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License

In one sentence

OpenDocBot is a fair-code project: the source code and development are public on GitHub so you can fully audit it, it is free for individuals and teams of up to 30 people, and organizations that scale past that threshold need a commercial license.

What you can do

  • View and audit the source. The entire codebase is public on GitHub. You can read every line and verify exactly what the add-in does with your data.
  • Use it. Run it locally, in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, for free.
  • Modify it. Change the code and build your own version.
  • Fork it. Take the project in your own direction. The license notice must stay intact, and you cannot present your fork as the official OpenDocBot.
  • Self-host it. Deploy it on your own infrastructure, with no connection to us.
  • Deploy it inside an organization of up to 30 users. No license required.

What the commercial license unlocks

The commercial license grants two things:

  • Deployments beyond 30 users. Once more than 30 people in an organization use the add-in, the free tier no longer applies and a commercial license is required. This is the line that funds the project's development.
  • Whitelabeling. The right to replace the OpenDocBot branding with your own and distribute the add-in under your own name and logo.

Everything else, including self-hosting and running up to 30 users, stays free.

Why this model

OpenDocBot is designed to be as open as possible without giving away financial sustainability. The free tier up to 30 users covers individuals, small teams, and evaluation. Organizations large enough to pay are asked to pay, which keeps the project maintained without telemetry, lock-in, or hidden fees.

Exceptions to these restrictions may be granted at our sole discretion for educational institutions, academic research, non-profit organizations, and recognized open-source projects. Reach out to hello@opendocbot.com to apply for a community grant.

Everything that makes OpenDocBot trustworthy is in the open and verifiable: zero telemetry, 100% client-side processing, and your data never reching our servers.

What to call it

This model is commonly called fair-code or source-available. It is not "open source" in the strict sense of the Open Source Initiative, because the usage limits and branding protection go beyond what OSI-approved licenses allow. The difference rarely matters in practice: the code is fully public, and the restrictions only kick in at the enterprise tier.

Questions about licensing? Contact us at hello@opendocbot.com.