Insight from the 2025 Open Source ROI Survey and Economic Model
What is the benefit of contributing to open source?
This LF Research study, sponsored by OpenSSF, examines the return on investment of contributing upstream.
Organizations maintaining private forks often spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, while those contributing upstream report faster security fixes, improved development speed, and stronger talent retention.
Findings show:
- 2–5x average benefit-to-cost ratio
- Up to 6x ROI from open source contributions
Download the report to learn how contributing upstream can create a strategic advantage.
About the Report
Based on survey data and a quantitative ROI model, this research highlights the real costs of private maintenance and the measurable benefits of contributing upstream.
Authors
Sam Boysel, The Linux Foundation
Adrienn Lawson, The Linux Foundation
Forewords by Chris Aniszczyk (CNCF, The Linux Foundation), Masato Endo (Toyota), and Hillarie Prestopine (Intel)
Additional Resources
Open Data: https://data.world/thelinuxfoundation
DOI: 10.70828/XSJC5531
Download the Infographic
