13
Support & Services
9
Commercial Access
12
Content
3
Advertising
Revenue subtype
Support & Services
Paid support, maintenance, consulting, or service-backed revenue around OSS projects.
When to use it: Use this when your project creates expertise or operational value that companies will pay for directly.
Algora
Algora helps maintainers and contributors earn through bounties, contract work, and open source recruiting.
Blocklancer
Blocklancer was a blockchain-based freelance marketplace for paid client work and dispute-managed project delivery.
CodeBuddy
CodeBuddy is a software-development services business that combines productized engineering help with an AI-assisted build workflow.
Codementor
Codementor is an on-demand marketplace for software developers with live 1:1 help, long-term mentorship, freelance jobs and code reviews.
Coinlancer
Coinlancer was a blockchain-based freelance marketplace for remote service work and escrowed payments.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a global freelance marketplace where individuals sell digital services, project work, and packaged expertise.
Lyfevest
Lyfevest was pitched as a subscription service for connecting enterprise users of open source with the contributors building those projects.
Open Source Design
A community of designers and developers pushing open design processes and improving design of open source software.
OpenTeams
OpenTeams provides custom AI and open-source-based software solutions for enterprise and public-sector customers.
Otechie
Otechie is a browser-based support and collaboration tool for developers who provide live technical help to clients.
Scarf
Scarf helps open source maintainers and companies measure package usage and identify commercial leads from OSS adoption.
Tidelift
Tidelift pays maintainers through enterprise subscriptions that fund security, maintenance, and long-term support work.
Upwork
Upwork is a large freelance marketplace where companies hire independent professionals and agencies for project-based work.
Revenue subtype
Commercial Access
Commercial licensing, gated access, premium usage, or open-core revenue tied to a project or product.
When to use it: Best when you can package ongoing value into a product, hosted service, premium tier, or commercial terms.
Bytepack
Bytepack was a hosted service for packaging and selling software to developers and enterprise customers.
Code Code Ship
Code Code Ship helps developers sell paid packages, licenses, and premium versions through language-native package workflows.
Gitstore
Gitstore was a storefront for selling access to repositories, packages, and other developer assets through subscription or one-time purchase plans.
IndieMaker
Indiemaker is a marketplace for buying and selling side projects, micro-SaaS products, domains, and small online businesses.
Infatica
Infatica sells residential, mobile, and datacenter proxy access, with an opt-in peer network and affiliate revenue program.
License Zero
License Zero was a dual-licensing toolchain for selling paid commercial-use permissions for open source software.
MemberSpace
MemberSpace lets website owners put memberships, subscriptions, and other paid access controls around content and communities.
PrivJs
PrivJs is a marketplace for selling premium npm packages and other developer tooling through a managed registry.
XS Code
XS Code was a platform for selling paid subscriptions, commercial licenses, and premium support on top of open source projects.
Revenue subtype
Content
Books, courses, paid learning, or creator-led content built around an OSS domain.
When to use it: Use this when the project creates educational demand or a recognizable expert audience.
Apt-get Shirt
Apt-get Shirt sold project-themed merchandise and donated part of each sale to the represented open source project.
Coil
Coil was a web-monetization platform that streamed micropayments to creators as subscribers consumed content.
Egghead
egghead offers developer courses, workshops, and educational products for professional software engineers.
Fundabit
Fundabit was a crypto subscription platform for creators selling memberships and recurring access paid in tokens.
Ghost
Ghost is a and open source blogging platform designed to simplify the process of online publishing for creators and publishers.
Gumroad
Gumroad helps creators sell digital products, memberships, and other downloadable goods directly to their audience.
Kauri
Kauri was a decentralized technical knowledge base for Ethereum developers that rewarded contributors for tutorials and documentation.
Leanpub
Leanpub is a self-publishing platform for selling in-progress and finished ebooks and online courses.
Memberful
Memberful is fully hosted platform for selling memberships and associated access to digital content, email newsletters, and online communities.
Substack
Substack lets writers and creators sell paid newsletters, memberships, and other subscription publishing products.
Teachable
Teachable lets creators sell courses, coaching, digital downloads, and membership-style education products.
Udemy
A marketplace for teaching and learning, through online video courses.
Revenue subtype
Advertising
Audience monetization through sponsorships, ad inventory, or traffic-linked demand.
When to use it: Use this when the project or surrounding content has enough reach to support ad-based income.
Carbon Ads
Carbon Ads is a curated advertising network that helps developer and creator sites monetize through native ads.
CodeFund
CodeFund was an ethical advertising network that shared revenue with open source projects and developer-focused websites.
EthicalAds
EthicalAds is a developer-focused ad network for documentation sites, technical blogs, and other publisher properties with technical audiences.