Ask and Answer Questions About Paid Versus Open Source Software


It's a debate that has been ongoing for decades: is it ideal for software to be free and open source, or closed source with a price tag attached? It's a tough call to make, especially when each side has a nearly equal number of advantages and disadvantages.

While paid software has a full-time staff of developers constantly improving the software, it can also be expensive. In addition, new ideas are not as easily implemented as with open source software, which is usually free and contains a (sometimes) dedicated fanbase of developers that are free to tweak the software any way they wish. In essence, this debate becomes a matter of "reliability" vs. "open innovation," although one person may believe this assumption is completely ridiculous while another may agree.


It's a complicated issue, which is why we want you to talk amongst yourselves about it in the comments. What type of software do you prefer, and why? Additionally, what questions do you have in regards to choosing paid software versus open source software? Ask and answer questions about paid versus open source software in the comments.