License Zero

Name: License Zero
Price: 1%

Discontinued

Last updated 2026-03-15 · Update this page

Historical record. This platform is discontinued and should not be treated as an active option.

License Zero automated part of the dual-licensing workflow for developers who wanted to publish code under an open source license while selling separate commercial-use permissions for closed deployments. The service now appears inactive, but it remains a notable example of legal and payment tooling aimed specifically at open source licensing-based revenue.

You are viewing: License Zero

Goal: Revenue. Model: Commercial Access. Status: Historical.

Should you use this?

Best for: Projects that can package paid access, licensing, hosting, or premium functionality.
Not ideal for: Projects that want to avoid product, pricing, or licensing tradeoffs.
Why choose it: License Zero was a dual-licensing toolchain for selling paid commercial-use permissions for open source software.
Watch out for: Commercial packaging can affect community expectations and maintenance priorities.
Setup effort: Review setup requirements
Fees: 1% of gross sales
Last verified: 2026-03-15
Sources: Source 1
Source 2

Goal Revenue

Model Commercial Access

Tags

Legal OSS-specific

Verification	Unverified
Organization	Corporation
Open source status	Open source
Platform technology	Open source licensing tooling
Monetization model	Dual licensing model with selling private licenses
Payment methods	Stripe
Platform fees	1% of gross sales
User activity	The main site is no longer available. Surviving public material describes License Zero as a Stripe-connected vending machine for dual licensing and paid relicensing.