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 every file whose SPDX header includes GPL-3.0-or-later. A build that contains only those files — the default build configuration — is GPLv3 software, usable for any purpose, commercial use included. Distributing such a build requires GPL-compatible dependencies, including a GPL-compatible Qt edition.

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-or-later.txt Reference: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

Serial Studio Commercial License

The Commercial License covers the Pro module source code and builds that include Pro modules; the official pre-built binaries are covered by the EULA. Beyond the 14-day trial, it's required for:

Use of Pro features in any setting.
Redistribution of official builds.
Access to Pro-gated features (MQTT, Modbus, CAN Bus, MDF4 export, 3D visualization, 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

LICENSE.md in the project root routes to the full legal documents:

LICENSES/GPL-3.0-or-later.txt for GPL builds.
LICENSES/LicenseRef-SerialStudio-Commercial.txt for the Pro module sources.
EULA.md for official binaries, including the per-release 14-day trial.
TRADEMARKS.md for the name and logo policy.
CONTRIBUTING.md for the Contributor License Agreement (CLA).

What you can do

Use the GPL version for any purpose, commercial use included, under GPLv3 terms.
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 without a commercial license or an active trial.

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: overview of the dual-license structure.
LICENSES/GPL-3.0-or-later.txt: GPLv3 license text.
LICENSES/LicenseRef-SerialStudio-Commercial.txt: Commercial Source License terms.
EULA.md: End User License Agreement for the official binaries.
TRADEMARKS.md: trademark policy.

For commercial licensing or legal questions, email alex@serial-studio.com.