License & Pricing
Shepherd.js uses a dual-licensing model to support both open source and commercial use.
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?
✅ 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
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
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
- ✅ No AGPL obligations - Keep your code proprietary
- ✅ Legal protection and indemnification
- ✅ Priority support and updates
- ✅ Lifetime license with no recurring fees
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
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
All wrappers depend on the core Shepherd.js library and inherit its licensing requirements.