GNU General Public License

GNU General Public License

The GNU General Public License (GPL) is a free, copyleft license for software. It guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the software.
Development Open Source Licenses
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GNU General Public License alternatives ➤

GNU General Public License: Free Copyleft Software License

The GNU General Public License (GPL) is a free, copyleft license for software. It guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the software.

What is GNU General Public License?

The GNU General Public License (GPL) is a widely-used free software license, created by the Free Software Foundation. It guarantees end users the freedoms to use, study, share and modify the software.

The GPL grants the recipients of a computer program the rights of the Free Software Definition. These rights include the freedom to run the program for any purpose, to study and modify the program, and to redistribute copies of either the original or modified program without restriction.

When a program is released under the GPL, not only is the bare code made available, but so is any other software needed to build, run and modify it. This ensures that the software continues to be free in the future when derivative works are created.

The GPL is the most popular free software license in the FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) domain. It is used by most GNU programs as well as a lot of other major free software projects worldwide.

GNU General Public License Features

Features

  1. Copyleft license
  2. Source code must be made available
  3. Modifications must use the same license
  4. Does not allow additional restrictions
  5. Compatible with other open source licenses

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Promotes collaboration and sharing

Prevents proprietary forks

Gives users freedom to use, modify and share software

Cons

Incompatible with some proprietary software

Viral nature raises concerns for some companies

Limits commercialization opportunities

Official Links

Official Website
https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html

The Best GNU General Public License Alternatives

Top Development and Open Source Licenses and other similar apps like GNU General Public License

Here are some alternatives to GNU General Public License:

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Creative Commons
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WTFPL
Mozilla Public License icon
Mozilla Public License
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Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a global nonprofit organization that aims to provide an easy, standardized way for content creators to share their creative works with others legally. It offers several copyright licenses and public domain tools that content creators can use to allow reuse, remixing, and sharing of their work.The main...
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WTFPL

The WTFPL (Do What the Fuck You Want to Public License) is an extremely permissive software license that allows users unlimited freedom with the software covered under the license.Some key aspects of the WTFPL include:Users can use, modify, distribute and sell the software however they see fit, without any restrictions.There...
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Mozilla Public License

The Mozilla Public License (MPL) is an open source and free software license developed and maintained by the Mozilla Foundation. It is a copyleft license that is easy to comply with compared to stronger reciprocal licenses like the GNU GPL.The key features of the MPL are:It allows users to modify...
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