Gitpod started as an open-source project. Long before “AI productivity” became a thing, the core problem we were trying to solve was simple:
help contributors get productive without wasting maintainer time.
Over the years, working closely with open-source maintainers using Gitpod’s Open Source plan, the same issues kept coming up:
- PR backlogs grow faster than they can be reviewed
- Maintainers spend large amounts of time onboarding contributors and answering setup questions
- Reviewing changes often means reconstructing context instead of focusing on intent and correctness
- And now, with AI tools everywhere, maintainers also have to sift through a growing volume of low-signal or poorly contextualized PRs
Recently, Gitpod evolved into Ona. The product has grown, but the maintainer problems haven’t gone away.
That’s why we’ve brought back the Open Source plan, now as the Ona for Open Source program.
What’s the focus?
This isn’t about adding more tools. It’s about reducing friction where it hurts most.
Ona for Open Source is designed to help:
- Maintainers review PRs faster by spending less time reconstructing context and unblocking contributors
- Projects keep backlogs manageable as contribution volume increases
- Contributors start working with clearer expectations and fewer setup-related questions
- Teams keep signal high even as AI-assisted contributions become more common
If you’re curious about the transition from Gitpod to Ona, here’s more context: https://ona.com/stories/gitpod-is-now-ona
And if you maintain (or contribute to) an open-source project and want to check out the program: https://ona.com/open-source. You can get up to $200/month in free credits.
Open source survives because maintainers keep showing up. If we can reduce even a small part of that load, especially in an AI-heavy world, it’s worth doing.
Happy to hear feedback, particularly from maintainers on what still feels broken.
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