Free to run, with paid help when you want it
The software and all its modules are open source under AGPL-3.0-or-later. You can install it, use it, modify it and share it without paying anyone. Paid work exists in two places only: when you ask for help, and when your organisation needs a commercial licence instead of the AGPL.
Three ways to use PHP Ledger
Self-host it yourself
The software and all its modules are open source under AGPL-3.0-or-later. Everything in version 1.0.0 is included: invoices, bills, stock, banking, reports and the optional cash point of sale, with no paid app needed to open any of them.
- Support comes from the community through Discussions, where the maintainer and other users answer questions.
- The AGPL obligation, in one sentence: if you modify PHP Ledger and offer it to others over a network, you must share your changes under the same licence.
- Signed updates, backups and recovery are part of the release, not an add-on.
Commercial licence
For organisations that need to embed or distribute PHP Ledger without the AGPL obligations, a commercial licence is available on request. It covers the same code as the open-source release, so what you license is what you can already read on GitHub.
- Terms depend on what you intend to build and how you distribute it, so each case is discussed directly.
- The licence does not add features and does not change the published limits.
- Ask before you build, so the terms can match your product rather than the other way round.
Services
Paid help is available for installation assistance, training, troubleshooting and supported pilots. The maintainer does the work or agrees with you who will, and every engagement starts with a written scope.
- Scope and response expectations are agreed in writing before any work starts.
- There are no standing fees and no subscriptions.
- A pilot ends with a written summary of what worked, what did not and what to change.
No prices are listed anywhere on this page, on purpose: every paid arrangement is quoted for the work you actually need, and the open-source release costs nothing at all.
What the commercial licence is not
It does not add features. The code under a commercial licence is the same code as the open-source release: the same modules, the same reports, the same limits. What changes is only the licensing terms that apply to you, which matters to a software house that embeds PHP Ledger in a product it sells, and rarely to a shop that runs it for its own books.
If what you want is a capability that does not exist in 1.0.0, that is a question for the roadmap, not for a licence. Regional tax certification, a production shop POS, payroll and multi-currency posting are later releases whichever licence you hold.
Ask about a licence or services
Describe what you need in a GitHub discussion and the maintainer replies there. If part of it is confidential, say so and a private channel is arranged in the reply. Nothing you type here is stored on this site: the form prepares a message that you paste into a new discussion.
If the form does not appear, open a new discussion on GitHub and include the topic, your role, your country, your hosting and what you need.
Licensing questions
The questions software houses and accountants ask before they recommend PHP Ledger, answered plainly.
Is it really free?
Yes. PHP Ledger is open source under AGPL-3.0-or-later, and every module in version 1.0 is included. You can install it, use it for real books, modify it and share it without paying anyone. Paid work exists only where you ask for help or need a commercial licence.
What does AGPL require of me?
If you run PHP Ledger for your own business and keep it to yourself, your only obligation is to keep the licence and source available as you received them. If you modify it and offer the modified version to others over a network, you must share your changes under the same licence. New project-owned code uses AGPL-3.0-or-later; dependencies, fonts and photographs keep their own terms.
Can a software house resell hosting?
Yes, under the AGPL. If you host unmodified PHP Ledger for clients, the licence and source stay with the application. If you modify it and serve the modified version to clients over a network, you must offer those clients your changes under the same licence. If that does not suit your business model, ask about the commercial licence.
Do you offer support contracts?
Not as standing contracts. Work is agreed piece by piece: installation assistance, training, troubleshooting and supported pilots, each with its scope and response expectations agreed in writing before work starts. Send an enquiry describing what you need.
How are pilots run?
A pilot runs your books through PHP Ledger alongside your current process for an agreed period, with defined checkpoints and a written summary at the end. Supervised pilots with a real month-end close are still an open post-release commitment on the roadmap; if you want to run one now, get in touch and we will agree the scope first.