License

This page lists the license type that applies to each Instill Core and Instill Cloud component, including the Instill Enterprise License, the Instill Community License, or the MIT License. For more information, see the License FAQ.

#License Types

Instill AI uses multiple licenses for different components listed in the table below:

๐Ÿ’ง VDPโš—๏ธ Model๐Ÿ’พ Artifact๐Ÿ“บ Console๐ŸŽ Appโš™๏ธ ComponentโŒจ๏ธ CLI๐Ÿ“ฆ SDK
Instill Community Licenseโœ…โœ…โœ…โœ…
Instill Enterprise Licenseโœ…
MIT Licenseโœ…โœ…โœ…

#About Instill Community License

The Instill Community License is a simple, non-copyleft license, allowing for the right to "use, copy, distribute, make available, and prepare derivative works of the softwareโ€. The license allows the free right to use, modify, create derivative works, and redistribute, with three simple limitations:

  • You may not provide the products to others as a managed service
  • You may not circumvent the license key functionality or remove/obscure features protected by license keys
  • You may not remove or obscure any licensing, copyright, or other notices

If you want to use Instill Core without these limitations, please contact us at: hello@instill.tech.

#About Instill Enterprise License

An enterprise license, which is a paid annual subscription, unlocks all commercial features of Instill AI for use in a production environment. This license has a validity period of 365 days, after which it expires. Upon expiration, the software will cease to operate, necessitating a license renewal to resume usage.

#License FAQ

#Why Instill Community License?

Our goal is to democratize AI, making it accessible to all. To accomplish this, we've made the fundamental features of Instill Core freely available, with source code accessible to everyone. This approach ensures the sustainability of our business while promoting openness. Hence, we've introduced the Instill Community License, which is highly permissive. This license not only allows us to offer users free access to our source code and the ability to modify it, but also safeguards our project from being exploited by other companies for profit. Additionally, we've launched Instill Cloud, a fully managed public cloud service based on Instill Core that provides extra features.

#Why Are the Other Components Open Source?

We want to build Instill Core as an open platform that integrates with other awesome tooling and services. We think the best way to build these integrations is via open source, irrespective of whether it is a data component that connects data to a warehouse, application, or database, or an AI component that connects AI models from self-hosted or 3rd party platforms. This also benefits the projects that want to integrate with these components.

#How Do I Contribute to Instill Core?

Anyone can contribute to any repositories of Instill Core (including features under the Instill Community License). We are introducing a Contributor License Agreement that you will have to sign with your first contribution.

#My Company Has a Policy Against Using Code that Restricts Commercial Use - Can I Still Use Instill Core?

You can use any software under Instill Community License for your commercial business, as long as you don't offer it as a managed service.

#I'm Building an Application on Top of Instill Core, How Does It Work for Me?

You can freely use Instill Core inside your SaaS and internal applications, and redistribute it with your application, as long as you follow the three limitations outlined above.

#Can You Provide Some Examples of What isn't Allowed Under the Instill Community License?

There aren't many things you can't do with Instill Core that is under Instill Community License. Here are some examples:

  • Self-host Instill Core and charge people money to access it.
  • Sell a product that directly exposes the UI or API of Instill Core.
  • White-label Instill Core and sell it as a product.

If you are still not sure whether your use cases are permitted or not, please email us at hello@instill.tech.