View source for Comparison of free and open-source software licenses

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This comparison only covers [[software license]]s which have a linked Wikipedia article for details and which are approved by at least one of the following expert groups: the [[Free Software Foundation]], the [[Open Source Initiative]], the [[Debian Project]] and the [[Fedora Project]]. For a list of licenses not specifically intended for software, see [[List of free-content licences]].

==FOSS licenses==
[[FOSS]] stands for "Free and Open Source Software". There is no one universally agreed-upon definition of [[FOSS]] software and various groups maintain approved lists of licenses. The [[Open Source Initiative]] (OSI) is one such organization keeping a list of open-source licenses.<ref name=":0">[http://opensource.org/licenses/alphabetical Open source licenses - Licenses by Name] on opensource.org</ref> The [[Free Software Foundation]] (FSF) maintains a list of what it considers free.<ref name="fsf_licenses">{{cite web |title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them| url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html | access-date=August 8, 2011|website=Free Software Foundation}}</ref> FSF's [[free-software license|free software]] and OSI's [[open-source license|open-source]] licenses together are called [[free and open-source software|FOSS]] licenses. There are licenses accepted by the OSI which are not free as per the [[Free Software Definition]]. The [[Open Source Definition]] allows for further restrictions like price, type of contribution and origin of the contribution, e.g. the case of the NASA Open Source Agreement, which requires the code to be "original" work.<ref name="fsf_nasa">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#NASA|title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them: NASA Open Source Agreement|website=Free Software Foundation}}</ref><ref name="osi_licenses">{{cite web|url=https://opensource.org/licenses/alphabetical|website=Open Source Initiative|title=Licenses by Name|date=16 September 2022 }}</ref> The OSI does not endorse FSF license analysis (interpretation) as per their disclaimer.<ref name="osi_disclaimer">{{cite web|url=https://opensource.org/node/778|title=Other Resources & Disclaimer|website=Open Source Initiative|quote=''While the OSI acknowledges these as potentially helpful resources for the community, it does not endorse any content, contributors or license interpretations from these websites.[...]The OSI does not promote or exclusively favor any of the above resources, but instead mentions them as a neutral, separate third-party.''}}</ref>

The FSF's Free Software Definition focuses on the user's unrestricted rights to use a program, to study and modify it, to copy it, and to redistribute it for any purpose, which are considered by the FSF the ''four essential freedoms''.<ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html "Relationship between the Free Software movement and Open Source movement"], Free Software Foundation, Inc</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html "What is Free Software"], Free Software Foundation, Inc</ref> The OSI's open-source criteria focuses on the availability of the [[source code]] and the advantages of an unrestricted and community driven development model.<ref>[https://opensource.org/about opensource.org/about] "Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in."</ref> Yet, many FOSS licenses, like the Apache License, and all Free Software licenses allow commercial use of FOSS components.<ref name="Popp2">{{cite book | first = Dr. Karl Michael | last = Popp | title = Best Practices for commercial use of open source software | year = 2015 | publisher = Books on Demand | location = Norderstedt, Germany | isbn = 978-3738619096}}</ref>

==General comparison==
{{Confusing|reason=values used in the below table are not defined and some are ambiguous|talk=Talk:Comparison of free and open-source software licences#General comparison confusing|date=May 2020}}

For a simpler comparison across the most common licenses see [[Free-software license#Comparison|free-software license comparison]].

The following table compares various features of each license and is a general guide to the terms and conditions of each license, based on seven subjects or categories. Recent tools like the European Commissions' Joinup Licensing Assistant,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/solution/joinup-licensing-assistant/joinup-licensing-assistant-jla|title=Joinup Licensing Assistant|access-date=31 March 2020}}</ref> makes possible the licenses selection and comparison based on more than 40 subjects or categories, with access to their [[Software Package Data Exchange#SPDX-License-identifier|SPDX identifier]] and full text. The table below lists the permissions and limitations regarding the following subjects:
* '''Linking''' - [[Library (computing)#Linking|linking]] of the licensed code with code licensed under a different license (e.g. when the code is provided as a [[Library (computing)|library]])
* '''Distribution''' - distribution of the code to third parties
* '''Modification''' - modification of the code by a licensee
* '''Patent grant''' - protection of licensees from patent claims made by code contributors regarding their contribution, and protection of contributors from patent claims made by licensees
* '''Private use''' - whether modification to the code must be shared with the community or may be used privately (e.g. internal use by a corporation)
* '''Sublicensing''' - whether modified code may be licensed under a different license (for example a [[copyright]]) or must retain the same license under which it was provided
* '''[[Trademark|TM]] grant''' - use of trademarks associated with the licensed code or its contributors by a licensee

In this table, "[[Permissive software license|permissive]]" means the software has minimal restrictions on how it can be used, modified, and redistributed, usually including a warranty disclaimer. "[[Copyleft]]" means the software requires that its source code be made publicly available and that all provisions in the license be preserved in derivative works.
{{sort-under}}
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sort-under sticky-header" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!License
!Author
!Latest version
!Publication date
!Linking
!Distribution
!Modification
!Patent grant
!Private use
!Sublicensing
!<abbr title="trademark">TM</abbr> grant
|-
|[[Academic Free License]]<ref name="OSL/AFL 3.0">{{Cite web|url=https://rosenlaw.com/OSL3.0-explained.htm|title=OSL 3.0 Explained|website=rosenlaw.com}}</ref> || [[Lawrence E. Rosen]] || 3.0 || 2002 || {{yes|[[Permissive software license|Permissive]]}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Affero General Public License]] || Affero Inc || 2.0 || 2007 || {{free|[[Copyleft]]ed}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.affero.org/oagpl.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123101252/http://www.affero.org:80/oagpl.html|archive-date=November 23, 2019|title=affero.org: Affero General Public License version 1 (AGPLv1)}}</ref> || {{free|Copyleft except for the [[GNU AGPL]]}}<ref name="affero gplv2">{{cite web|url=http://www.affero.org/agpl2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123102313/http://www.affero.org:80/agpl2.html|archive-date=November 23, 2019|title=affero.org: Affero General Public License version 2 (AGPLv2)}}</ref> || {{free|Copyleft}}<ref name="affero gplv2"/> || {{dunno}} || {{yes}}<ref name="affero gplv2"/> || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Apache License]] || [[Apache Software Foundation]] || 2.0 || 2004 || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="apachev2s4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html#redistribution|title=Apache License, Version 2.0|website=www.apache.org}}</ref> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="apachev2s4"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="apachev2s4"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="apachev2s4"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="apachev2s4"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="apachev2s4"/> || {{no}}<ref name="apachev2s4"/>
|-
|[[Apple Public Source License]] || [[Apple Computer]] || 2.0 || {{hs|2003-08-06}}August 6, 2003 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{partial|Limited}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Artistic License]] || [[Larry Wall]] || 2.0 || 2000 || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{no}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Beerware]] || [[Poul-Henning Kamp]] || 42 || 1998{{Efn|See footnote of the Beerware article}}|| {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[BSD License]] || [[Regents of the University of California]] || 3.0 || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="bsdlicense">{{cite web|url=http://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause|title=BSD license|date=22 May 2011 }}</ref> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="bsdlicense"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="bsdlicense"/> || {{no|Manually}}<ref name="bsdlicense"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="bsdlicense"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="bsdlicense"/> || {{No|Manually}}<ref name="bsdlicense"/>
|-
|[[Boost Software License]] || Devin Smith<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boost.org/users/license.html |title=Boost Software License |date=December 3, 2003 |publisher=[[Boost (C++ libraries)]] |access-date=April 21, 2025 |archive-date=April 24, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250424015917/https://www.boost.org/users/license.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> || 1.0 || {{hs|2003-08-17}}August 17, 2003 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Creative Commons Zero]] || [[Creative Commons]] || 1.0 || 2009 || {{yes|Public Domain}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/27081 |title=Using CC0 for public domain software |date=April 15, 2011 |publisher=[[Creative Commons]] |access-date=May 10, 2011 |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514163106/https://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/27081 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html |title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them |publisher=[[GNU Project]] |access-date=April 4, 2015}}</ref> || {{yes|Public Domain}} || {{yes|Public Domain}} || {{no}} || {{yes|Public Domain}} || {{yes|Public Domain}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[CC BY]] || [[Creative Commons]] || 4.0 || 2002 || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="auto">[https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/cc-by-4-0-and-cc-by-sa-4-0-added-to-our-list-of-free-licenses cc-by-4-0-and-cc-by-sa-4-0-added-to-our-list-of-free-licenses] (2015)</ref> || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[CC BY-SA]] || [[Creative Commons]] || 4.0 || 2002 || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="auto"/> || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/licensing-considerations/compatible-licenses/ |title=Compatible Licenses |publisher=[[Creative Commons]]}}</ref> || {{no}}
|-
|[[CeCILL]] || [[Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives|CEA]] / [[CNRS]] / [[INRIA]] || 2.1 || {{hs|2013-06-21}}June 21, 2013 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Common Development and Distribution License]] || [[Sun Microsystems]] || 1.0 || {{hs|2004-12}}December 1, 2004 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{partial|Limited}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Common Public License]] || [[IBM]] || 1.0 || {{hs|2001-05}}May 2001 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Cryptix General License]] || Cryptix Foundation || {{n/a}} || 1995 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no|Manually}} || {{yes}} || {{dunno}} || {{No|Manually}}
|-
|[[Eclipse Public License]] || [[Eclipse Foundation]] || 2.0 || {{hs|2017-08-24}}August 24, 2017 || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="epl2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-2.0/|title=Eclipse Public License 2.0 (EPL) &#124; The Eclipse Foundation|first=Wayne|last=Beaton|website=Eclipse Foundation}}</ref> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="epl2"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.capitalone.com/tech/open-source/open-source-licenses-explained/|title=Explanation of Common Open Source Licenses|website=Capital One}}</ref> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="epl2"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="epl2"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="epl2"/> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="epl2"/> || {{no}}<ref name="epl2"/>
|-
|[[Educational Community License]] || [[Indiana University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/3076|title=Open Source Collaboration in Higher Education: Guidelines and Report of the Licensing and Policy Framework Summit for Software Sharing in Higher Education|first1=Daniel|last1=Greenstein|first2=Brad|last2=Wheeler|date=1 March 2007|via=scholarworks.iu.edu}}</ref> || 1.0 || 2007 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[European Union Public Licence]] || [[European Commission]] || 1.2 || {{hs|2017-05}}May 2017 || {{yes|Permissive, according to EU law (Recitals 10 & 15 Directive 2009/24/EC)}} || {{free|Copylefted, with an explicit compatibility list}}<ref name="eupl-compat">{{Cite web|url=https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/eupl/matrix-eupl-compatible-open-source-licences|title=Matrix of EUPL compatible open source licences &#124; Interoperable Europe Portal|website=interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu}}</ref> || {{free|Copylefted, with an explicit compatibility list}}<ref name="eupl-compat" /> || {{yes}}<ref name="eupl">{{Cite web|url=https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/eupl/eupl-text-eupl-12|title=EUPL text (EUPL-1.2) &#124; Interoperable Europe Portal|website=interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu}}</ref> || {{yes|yes, but network usage (communication to the public) is considered as a "distribution"}}<ref name="eupl" /> || {{free|Copylefted, with an explicit compatibility list}}<ref name="eupl-compat" /> || {{no}}<ref name="eupl" />
|-
|[[FreeBSD Licence|FreeBSD]]|| [[FreeBSD|The FreeBSD project]]|| {{n/a}} || {{hs|1999-04}}April 1999 || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="freebsdlicense">{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebsd.org/copyright/freebsd-license/|title=The FreeBSD Copyright|website=The FreeBSD Project}}</ref> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="freebsdlicense"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="freebsdlicense"/> || {{no|Manually}}<ref name="freebsdlicense"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="freebsdlicense"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="freebsdlicense"/> || {{no|Manually}}<ref name="freebsdlicense"/>
|-
|[[GNU Affero General Public License]] || [[Free Software Foundation]] || 3.0 || 2007 || {{free|GNU GPLv3 only}}<ref name="agplsection13">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl.html : section 13 of the GNU AGPLv3 license</ref> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft">https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl-howto.html : GNU licenses copyleft</ref> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="agplv3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html|title=GNU Affero General Public License - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation}}</ref> || {{partial|Network usage is not considered private use}}<ref name="agplv3"/> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="agplv3"/>
|-
|[[GNU General Public License]] || Free Software Foundation || 3.0 || {{hs|2007-06}}June 2007 || {{free|GPLv3 compatible only}}<ref name="iflibraryisgpl3">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#IfLibraryIsGPL : If library is under GPLv3</ref><ref name="gpl3linking">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL : Linking with the GNU GPLv3</ref> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft"/> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="gplv3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html|title=gnu.org|website=www.gnu.org}}</ref> || {{yes}}<ref name="gplv3"/> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="gplv3"/>
|-
|[[GNU Lesser General Public License]] || Free Software Foundation || 3.0 || {{hs|2007-06}}June 2007 || {{free|With restrictions}}<ref name="lgpl3">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html : the section 4 of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3</ref> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft"/> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="lgplv3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html|title=GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="gnucopyleft"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="lgplv3"/>
|-
|[[IBM Public License]] || IBM || 1.0 || {{hs|1999-08}}August 1999 || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{dunno}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[ISC license]] || [[Internet Systems Consortium]] || {{n/a}} || {{hs|2003-06}}June 2003 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no|Manually}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no|Manually}}
|-
|[[LaTeX Project Public License]] || LaTeX project || 1.3c || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Microsoft Public License]] || [[Microsoft]] || {{n/a}} || {{dunno}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{no}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[MIT License|MIT license / X11 license]] || [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] || {{n/a}} || 1988 || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="mit">{{cite web|url=http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT|title=MIT License|date=31 October 2006 }}</ref> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="mit"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="mit"/> || {{no|Manually}}<ref name="mit"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="mit"/> || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="mit"/> || {{no|Manually}}<ref name="mit"/>
|-
|[[Mozilla Public License]] || [[Mozilla Foundation]] || 2.0 || {{hs|2012-03}}January 3, 2012 || {{yes|Permissive}}<ref name="mpl2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/MPL/2.0/|title=Mozilla Public License, version 2.0|website=www.mozilla.org}}</ref> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="mpl2"/> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="mpl2"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="mpl2"/> || {{yes}}<ref name="mpl2"/> || {{free|Copylefted}}<ref name="mpl2"/> || {{no}}<ref name="mpl2"/>
|-
|[[Netscape Public License]] || [[Netscape]] || 1.1 || {{dunno}} || {{partial|Limited}} || {{dunno}} || {{partial|Limited}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Open Software License]]<ref name="OSL/AFL 3.0"/> || Lawrence Rosen || 3.0 || 2005 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{free|Copylefted}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[OpenSSL license]] || OpenSSL Project || {{n/a}} || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[PHP License]]<ref name="PHP 3.01">{{Cite web|url=https://www.php.net/license/3_01.txt|title=PHP License 3.01}}</ref> || PHP Group || 3.01 || 2019 || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{no|Manually}}
|-
|[[Python Software Foundation License]] || Python Software Foundation || 3.9.1 || {{hs|2020-10-05}}May 10, 2020 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Q Public License]] || [[Trolltech]] || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{partial|Limited}} || {{dunno}} || {{partial|Limited}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Sleepycat License]] || [[Sleepycat Software]] || {{n/a}} || 1996 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{partial|With restrictions}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Unlicense]] || unlicense.org || 1 || {{hs|2010-12}}December 2010 || {{yes|Permissive/Public domain}} || {{yes|Permissive/Public domain}} || {{yes|Permissive/Public domain}} || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive/Public domain}} || {{yes|Permissive/Public domain}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[W3C Software Notice and License]] || [[World Wide Web Consortium|W3C]] || 20021231 || {{hs|2002-12-31}}December 31, 2002 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[WTFPL|Do What The Fuck You Want To Public License]] (WTFPL) || Banlu Kemiyatorn, [[Sam Hocevar]] || 2 || {{hs|2004-12}}December 2004 || {{yes|Permissive/Public domain}} || {{yes|Permissive/Public domain}} || {{yes|Permissive/Public domain}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[XCore Open Source License]]<br />also separate "Hardware License Agreement" || [[XMOS]] || {{dunno}} || {{hs|2011-02}}February 2011 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no|Manually}} || {{yes}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[XFree86 License|XFree86 1.1 License]]|| The XFree86 Project, Inc || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[zlib/libpng license]] || [[Jean-Loup Gailly|Jean-Loup Gailly]] and [[Mark Adler|Mark Adler]] || {{n/a}} || {{hs|1995-04-15}}April 15, 1995 || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no|Manually}} || {{yes}} || {{yes|Permissive}} || {{no|Manually}}
|-
|}

Other licenses that don't have information:
{| class="wikitable sortable sort-under" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!license
!Author
!Latest version
!Publication date
|-
|[[Eiffel Forum License]]|| NICE || 2 || 2002
|-
|[[Intel Open Source License]]||[[Intel Corporation]]|| {{n/a}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[RealNetworks Public Source License]]||[[RealNetworks]]|| {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Reciprocal Public License]]|| Scott Shattuck || 1.5 || 2007
|-
|[[Sun Industry Standards Source License]]|| Sun Microsystems || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Sun Public License]]|| Sun Microsystems || {{dunno}} || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Sybase Open Watcom Public License]]||[[Watcom C/C++ compiler#Open source|Open Watcom]]|| {{n/a}} || 2003-01-28
|-
|[[Zope Public License]]||[[Zope Foundation]]|| 2.1 || {{dunno}}
|-
|[[Server Side Public License]]||[[MongoDB]]|| 1.0 || 2018-10-16
|-
|}

==Approvals==
This table lists for each license what organizations from the [[FOSS]] community have approved it{{spaced ndash}}be it as a "free software" or as an "open source" license{{spaced ndash}}, how those organizations categorize it, and the [[license compatibility]] between them for a combined or mixed derivative work. Organizations usually approve specific versions of software licenses. For instance, a FSF approval means that the [[Free Software Foundation]] (FSF) considers a license to be [[free-software license]]. The FSF recommends at least "[[GPL compatibility|Compatible with GPL]]" and preferably [[copyleft]]. The OSI recommends a mix of [[Permissive software license|permissive]] and copyleft licenses, the [[Apache License 2.0]], 2- & 3-clause [[BSD license]], [[GPL]], [[LGPL]], [[MIT license]], [[Mozilla Public License|MPL]] 2.0, [[Common Development and Distribution License|CDDL]] and [[Eclipse Public License|EPL]].

{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sort-under sticky-header" style="text-align: center; width:99%"
|-
!License and version
![[Free Software Foundation|FSF]] approval<br /><ref name="ref_FSF">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html|title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them |author=Free Software Foundation|work=Licenses|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref>
![[GPL compatibility|GPL (v3) compatibility]]<br /><ref name="ref_HasToBeCompatibleWithGPLv3&GPLv2">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#Introduction|title=To be GPL-Compatible has to be compatible with Licenses GNU GPLv3 and GNU GPLv2 – Free Software Foundation |author=Free Software Foundation|work=Software Licenses|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref><ref name="ref_GPL-compatible_List">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses|title=GPL-Compatible Free Software Licenses – Free Software Foundation|author=Free Software Foundation|work=Software Licenses|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref><ref name="ref_GPL-Incompatible_List">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLIncompatibleLicenses|title=GPL-Incompatible Free Software Licenses – Free Software Foundation|author=Free Software Foundation|work=Software Licenses|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref><ref name="ref_GPL-compatible">{{cite web|url=http://gplv3.fsf.org/wiki/index.php/FAQ_Update#What_does_it_mean_to_say_a_license_is_.22compatible_with_the_GPL.22.3F|title=GPL-compatible Definition by FSF – Free Software Foundation|author=Free Software Foundation|work=GPL-compatible Definition|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref><ref name="ref_GPL-compatible_previous_version_definition">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#WhatDoesCompatMean|title=GPL-compatible Definition previous version by FSF – Free Software Foundation|author=Free Software Foundation|work=GPL-compatible Definition|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref>
![[Open Source Initiative|OSI]] approval<br /><ref name="ref_OSI">{{cite web|url=http://www.opensource.org/licenses/|title=The Approved Licenses|author=Open Source Initiative|work=License Information|date=16 September 2022 |publisher=[[Open Source Initiative]]}}</ref>
![[Debian Project|Debian]] approval<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.debian.org/legal/licenses/|title=Debian – License information|author=Debian|work=Licenses|publisher=[[Debian]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.debian.org/DFSGLicenses|title=The DFSG and Software Licenses|publisher=[[Debian]] wiki}}</ref>
![[Fedora Project|Fedora]] approval<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/legal/allowed-licenses/|title=Allowed Licenses|author=Fedora|publisher=Fedora Project}}</ref>
|-
|[[Academic Free License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Apache License]] 1.x || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Apache License]] 2.0 || {{yes}} || {{partial|GPLv3 only}}<ref name="apache2">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html#apache2|title=Apache License, Version 2.0|author=Free Software Foundation|work=Licenses|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Apple Public Source License]] 1.x || {{No}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#apsl1 |title=Apple Public Source License (APSL), version 1.x |access-date=2013-08-07}}</ref> || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Apple Public Source License]] 2.0 || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Artistic License]] 1.0 || {{No}}<ref group="note">The original version of the Artistic License is defined as non-free because it is overly vague, not because of the substance of the license. The FSF encourages projects to use the [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#ArtisticLicense Clarified Artistic License] instead.</ref> || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Artistic License]] 2.0 || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
| [[Beerware|Beerware License]] || {{partial|see "Informal license" section}}<ref name="fsflist">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#informal|title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them|date=2016-01-05|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]|access-date=2016-01-05}}</ref> || {{partial|see "Informal license" section}}<ref name="fsflist" /> || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Licensing/Beerware|title=Licensing/Beerware|publisher=[[Fedora Project]]|access-date=2015-03-10}}</ref>
|-
|[[BSD licenses#4-clause license (original "BSD License")|Original BSD license]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}}<ref name="osi-bsd">{{cite web | url = http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php | title = The BSD License:Licensing | publisher = Open Source Initiative | access-date = 1 February 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091129081849/http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php | archive-date = 29 November 2009 | url-status = dead}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[BSD licenses#3-clause license ("BSD License 2.0", "Revised BSD License", "New BSD License", or "Modified BSD License")|Revised BSD license]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[BSD licenses#2-clause license ("Simplified BSD License" or "FreeBSD License")|Simplified BSD license]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[BSD licenses#0-clause license ("Free Public License-1.0.0", "BSD Zero Clause License", or "Zero-Clause BSD License")|Zero-Clause BSD License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<ref name="osi">{{cite web|url=http://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2018-November/003830.html |title=[License-review] Please rename "Free Public License-1.0.0" to 0BSD. |publisher=[[Open Source Initiative]] |access-date=2019-02-11}}</ref> || {{?}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Boost Software License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
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|[[CeCILL]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Common Development and Distribution License]] || {{yes}} || {{maybe|GPLv3 (GPLv2 disputed)}}<ref name="fsf">{{cite web |url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#CDDL |title=Various Licenses and Comments About Them - Common Development and Distribution License |publisher=Free Software Foundation |access-date=2006-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Michael Larabel|author-link=Michael Larabel |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Ubuntu-ZFS-Standard-Plans |title=Ubuntu Is Planning To Make The ZFS File-System A "Standard" Offering |publisher=[[Phoronix]]|date=6 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Canonical|work=Ubuntu Insights |url=https://insights.ubuntu.com/2016/02/18/zfs-licensing-and-linux/ |title=ZFS Licensing and Linux |author=Dustin Kirkland |date=18 February 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://blog.hansenpartnership.com/are-gplv2-and-cddl-incompatible/ Are GPLv2 and CDDL incompatible?] on hansenpartnership.com by James E.J. Bottomley ''"What the above analysis shows is that even though we presumed combination of GPLv2 and CDDL works to be a technical violation, there's no way actually to prosecute such a violation because we can’t develop a convincing theory of harm resulting. Because this makes it impossible to take the case to court, effectively it must be concluded that the combination of GPLv2 and CDDL, provided you’re following a GPLv2 compliance regime for all the code, is allowable."'' (23 February 2016)</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://softwarefreedom.org/resources/2016/linux-kernel-cddl.html|title=The Linux Kernel, CDDL and Related Issues|date=26 February 2016|first1=Eben |last1=Moglen | first2=Mishi | last2= Choudhary}}</ref><ref>[https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2016/feb/25/zfs-and-linux/ GPL Violations Related to Combining ZFS and Linux] on sfconservancy.org by [[Bradley M. Kuhn]] and [[Karen M. Sandler]] (February 25, 2016)</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Common Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Creative Commons Zero]] || {{yes}}<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#CC0|title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation|website=www.gnu.org}}</ref> || {{yes}}<ref name="auto1"/> || {{no}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://opensource.org/faq#cc-zero|publisher=opensource.org |title=Frequently Answered Questions |date=21 October 2007 |quote="CC0 was not explicitly rejected, but the License Review Committee was unable to reach consensus that it should be approved"}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/legal/license-approval/|title=License Approval|website=Fedora Docs}}</ref>
|-
|[[CC BY-SA|Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0]] || {{yes}} || {{partial|GPLv3}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/creative-commons-by-sa-4-0-declared-one-way-compatible-with-gnu-gpl-version-3|title=Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 declared one-way compatible with GNU GPL version 3 — Free Software Foundation — Working together for free software}}</ref> || {{?}} || {{yes}} || {{?}}
|-
|[[Cryptix General License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Eclipse Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Educational Community License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<ref name="ecl2">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html#ECL2.0|title=Educational Community License 2.0|author=Free Software Foundation|work=Licenses|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Eiffel Forum License]] 2 || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[European Union Public Licence]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<ref name="eupl-compat" /> || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[GNU Affero General Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<ref name="agplsection13"/><ref name="gplfsf">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/ : "We use only licenses that are compatible with the GNU GPL for GNU software."</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[GNU General Public License]] v2 || {{yes}} || {{no}}<ref group="note">But can be made compatible by upgrading to GPLv3 via the optional "or later" clause added in most GPLv2 license texts.</ref><ref name="gpl2gpl3comp"/> || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[GNU General Public License]] v3 || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<ref group="note">But not with GPLv2 without "or later" clause.</ref><ref name="gpl2gpl3comp">{{cite web| url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#v2v3Compatibility| title=Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU Licenses – Is GPLv3 compatible with GPLv2?| publisher=gnu.org| access-date=3 June 2014 |quote=''No. Some of the requirements in GPLv3, such as the requirement to provide Installation Information, do not exist in GPLv2. As a result, the licenses are not compatible: if you tried to combine code released under both these licenses, you would violate section 6 of GPLv2. However, if code is released under GPL "version 2 or later," that is compatible with GPLv3 because GPLv3 is one of the options it permits.''}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[GNU Lesser General Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[GNU Free Documentation License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2003/04/msg00258.html|title = Re: Proposed statement WRT GNU FDL}}</ref> || {{yes}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spdx.org/licenses/|title = SPDX License List &#124; Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX)}}</ref> || {{no}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/vote/2006/vote_001|title=General Resolution: Why the GNU Free Documentation License is not suitable for Debian main|website=www.debian.org}}</ref> || {{no}}
|-
|[[IBM Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Intel Open Source License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[ISC license]] || {{yes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/quick-guide-gplv3.html#new-compatible-licenses|title=A Quick Guide to GPLv3|author=Free Software Foundation|work=Licenses|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[LaTeX Project Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Microsoft Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Microsoft Reciprocal License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[MIT License|MIT license / X11 license]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[MIT No Attribution License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Mozilla Public License]] 1.1 || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Mozilla Public License]] 2.0 || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<ref group="note">MPL 2.0 is [[GPL compatibility|GPL compatible]] unless marked "Incompatible with Secondary Licenses".</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/FAQ.html|title=MPL 2.0 FAQ|author=Mozilla Foundation|work=Licenses|publisher=[[Mozilla Foundation]]}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[NASA Open Source Agreement]] || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Netscape Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Open Software License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[OpenSSL license]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[PHP License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Python Software Foundation License]] 2.0.1; 2.1.1 and newer || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Q Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Reciprocal Public License]] 1.5 || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Sleepycat License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Sun Industry Standards Source License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Sun Public License]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Sybase Open Watcom Public License]] || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[Unlicense]] || {{yes}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#Unlicense|title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation|website=www.gnu.org}}</ref> || {{yes}}<ref name="auto1"/> || {{yes}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-June/004890.html|title=[License-review] Request for legacy approval: The Unlicense|website=lists.opensource.org}}</ref> || {{dunno}} || {{yes}}<ref name="auto2"/>
|-
|[[W3C Software Notice and License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[WTFPL|Do What The Fuck You Want To Public License]] (WTFPL) || {{yes}}<ref group="note">Listed as WTFPL.</ref> || {{yes}} || {{no}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opensource.org/minutes20090304|title=OSI Board Meeting Minutes, Wednesday, March 4, 2009|date=4 May 2009|access-date=11 June 2010|archive-date=16 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316070255/https://opensource.org/minutes20090304|url-status=dead}}</ref> || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[XFree86|XFree86 1.1 License]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<ref name="x">{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html#XFree861.1License|title=XFree86 1.1 License|author=Free Software Foundation|work=Licenses|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref> || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{no}}
|-
|[[zlib/libpng license]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Zope Public License]] 1.0 || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|[[Zope Public License]] 2.0 || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|}
{{Reflist|group="note"}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[Free software]]
* [[Free-software license]]
* [[List of free and open-source software packages]]
* [[List of open-source hardware projects]]
* [[List of open-source programming languages]]
* [[List of open-source video games]]
* [[Open-source license]]
* [[Open-source software]]
* [[Source-available software]]
* [[Software Package Data Exchange#SPDX-License-identifier|SPDX-License-identifier]]
* [[License proliferation]]
* [[European Union Public Licence]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Open navbox}}
{{Intellectual property activism}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comparison Of Free And Open Source Software Licenses}}
[[Category:Debian]]
[[Category:Free and open-source software licenses|*]]
[[Category:Free Software Foundation]]
[[Category:Free software lists and comparisons]]
[[Category:Software comparisons|Licenses]]
[[Category:Companies' terms of service]]