Qt Licensing

We want to make Qt available to as many developers as possible while helping it to evolve and grow. The three Qt licensing options directly or indirectly help you to use it for your needs, while also supporting all of us to continue to evolve Qt.

Unsure Which License to Choose?
Visit the Qt Blog for more guidance on factors you should consider when making the licensing decision.

Qt Licenses

We offer Qt under the following licenses:

Qt Commercial Developer License	The Qt Commercial Developer License is the appropriate version to use for the development of proprietary and/or commercial software. This version is for developers who do not want to share the source code with others or otherwise comply with the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1 or GNU GPL version 3.0.	Read more
Qt GNU LGPL v. 2.1	This version of Qt is appropriate for the development of Qt applications (proprietary or open source) provided you can comply with the terms and conditions contained in the GNU LGPL version 2.1.	Read more
Qt GNU GPL v. 3.0	This version of Qt is appropriate for the development of Qt applications where you wish to use such applications in combination with software subject to the terms of the GNU General Public License version 3.0 or where you are otherwise willing to comply with the terms of the GNU General Public License version 3.0.	Read more

License Comparison Chart

	Commercial	LGPL	GPL
License cost	License fee charged	No license fee	No license fee
Must provide source code changes to Qt	No, modifications can be closed	Source code must be provided	Source code must be provided
Can create proprietary applications	Yes - No source code must be disclosed	Yes, in accordance with the LGPL v. 2.1 terms	No, applications are subject to the GPL and source code must be made available
Updates provided	Yes, immediate notice sent to those with a valid support and update agreement	Yes, made available	Yes, made available
Support	Yes, to those with a valid support and update agreement	Not included but available separately for purchase	Not included but available separately for purchase
Charge for Runtimes	Yes, for some embedded uses	No	No

Qt Commercial Developer License

The Qt Commercial Developer License is the correct license to use for the development of proprietary and/or commercial software with Qt where you do not want to share any source code.

You must purchase a Qt Commercial Developer License from us or from one of our authorized resellers before you start developing commercial software. The Qt Commercial Developer License does not allow the incorporation of code developed with the Qt GNU LGPL v. 2.1 or GNU GPL v. 3.0 license versions into a commercial product.

Royalties and Runtimes
For regular desktop applications, there are no royalties, runtime licenses, or other additional costs. For fixed systems or devices where the main functionality relies on Qt, a runtime distribution license may apply.

Purchase and Transfer of Qt Commercial Developer License
The license is sold on a per-developer basis and assigned to an individual. To order one or more Qt Commercial Developer Licenses please contact us. Qt licenses may be transferred, but only every six months and within the same organization. To transfer a license, or to discuss a more flexible licensing agreement, please contact us.

Benefit to Qt
The benefit to Qt is that license fees help pay for further Qt development.

Qt GNU LGPL v. 2.1 Version

This version is available for development of proprietary and commercial applications in accordance with the terms and conditions of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1.

Support services are available separately for purchase.

Benefit to Qt
The benefit to Qt is that any changes made to Qt must be made available under the terms of this license.

Qt GNU GPL v. 3.0 Version

This version is freely available for the development of open source software governed by the GNU General Public License version 3.0 (“GPL”).