How much is quality software worth to you?

People seem to expect software to be free. Making good software takes a lot of time, money and hard work. Why are people so averse to paying for quality software? If it solves a problem for you, makes your life better, saves you time, or simply entertains you for a while, why doesn’t that hold much monetary value for you?

I know many people who are willing to spend several dollars on a coffee from Starbucks but would never consider spending the same for an app or service that improved their lives or entertained them for hours. If you do spend money on software, do you have a limit for what you’d be willing to spend for an app? What makes software worth spending money on for you?

How do you feel about adds in your software as an alternative to payment?