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License Agreement

doc/help/License-Agreement.md

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License Agreement

Serial Studio uses a dual-license model to balance open source collaboration with commercial sustainability. This page explains both license types, what each one allows, and where to find the full legal text.

Dual licensing

GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3)

The GPLv3 covers the open source portions of the Serial Studio codebase. It applies when all of these are true:

  • The build is compiled from source.
  • No Pro modules are included.
  • All linked dependencies (including Qt) are GPL-compatible.

Under GPLv3 you can use, study, modify, and redistribute Serial Studio freely, but any derivative work has to be released under GPLv3 as well. There is no warranty.

Full text: LICENSES/GPL-3.0-only.txt Reference: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

Serial Studio Commercial License

The Commercial License covers all official pre-built binaries, builds that include Pro modules, and any commercial use of Serial Studio. It's required for:

  • Commercial, institutional, or enterprise deployment.
  • Redistribution of official builds.
  • Access to Pro-gated features (MQTT, Modbus, CAN Bus, MDF4 export, 3D visualization, XY plotting, and the licensing subsystem).

A Commercial License is sold per user or seat at https://serial-studio.com. It lets you use Serial Studio in proprietary projects with no obligation to share your project's source code. Priority support is included.

Full text: LICENSES/LicenseRef-SerialStudio-Commercial.txt

Full license agreement

The central legal document covering both license types is LICENSE.md in the project root. It details:

  • The dual-license structure and where the boundaries lie.
  • Trial limitations and the activation policy.
  • Qt licensing requirements for redistribution.
  • The Contributor License Agreement (CLA).
  • Trademark use and forking restrictions.
  • Enforcement and DMCA policy.

What you can do

  • Use the GPL version for personal, educational, and open source projects.
  • Modify and redistribute the source code under GPLv3.
  • Use the Pro version commercially with a valid Commercial License.
  • Evaluate Pro features during the 14-day trial.
  • Contribute code under the terms of the CLA.

What you cannot do

  • Use official binaries beyond the trial without buying a license.
  • Remove or bypass license checks or activation mechanisms.
  • Redistribute Pro binaries without written authorization.
  • Include or link Pro modules into a GPL build.
  • Use Pro features in commercial or enterprise settings without a Commercial License.

Contributor License Agreement (CLA)

All contributors need to sign a CLA before their pull requests can be merged. The CLA:

  • Grants the maintainer the right to license your contributions under both GPLv3 and the Commercial License.
  • Confirms you hold the legal rights to your contributions.
  • Lets your code ship in both open source and proprietary builds.

Feature comparison

For a breakdown of features available under each license tier, see Pro vs Free Features.

License files

  • LICENSE.md: full dual-license agreement.
  • LICENSES/GPL-3.0-only.txt: GPLv3 license text.
  • LICENSES/LicenseRef-SerialStudio-Commercial.txt: Commercial License terms.

For commercial licensing or legal questions, email [email protected].

See also