The license defines the limits. With Lnav, those limits are clear, direct, and built to match how engineers actually work. The Lnav licensing model is designed for transparency, predictable costs, and zero surprises. No hidden tiers. No opaque upgrade rules. You get exactly what the license says, and the license says a lot with very few words.
Lnav offers two core options: the open-source license under the BSD 2-Clause terms, and a commercial license for organizations needing official support, custom features, or redistribution rights. The BSD license grants full access to the source code, allowing modification, integration, and redistribution as long as copyright notices remain. For teams that require certified builds, priority bug fixes, or indemnification, the commercial model unlocks those benefits through a direct agreement with the Lnav maintainers.
This dual licensing structure keeps the project accessible for individual developers while giving companies a clear path to meet corporate compliance and procurement requirements. It avoids the confusion found in projects that change license terms midstream. If you start on BSD, you keep BSD. If you sign a commercial contract, your rights and obligations are clear on day one.