Could this be a case of “penny wise, pound foolish”?
This is a far too common startup trap.
Even smart people seem to fall into it.
They want to sell software to others.
But they don’t want to pay others for software.
Technologists and engineers fall into this trap.
This often is case of tech driven startups.
Using open source becomes a habit.
Sometimes a religion.
Unfortunately, not all open source is equal.
Some libraries are actively managed and maintained.
Others, not so much.
You may save by avoiding purchase.
But you may end up spending a lot more in working around problems.
Having to struggle with support that’s often non-existent.
Open source libraries where “paid support” versions exist can work.
If you have paid customers or expect to get there.
It’s usually, generally, mostly, (but not always 🙂 better to have someone providing support for any tools and libraries you are building on.
Do you rely on open source?
What is your experience?
Will you ever pay for embedded libraries?
What about tools required to build and manage code?