Open source — with a commercial option
MessageFoundry is free and open source under the GNU AGPL-3.0-or-later. For most teams that just want to run it, there's nothing to buy and nothing to publish. Here's what the license actually asks of you — in plain English — and when a commercial license makes sense.
The license itself is the source of truth. The official GNU AGPL-3.0-or-later license text is the authoritative, legally governing document for MessageFoundry. Everything on this page is a plain-English summary to help you understand it — it carries no legal force, and if anything here differs from the license, the license controls.
The short version
- Use it freely. Read, run, and modify the source, in your own environment, at no cost.
- Running it as-is, internally? Nothing to publish beyond keeping the license notices.
- Modify it and offer it as a service to outside parties and the AGPL asks you to give those users your modified source.
- Don't want those terms? A low-cost commercial license — from a non-profit — removes them, and the fees go straight back into the project.
The open-source license (AGPL-3.0-or-later)
MessageFoundry is released under the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3 or later. It's a recognized open-source license, and a strong copyleft one: you're free to use, study, modify, and share the software, on the condition that those same freedoms travel with it. The "or later" simply means you may also rely on any later version the Free Software Foundation publishes.
In practice, the code is fully available. You can self-host it, read every line, adapt it to your environment, and run as many interfaces as you like — with no per-interface fee and no license key.
What the license asks in return
Ordinary open-source copyleft (like the GPL) asks you to share your source only when you distribute the software — hand someone a copy. The AGPL adds one extra clause, Section 13, that also covers running modified software as a network service. It's the clause people mean when they say "AGPL." What it requires depends entirely on what you do:
Run it unmodified
Self-host MessageFoundry as released, for your own organization. No source obligation — you're not changing or redistributing anything. Just keep the license and copyright notices in place.
Modify it & offer it as a service
Change the source and offer your modified version as a service to outside parties over a network — that's the case AGPL §13 is about. You then have to give those external users access to your modified source. Running a changed copy purely for your own internal staff is a much lower bar.
Redistribute or embed it
Ship MessageFoundry inside a product, or host a derivative as a service for others. Standard copyleft applies — the combined work is also AGPL (offer the source), or you take a commercial license instead.
What about the interface scripts you write? Simply using MessageFoundry to author and run your own interfaces internally is fine under the AGPL.
Trademarks aren't part of the code license. The AGPL covers MessageFoundry's source code; the MessageFoundry name and word mark are trademarks of MEFOR-ORG and are not licensed under it.
A low-cost commercial license — when the AGPL doesn't fit
Because the maintainer holds the copyright, the same software is also available under a second, commercial license — dual licensing. It's priced to be easy to say yes to: fees are deliberately low, and because MessageFoundry is a non-profit, they don't go to shareholders — they go straight back into building, securing, and maintaining the project.
- Modify and host without publishing your changes to users.
- Embed MessageFoundry in a proprietary product you distribute or sell.
- A formal commercial agreement — when your legal or procurement team prefers paid terms, support commitments, or indemnification over a public license.
A non-profit, not a vendor
MessageFoundry is a non-profit, so there's no margin to protect and no investors to pay back. We don't price the commercial license to maximize revenue — we price it to be a rounding error next to a legacy renewal, and every dollar is reinvested in development, security, and support.
Saving health systems money is the whole point. The commercial license exists to keep the project sustainable, not to turn a profit.
Frequently asked questions
Is MessageFoundry free?
Yes. The MessageFoundry engine is free and open source under AGPL-3.0-or-later. You can self-host it and run as many interfaces as you like, with no per-interface fee and no license key.
What does the AGPL require of me?
If you run MessageFoundry as released for your own organization, there's no source obligation — just keep the license notices. The AGPL only asks you to share source if you modify the engine and offer your modified version as a network service to outside parties.
Is a commercial license available?
Yes. A low-cost commercial license is available from the non-profit for teams that can't use copyleft terms — for example, embedding MessageFoundry in a proprietary product. Fees are deliberately low and reinvested in the project.
Do the interfaces I write fall under the AGPL?
Authoring and running your own interface scripts internally is fine under the AGPL. The copyleft obligation is about modifying and redistributing the engine itself — not the routes and handlers you write and run in-house.
Read the fine print — or talk it through
The full, authoritative terms are in the license file. Commercial licensing is low-cost and quick to arrange — for that, or any question about how the AGPL applies to your situation, get in touch.
This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. The AGPL-3.0 text is the authoritative source; for a real deployment decision, run it past your own legal or compliance team.