifting Perspectives on Purchasing Open Source Software - FUTO
Our data shows that more than 80% of customers surveyed would pay once (as a pay-what-you-want and/or one-time purchase).
Yes, despite what many people assume, and while big tech frequently gravitates toward SaaS or subscription models as the route to sustainability, most customers and developers of OSS would strongly prefer the one-time payment approach. Why does this disconnect exist?
We believe it partially stems from subscription fatigue in an increasingly subscription-heavy digital economy. Insights from our survey comments suggest customers find managing recurring payments painful and exhausting.
revealed an average willingness to pay of approximately $18 USD (a conservative estimate, using the bottom of the selection band). Interestingly, digging deeper showed that those who self-identified as 'frequent' donors to open source projects leaned higher, averaging around $27 USD. It's worth noting this group represented about 10% of our respondents, so consider that context when looking at this higher figure–your mileage may vary.
At the same time, our survey reveals what truly motivates customers to pay for open source projects. A clear roadmap leads the way (68.3%), with usability (63.5%) and funding transparency (59.8%) following closely behind.