I have to respectfully disagree with many in the comments here. Most people seem to feel that any new project or startup needs to focus on revenue maximization,

I have to respectfully disagree with many in the comments here. Most people seem to feel that any new project or startup needs to focus on revenue maximization, where, like most things in IT, I think the right answer is "it depends". If it's a learning project, or a part-time or hobby project, or if the people starting don't have a lot of money, then using a lot of self-hosted stuff will be an attractive alternative. There are lots of cases where with an ample amount of money or cash flow I'd agree with paying for SaaS or whatnot, but I don't think it's a good universal answer.