Why I Build Open Source: Free Core, Paid Support
My approach to software products — why open source with paid support beats proprietary licensing, and how it works in practice with Seven CMS.
Why I Build Open Source: Free Core, Paid Support
When I started building Seven CMS, I had a choice: proprietary license or open source. I chose open source — not just for idealistic reasons, but because it's a better business model.
The Red Hat Model
Red Hat proved it first: give the software away for free, charge for support, customization, and managed services. It works because:
- Trust: Clients can inspect the code. No black boxes.
- Adoption: Free software gets used. Used software gets known.
- Revenue: Serious users pay for reliability, not licenses.
How It Works for Seven CMS
Seven CMS is free to download, self-host, and modify. You own your data. No license fees, ever.
Paid services:
- Support packages — guaranteed response times, bug fixes, priority updates
- Custom module development — need a specific feature? I build it
- Managed hosting setup — Docker, Nginx, SSL, backups configured for you
Why This Beats SaaS Subscriptions
SaaS locks you in. If the company shuts down, your data is hostage. With open source + self-hosted, you always have the code. Even if I disappear tomorrow, Seven CMS keeps running.
This is the model I'm applying to everything I build: Seven Suite, Seven Shop — all open source at the core.