How Open Source Companies Manage the Tension Between Free and Paid

Episode 37 of The Open Source Business with Fexingo tackles one of the hardest strategic questions for any free-software company: where do you draw the line between what's free and what's paid? Lucas and Luna examine the case of GitLab's tiered model, focusing on how their 2024 pricing update created new friction around CI/CD minutes and developer seats. They break down how GitLab preserved its free tier for individual developers while tightening access for team-scale features, and what other open-source companies can learn from the rollout. The episode also touches on HashiCorp's shift from open-core to BSL licensing as a contrasting approach. Specific numbers discussed include GitLab's 30-million-plus registered users and the 400-minutes-per-month free CI/CD cap. The hosts explore why community perception can be as important as revenue targets when changing what's free, and how companies like GitLab use usage-based limits rather than feature gating to soften the transition. #GitLab #HashiCorp #OpenSource #OpenCore #PricingStrategy #Freemium #BSLLicense #CICD #DeveloperTools #CommunityManagement #Monetization #TieredPricing #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheOpenSourceBusiness #SaaS Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo