Open-source software is low cost in part because it costs nothing to buy and has no annual renewal charge.

Updates are distributed free of charge too. Open source solutions tend to be more reliable and efficient when compared with proprietary solutions, making both support cheaper and easier and the hardware less expensive too.

Open-source software is peer-reviewed software; it is more reliable than closed, proprietary software. Mature open-source code is as bulletproof as software ever gets.

The open-source model means increased security; because code is in the public view it will be exposed to extreme scrutiny, with problems being found and fixed instead of being kept secret until the wrong person discovers them.