Online Tool Store
License Chooser
Get a suggested open-source license — MIT, Apache 2.0, MPL-2.0, GPLv3, or PolyForm Noncommercial — from three quick questions. Runs entirely in your browser.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.
Suggested license
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This is a starting point, not legal advice — read the full license text before applying it to a real project.
How it works
- Answer three quick questions about commercial use, copyleft, and patents.
- See a suggested license and why it fits your answers.
- Read the full license text before applying it — this is a starting point, not legal advice.
FAQ
What is copyleft?
A license requirement that derivative works stay under the same (or a compatible) open license. "Strong" copyleft (GPL) applies to the whole combined project; "weak" copyleft (MPL, LGPL) applies only to the licensed files themselves, letting you combine them with proprietary code elsewhere.
Is this legal advice?
No — this is a quick starting point based on common, well-known open-source licenses. Read the full license text (or consult a lawyer) before applying any license to a real project, especially for anything commercially significant.
Why does patent protection matter?
A license with an explicit patent grant (like Apache 2.0) states that contributors also license any patents covering their contribution, and that suing over patents related to the project terminates your rights — reducing patent-related legal risk for users of the code.
What if none of these fit my needs exactly?
These three questions cover the most common decision points, but there are dozens of other OSI-approved licenses for specific needs — see choosealicense.com for a fuller comparison.
How we compare
| Feature | Online Tool Store | Reading license comparison charts | GitHub's license picker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guided question-by-question flow | ✓ | Requires reading and comparing yourself | Dropdown list, no guidance |
| Explains the "why" behind the suggestion | ✓ | Varies | Minimal descriptions |
For a quick, guided starting point before diving into full license text, this beats comparing a dense chart by yourself.