[+] · license promise · v1.0 · 2026-05-08

what stays free.

A bounded promise, in plain language. We refuse to say "free forever" without specifying what — but we will say exactly what won't change. This page is versioned; older versions remain accessible in the git history.

The commitment.

The current core features of PaellaDoc, used by an individual on their own machine, for non-commercial work, will stay free.

That means:

  • Free, today and tomorrow Single human running PaellaDoc on a personal machine for personal projects, learning, side products, or open-source work — at the feature level shipped today (orchestrator, traceability, gold-gate validation, cost router, local model support).
  • May require a paid license later New advanced capabilities labeled as Pro, Team, cloud sync, hosted services, organizational features, priority support, custom integrations, or use inside a company / for paid client work.

The line is drawn between what an individual builder needs to ship their own thing (free) and what a team or business needs to scale (may be paid).

What this does not say.

We don't say "free forever, for everyone, forever". That would be either a lie we'll regret, or a constraint that kills the project's ability to sustain itself.

We do say: the version of PaellaDoc you download today, with the features it has today, used by you alone, will remain free for that personal use.

Versions you've already downloaded.

Every release is signed and timestamped. The terms attached to a binary at the moment you downloaded it apply to that binary, indefinitely. Future releases may carry different terms; you are never required to upgrade. The DMG you have today keeps working under the rules of today.

If a future release changes terms, the change applies to that release, not retroactively to ones you already use.

What we may charge for.

Honest list, so nobody is surprised:

  • Pro features Advanced orchestration, multi-project portfolios, premium routing strategies, deeper analytics on the cost receipt.
  • Team features Shared knowledge graphs, multi-user roles, audit log export, SSO, organization-level governance.
  • Cloud / sync Optional hosted sync between devices, encrypted backup, hosted gold-gate runners.
  • Support & SLA Priority response, hotfix backports, dedicated onboarding for organizations.
  • Commercial use inside a company Use of PaellaDoc by employees of a company on company-owned work may require a per-seat or org license.

How we'll communicate changes.

  • Versioned page This document carries a version (v1.0 today). When the promise changes, the version bumps and the previous version stays accessible in the git history of the public website repo.
  • Forward-only changes Any change applies to releases after the change date. Already-downloaded binaries keep their original terms.
  • Notice in the app If the app introduces new paid surfaces, those surfaces will be clearly labeled. The free path will remain visible and usable for personal individual use.

Questions or edge cases.

If you're unsure whether your situation falls under "personal individual use" — for example, you're a freelancer using PaellaDoc to ship for clients, or a student doing paid work on the side, or a solo founder building a future company — DM @jlcases on X. We'll give you a straight answer in writing.

Promise version: 1.0 · effective from 2026-05-08.
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