Licensing



As the exclusive licensor of Asterisk, Digium offers the option of licensing its software under attractive commercial terms.

As its popularity and reputation grows, Asterisk continues to find applications in a wide variety of telecommunications systems and appliances that need PBX, Voice over IP, and other telephony capabilities.

Developers have discovered that they can quickly create exciting new products by integrating their own software with Asterisk and related Digium telephony software. Most Digium software is licensed under GNU GPL.

Uses for Commercial Software
While Asterisk is normally distributed as open source software under the GNU General Public License (GPL), that model is not appropriate for all customers, products, or markets. If you plan to sell products based on Asterisk or our other Digium software, there are significant advantages to obtaining a commercial license. If you like, you can modify or add to Digium's software and incorporate the results into your own product, without the obligation of releasing the resulting source code as specified by the GPL. You and your customers benefit from a clear commercial license, which provides legal protections that are not available under the GPL. Finally, you have the assurance that the Digium software in your product is backed by our in-house Technical Support team, including the original creators of Asterisk.

Cost of a Commercial License
The license fees are very reasonable, and offer tremendous value for the capabilities they deliver. The exact license fees vary depending on factors such as the software applications, the number of simultaneous channels used, and the quantity purchased. License customers also receive internal software documentation and access to Digium's expert support and development resources.

Asterisk will remain The Open Source PBX, and future development for Asterisk and its components will continue to follow the open source model. Digium's commitment and contributions to the open source community are not changing. The licensing option allows customers to get the best of both worlds - the innovation and creativity of the open source model, with the protections and options available in traditional commercial software.