Proprietary Software Proprietary software is also known as Closed Source Software means the company that develops the software owns the software and no one may duplicate it or distribute it without the company’s permission.

Users have to pay for software use. If they want to use the proprietary software. i.e Microsoft Office 2016, Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Photoshop, Windows 10, etc.

Open Source Software Open source software is software that is free to use and which provides the original source code used to create it so that advanced users can modify it to make it work better for them. i.e Ubuntu, Linux, Blender, Inkscape Mozilla Firefox 3.0, etc.

Difference Open Source and Proprietary Software

Open Source Software

• Purchased with its source code
• A user can get open software for free of charge
• A user can modify the software
• Users can install software freely into any computer
• No one is responsible for the software.

Proprietary software

• Purchased without its source code.
• A user must pay to get the proprietary software.
• Users cannot modify the software.
• Users must have a license from a vendor before installing into a computer.
• Full support from a vendor it anything happened to the software.