Ask HN: How can I monetise an open source app of mine that has become popular?

Post by HeyLaughingBoy » Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 9:26 PM UTC

yogurtboy wrote: post #6

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #5

Get an overview of the things they want changed and determine if it's something you have time for, or are willing to set aside time for. Can you deliver in a reasonable timeframe, for their definition of reasonable. Assuming that's a go, then decide how it should be paid for. You have the option of time based (hourly/daily/weekly rates) payment, where you should charge the higher of what's normal for your area or the…

Totally agree with this advice. The only caveat would be that there can be legal issues with charging money to work on a product that has specific licenses, whether or not you own it. You need to do some research (or maybe you could ask the company to do that research) to make sure you don't have to do some copyright wrangling to do this legally.

Post by nighth4wks » Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 9:53 PM UTC

anon695 wrote: post #12

gigamick wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://burnernote.com - company is looking for some specific features added.

I love the simplicity, but can't imagine a lot of scenarios where this gets used in the real world, just out of curiosity what are the use cases for this app?

Post by gigamick » Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 9:59 PM UTC

benwerd wrote: post #7

I've built two open source startups, totaling a decade of my life. Take it from me: the only way to do this sustainably is open core. That means you make the core software open, but you sell the features that businesses will pay for or that allow other people to make money. Think of it as two distinct products for two distinct userbases. In effect, the open source software becomes lead gen; the closed software is you…

Post by andreareina » Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 10:19 PM UTC

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #11

yogurtboy wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally agree with this advice. The only caveat would be that there can be legal issues with charging money to work on a product that has specific licenses, whether or not you own it. You need to do some research (or maybe you could ask the company to do that research) to make sure you don't have to do some copyright wrangling to do this legally.

That's interesting. What licenses have you seen that prohibit charging for work on the associated product?

Post by solardev » Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 10:52 PM UTC

gigamick wrote: post #15

benwerd wrote: post #7

I've built two open source startups, totaling a decade of my life. Take it from me: the only way to do this sustainably is open core. That means you make the core software open, but you sell the features that businesses will pay for or that allow other people to make money. Think of it as two distinct products for two distinct userbases. In effect, the open source software becomes lead gen; the closed software is you…

Can you point me to your startups? I'm not entirely sure I understand how to implement this.