I think it's hard to fit software into this question because typically when a product is made, there isn't as large of a need to make a cheaper / more accessible product on account of larger teams typically meaning faster features, and cracked versions existing. They exist, but they're almost always less feature-complete, and there's a different type of user that seeks out an open-source alternative.
That said, I think FFmpeg is a good entry here.
Yeah, that's a good one. The alternative stuff that does get popular is usually intended to hit an entirely different market, rather than a higher-end market. Is it Ollie that's the new hot thing? It's being marketed as the "healthy option," and not high-end soda.
I was thinking that the answers here are generally gonna be products that are cheap/synthetic by nature. High quality chocolate has to be high-quality-sourced. High quality soda with the particular flavor that people like exists to the extent that bubbly sugar water can be high-quality.
Good answer.