While there are many advantages to open source software, there are also some problems and concerns. One of the main problems with using open source software is the questions about its longevity and future. With a community-driven open source project, there's no guarantee that it will keep being around or be updated regularly. If the interest fades, the software could be abandoned and you as a user is stuck maintaining and updating it yourself. A way to mitigate this problem is looking at who's behind the software and how invested they are in it. Some open source projects are almost completely run by a community, while other projects are fully backed by a commercial company. If the project is run by the community and it's relatively new it will be much riskier than a project that has been around for many years or is run by a commercial company. Another potential problem is the ongoing costs of maintenance. While you'll often get this as part of a proprietary software, this is rarely the case for open source. If you run into issues and need support, you'll have to pay for it. If you need updates, you'll have to pay for it. While it will often prove to be cost-effective in the long run, it's important to think of these costs. They might not occur up front as a license fee, but they can accumulate over time and even end up costing you more than if you'd chosen proprietary software.