Open Source Sustainability: Who Pays for the Code We Use?

🎯 The Problem

Open source powers everything, but maintaining it is often unpaid work. Who pays for the code we all use?

💰 Current Models

1. Corporate Sponsorship

Companies sponsor projects they depend on. GitHub Sponsors, Open Collective, and direct funding.

2. Commercial Licensing

Some projects use dual licensing: open source for most, commercial for enterprise features.

3. Hosted Services

Open source core, paid hosting (like GitLab, Sentry). The code is free, the service costs money.

4. Consulting and Support

Maintainers offer paid consulting, support, or training around their projects.

✅ What's Working

• GitHub Sponsors: Easy way to support maintainers
• Open Collective: Transparent funding for projects
• Corporate backing: Companies funding critical projects
• Tidelift: Paid support for open source

⚠️ What's Not

• Most maintainers still aren't paid
• Funding is uneven (popular projects get more)
• Small projects struggle to get funding
• Burnout is still common

💡 What You Can Do

• Sponsor projects you use
• Contribute code or documentation
• Report bugs and help triage issues
• Advocate for corporate sponsorship

💭 My Take

Open source sustainability is improving, but it's not solved. We need better models for funding maintenance.

If you use open source, support it. Even small contributions help.