Software switching guide
Open Source vs Free Software: What to Check
Free access and access to source code answer different questions. Understanding the distinction helps you compare products without assuming that every zero-price plan gives you the same rights.
Separate price from permissions
A service may have a free account while keeping its code private. A downloadable project may publish code under terms that restrict certain uses. Read the actual license rather than relying on a badge, and distinguish the application license from licenses for templates, fonts and other bundled material.
Separate the software from the service
A project can offer downloadable software and a paid hosted service. The application and the hosted account may have different feature sets. Check whether the comparison describes a local installation, a community edition or a managed plan before estimating your costs.
Look beyond the label
For a practical evaluation, inspect documentation, release notes, issue reporting and backup instructions. Ask who will install updates and help when something breaks. Source availability can be useful, but it does not automatically make an application easy to maintain.