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Researched profile. Starter Story's AI research system compiled this page from 55 public sources — the founder didn't write it. Automated research can misread or misattribute a source, so treat figures as best-effort. How this works →
How OpenAlternative Makes Money
Community-driven list of open-source software alternatives.
How did OpenAlternative monetize?
Summary of the sourced claims below
OpenAlternative monetizes primarily through ads and sponsorships, which make up about 65% of its revenue. The remaining revenue comes from featured listings, which cost $197 per month each. The site also generates affiliate revenue from links to the tools it lists, but ads and featured listings drive the bulk of income.
Revenue sources
7 sources · grouped by how OpenAlternative makes money
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One-time / lifetime deals
· 5 mentions · 5 sources“Unfortunately, I made a mistake by trying to monetize some of the traffic by adding a Stripe Pay link to the site. For $97, a project could be featured on the top of the list. I thought it would be a good way to monetize the site, but it was a mistake. I got a lot of negative feedback and I quick...”
highShow 4 more quotes
“A complete, customizable Next.js directory template with built-in payments, SEO, and AI content – pay once, launch unlimited directories. Pricing Basic: $159, Pro: $199, Custom: From $999”
high“A complete, customizable Next.js directory template with built-in payments, SEO, and AI content – pay once, launch unlimited directories. ... PricingPay once, build unlimited directoriesOnce you get access to the codebase, it's yours forever and you can use it to launch as many directories as you...”
high“Pricing: $159 (Standard) and $199 (with AI features + private community) Pricing evolution: I started at $97 for early birds to validate demand. ... All purchases include lifetime updates, lifetime support, and can be used on multiple websites.”
high“OpenAlternative earns $80k annually. What do they have in common? They're all directory websites.”
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Recurring subscriptions
· 5 mentions · 5 sources“Business model: ads and sponsorships make up about 65% of revenue, with featured listings at $197 per month covering the rest.”
highShow 4 more quotes
“Just reached $100 MRR 🤯🎉”
high“The site is making around $3-3.5K per month, $1,200 of which is monthly recurring revenue (MRR) from featured listings.”
high“The site is making around $3-3.5K per month, $1,200 of which is monthly recurring revenue (MRR) from featured listings.”
high“A year ago, I was running OpenAlternative, a directory of open source software alternatives generating over $6,500 MRR.”
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Affiliate / referral commissions
· 4 mentions · 4 sources“Since then, I've managed to come up with several ways to earn money from the site: advertisements, expedited + featured listings, and affiliate links.”
highShow 3 more quotes
“The site also generates affiliate revenue from links to the tools it lists, but the two categories above drive the bulk of income.”
medium“Since then, I've managed to come up with several ways to earn money from the site: advertisements, expedited + featured listings, and affiliate links.”
high“The best channel by far has been affiliate marketing. I give affiliates 30% commission on every sale they refer.”
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Add-ons & upsells
· 4 mentions · 4 sources“Once I saw the traffic I was getting from the launch, I quickly added a tiny banner to the site allowing people to pay $99/month for a premium listing. Even though I was getting a lot of pushback in the comments on Reddit and Hacker News, I managed to get my first sale very quickly (on launch day...”
highShow 3 more quotes
“Featured listings~35%$197/month per listing The site also generates affiliate revenue from links to the tools it lists, but the two categories above drive the bulk of income. Featured listings are the simplest product. A project pays $197 per month to get highlighted placement in their category.”
high“I quickly added a tiny banner to the site allowing people to pay $99/month for a premium listing. Even though I was getting a lot of pushback ... I managed to get my first sale very quickly (on launch day). After that, I took the offer down and didn't monetize the site for a few months until I ca...”
high“OpenAlternative runs ads plus featured listings.”
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Advertising revenue
· 4 mentions · 4 sources“Since then, I've managed to come up with several ways to earn money from the site: advertisements, expedited + featured listings, and affiliate links. From all of those sources combined, the site makes around $3-3.5K per month.”
highShow 3 more quotes
“Ads and sponsorships~65%Banner ads and sponsored placements”
high“Since then, I've managed to come up with several ways to earn money from the site: advertisements, expedited + featured listings, and affiliate links.”
high“Business model: ads and sponsorships make up about 65% of revenue, with featured listings at $197 per month covering the rest.”
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Services & consulting
· 1 mention“Custom We set it up for you From $999 Everything in Pro, plus: Full installation service Basic customization Custom domain setup AI Skills for Claude, Cursor, Codex etc.”
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Sponsorships & partnerships
· 1 mention“Business model: ads and sponsorships make up about 65% of revenue, with featured listings at $197 per month covering the rest.”
high
How 2,705 businesses make money
Of businesses with mapped revenue sources, the share using each —
OpenAlternative’s highlighted.
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Recurring subscriptions65% ◀
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One-time / lifetime deals30% ◀
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Services & consulting25% ◀
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Physical products21%
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Affiliate / referral commissions14% ◀
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Course / training sales11%
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Usage-based fees10%
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Add-ons & upsells10% ◀
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Advertising revenue9% ◀
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Sponsorships & partnerships9% ◀
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Marketplace commissions4%
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Licensing2%
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Donations & tips2%
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Setup / onboarding fees2%
