License Comparison
Compare popular open source licenses side by side
Filter:
| License | Type | Patent | Trademark | Copyleft | Adoption Risk | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache 2.0 | Permissive | ✓ | ✓ | None | None | Medium |
| MIT | Permissive | ✗ | ✗ | None | None | Very Low |
| Blue Oak 1.0.0 | Permissive | ✓ | ✗ | None | Low | Very Low |
| MPL 2.0 | Weak Copyleft | ✓ | ✓ | File | Low | Medium |
| LGPL v3 | Library Copyleft | ✓ | ✗ | Library | Low | High |
| GPL v3 | Strong Copyleft | ✓ | ✗ | Project | Medium | High |
| AGPL v3 | Network Copyleft | ✓ | ✗ | Network | High | High |
Apache 2.0
Type: Permissive
Patent Protection: ✓ Yes
Trademark Clause: ✓ Yes
Copyleft: None
Adoption Risk: None
Complexity: Medium
MIT
Type: Permissive
Patent Protection: ✗ No
Trademark Clause: ✗ No
Copyleft: None
Adoption Risk: None
Complexity: Very Low
Blue Oak 1.0.0
Type: Permissive
Patent Protection: ✓ Yes
Trademark Clause: ✗ No
Copyleft: None
Adoption Risk: Low
Complexity: Very Low
MPL 2.0
Type: Weak Copyleft
Patent Protection: ✓ Yes
Trademark Clause: ✓ Yes
Copyleft: File
Adoption Risk: Low
Complexity: Medium
LGPL v3
Type: Library Copyleft
Patent Protection: ✓ Yes
Trademark Clause: ✗ No
Copyleft: Library
Adoption Risk: Low
Complexity: High
GPL v3
Type: Strong Copyleft
Patent Protection: ✓ Yes
Trademark Clause: ✗ No
Copyleft: Project
Adoption Risk: Medium
Complexity: High
AGPL v3
Type: Network Copyleft
Patent Protection: ✓ Yes
Trademark Clause: ✗ No
Copyleft: Network
Adoption Risk: High
Complexity: High
Legend
- Patent Protection:
- Explicit grant of patent rights, protecting both you and your users from patent litigation.
- Trademark Clause:
- Explicit statement that trademark rights are not granted, preventing misuse of project names/logos.
- Copyleft Scope:
-
- None: No copyleft requirements (permissive)
- File: Only modified files must stay open (MPL)
- Library: Library itself must stay open (LGPL)
- Project: Entire derivative project must be open (GPL)
- Network: Even network use triggers disclosure (AGPL)
- Adoption Risk:
- How likely companies/developers are to avoid using your project due to license restrictions.