Why do indie software projects ask for donations instead of charging?

Question

I found this neat mouse utility today: https://neatdecisions.com/products/neatmouse/I looked for a price. None.Just a request for donation.I find this often with the tools we software developers and engineers are most likely to use.As software developers and engineers, we're among the wealthiest humans on the planet.The companies we've built are among the most profitable in human history.So, why is it so hard to ask us to pay for a product?Why do we force each other to beg for donations?It's just mind-blowing.

Mountain_Skies · Accepted Answer

Dealing with customers is an endless nightmare and brings along potential legal obligations, not to mention whatever DRM scheme you'll need to implement to keep anyone from using it without paying. Asking for donations is a completely different relationship. People who make nice little niche utilities in most cases aren't interested in getting bogged down in all of the hassle of requiring payment. But if you like the product and want to throw some money their way, they give you a way of doing that.As an aside, programmer is now one of the most common jobs in the US and there are plenty of programmers making $40k. It's not lucrative for everyone even if the median salary of HN users is six or seven figures.

rektide · Answer

Sometimes creating value for the world is what most moves us.Being open source or free feels like our work has a better chance of getting adopted, of having a community. It has a better chance of making a more signficant difference.