Licensing
Hermes is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0.
Free Use
You may use Hermes free of charge for:
| Use Case | Free? |
|---|---|
| Personal projects | Yes |
| Hobby development | Yes |
| Educational/academic use | Yes |
| Open source projects (OSI-approved licenses) | Yes |
| Commercial use, revenue < $1M/year | Yes |
Paid License
Commercial use by organizations with $1 million USD or more in annual revenue requires a paid license:
$695 per application per year
This includes:
- Full commercial use rights
- Priority support
- License to distribute applications built with Hermes
What You Get
Whether free or paid, your license includes:
- Unlimited distribution — Distribute your application to as many users as you want
- No seat limits — No restrictions on team size or number of developers
- No user tracking — We don't count or monitor your end users
- Perpetual use of shipped versions — Applications you ship continue to work even if you don't renew
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an "application"?
Each distinct product you distribute. Multiple builds of the same application (Windows, macOS, Linux) count as one application.
How is annual revenue calculated?
Total gross revenue for your organization in the most recent fiscal year.
Can I evaluate Hermes before purchasing?
Yes. The Elastic License 2.0 permits full use for evaluation. You only need a paid license when shipping a commercial product above the revenue threshold.
What if my organization grows past $1M revenue?
You'll need to purchase a license before your next release after crossing the threshold.
What about internal tools?
Internal tools used only within your organization don't require a license, even above $1M revenue. The license is only required for products you distribute to external users/customers.
Can I use Hermes in a SaaS product?
Yes, as long as you're not providing Hermes itself as a service. Using Hermes to build your desktop client for a SaaS product is permitted.
Contact
For licensing inquiries: support@mythetech.com
Third-Party Licenses
Hermes includes code derived from Photino under the Apache 2.0 license. See THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES in the repository.