License & Pricing
Shepherd.js uses a dual-licensing model to support both open source and commercial use.
Free Use - AGPL-3.0
Section titled “Free Use - AGPL-3.0”Shepherd.js is free for open source and non-commercial use under the AGPL-3.0 license.
Who Can Use Shepherd.js for Free?
Section titled “Who Can Use Shepherd.js for Free?”✅ Open Source Projects
- Your project is open source under an AGPL-compatible license
- Your complete source code is publicly available
✅ Personal & Non-Commercial Use
- Personal projects, portfolios, and hobby websites
- Educational purposes (students, teachers, coursework)
- Academic research projects
✅ Evaluation & Testing
- Evaluating Shepherd.js for up to 30 days
- Development, testing, and staging environments during evaluation
- Proof-of-concept and demo projects
AGPL-3.0 Requirements
Section titled “AGPL-3.0 Requirements”When using Shepherd.js under AGPL-3.0, you must:
- Make your complete source code available if you distribute or provide your software over a network
- License your code under AGPL-3.0 or a compatible license
- Comply with all AGPL-3.0 terms
Read the full AGPL-3.0 license text
Commercial License
Section titled “Commercial License”You must purchase a commercial license if:
❌ Commercial Products & Services
- You’re building a commercial product, application, SaaS, or website that generates revenue
- Your company generates revenue (even if the specific project using Shepherd.js does not)
- You’re using Shepherd.js in any customer-facing commercial application
❌ Closed-Source Use
- You cannot or don’t want to open-source your code under AGPL-3.0
- You want to keep your source code proprietary
- You want to avoid AGPL’s source code disclosure requirements
❌ White-Label, Resale, or OEM Use
- You’re embedding Shepherd.js in a product you sell or distribute
- You’re offering Shepherd.js as part of a commercial service or hosting
- You’re using Shepherd.js in a product sold to other businesses
❌ Internal Business Tools
- You’re using Shepherd.js for internal tools, dashboards, or admin panels in a revenue-generating company
- Even if the tool is not customer-facing, commercial licenses are required for for-profit companies
Benefits of Commercial License
Section titled “Benefits of Commercial License”- ✅ No AGPL obligations - Keep your code proprietary
- ✅ Legal protection and indemnification
- ✅ Priority support and updates
- ✅ Lifetime license with no recurring fees
Still Not Sure?
Section titled “Still Not Sure?”If you’re unsure whether you need a commercial license:
When in doubt: If your organization generates revenue, you likely need a commercial license.
Contact us: ahoy@shipshape.io
Framework Wrappers
Section titled “Framework Wrappers”React Shepherd
Section titled “React Shepherd”The react-shepherd wrapper is licensed under MIT, but it depends on shepherd.js which is AGPL-3.0.
If you need a commercial license for Shepherd.js, you also need one when using the React wrapper.
Other Wrappers
Section titled “Other Wrappers”All wrappers depend on the core Shepherd.js library and inherit its licensing requirements.