Open Source Licenses Compared

| Comparisons

Only AGPL v3 counts network use as distribution

All five licenses permit commercial use. The GPL v3, AGPL v3 and MPL 2.0 require you to disclose source and keep the same license, the MPL per file. Only the AGPL v3 treats network use as distribution, which reaches software offered as a service. The MIT License lists none of these conditions, and choosealicense.com does not list patent use among its permissions.

Verdict

  • No option is ranked or scored overall: each criterion stands on its own source.

Comparison table

MIT License, Apache License 2.0, Mozilla Public License 2.0, GNU GPL v3.0 and GNU AGPL v3.0 against the same 7 criteria
CriterionMIT LicenseApache License 2.0Mozilla Public License 2.0GNU GPL v3.0GNU AGPL v3.0
Commercial usePermittedPermittedPermittedPermittedPermitted
Patent usenone foundPermittedPermittedPermittedPermitted
Disclose sourcenone foundnone foundRequiredRequiredRequired
Same licensenone foundnone foundRequired (file)RequiredRequired
State changesnone foundRequirednone foundRequiredRequired
Network use is distributionnone foundnone foundnone foundnone foundRequired
Trademark usenone foundNot grantedNot grantednone foundnone found

The sources, by fact

MIT License

1 source

  1. MIT License: commercial use permittedCommercial use: Permitted.choosealicense.com | | Policy

Apache License 2.0

4 sources

  1. Apache License 2.0: commercial use permittedCommercial use: Permitted.choosealicense.com | | Policy
  2. Apache License 2.0: patent use permittedchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  3. Apache License 2.0: state changes requiredchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  4. Apache License 2.0: trademark use not grantedchoosealicense.com | | Policy

Mozilla Public License 2.0

5 sources

  1. Mozilla Public License 2.0: commercial use permittedCommercial use: Permitted.choosealicense.com | | Policy
  2. Mozilla Public License 2.0: patent use permittedchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  3. Mozilla Public License 2.0: disclose source requiredchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  4. Mozilla Public License 2.0: same license required (file)choosealicense.com | | Policy
  5. Mozilla Public License 2.0: trademark use not grantedchoosealicense.com | | Policy

GNU GPL v3.0

5 sources

  1. GNU GPL v3.0: commercial use permittedCommercial use: Permitted.choosealicense.com | | Policy
  2. GNU GPL v3.0: patent use permittedchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  3. GNU GPL v3.0: disclose source requiredchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  4. GNU GPL v3.0: same license requiredchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  5. GNU GPL v3.0: state changes requiredchoosealicense.com | | Policy

GNU AGPL v3.0

6 sources

  1. GNU AGPL v3.0: commercial use permittedchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  2. GNU AGPL v3.0: patent use permittedchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  3. GNU AGPL v3.0: disclose source requiredchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  4. GNU AGPL v3.0: same license requiredchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  5. GNU AGPL v3.0: state changes requiredchoosealicense.com | | Policy
  6. GNU AGPL v3.0: network use is distribution requiredNetwork use is distribution: Required.choosealicense.com | | Policy
Covers 7 October 2026; sources read up to Wednesday 7 October 2026, UTC.
How this page is made: a HiveBoss Bee gathers the source named for each criterion, and every fact links to its source.
The words were written by AI; check the original before relying on them.