# Commercial licensing
shimforge is released under two licenses, and you may choose either one. Between
them they already cover most users at no cost. This page explains when they do
not, and how to buy a license for those cases.
## When the free licenses are enough
You may use, modify, and distribute shimforge at no cost under whichever of these
fits you. You only need to satisfy one.
**[PolyForm Small Business 1.0.0](LICENSE-POLYFORM-SMALL-BUSINESS)** covers use
for the benefit of a company that has **both**:
- fewer than 100 people working as employees and independent contractors, and
- less than 1,000,000 USD (2019 dollars, adjusted for inflation) in total
revenue in the prior tax year.
Control counts: parent companies, subsidiaries, and entities under common
control are measured together.
**[PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0](LICENSE-POLYFORM-NONCOMMERCIAL)** covers any
noncommercial purpose. That includes personal study, hobby projects, amateur
work, and research with no anticipated commercial application. It also covers
charitable organizations, educational institutions, public research
organizations, public safety and health organizations, environmental protection
organizations, and government institutions, whatever their size or funding.
No registration, no key, and no notification is required. Add shimforge to your
`[dev-dependencies]` and keep the license text with any copy you pass on.
## When you need a commercial license
Buy a commercial license if neither of the above fits, which in practice means a
company above the Small Business thresholds using shimforge commercially. Also
buy one if you need terms the PolyForm licenses do not give you, such as:
- sublicensing, or redistribution under your own terms
- a warranty, an indemnity, or a negotiated liability cap
- bundling shimforge inside a product you license to your own customers
- procurement, security, or legal review that requires a signed agreement
## How to buy
Commercial licenses are sold by XT SOFTWARE LABS LLC, which holds the copyright
in shimforge. Write to **info@xtsoftwarelabs.com** with:
- your company name and website
- roughly how many developers will use shimforge
- anything your legal or procurement team requires
You will get a quote and a license agreement. Pricing is per company, not per
seat, and a license covers every version released while it is active.
## Questions
If you are not sure which side of the threshold you fall on, or whether your
intended use is covered, ask at **info@xtsoftwarelabs.com** before you rely on
it. Asking is free and we would rather answer early than argue later.
This page is a summary for convenience. Where it and the license texts disagree,
the license texts control.