by @jlcases
[+] · license promise · v2.0 · 2026-07-13

what stays free.

A bounded promise, in plain language. I refuse to say "free forever" without specifying what — but I will say exactly what won't change. This page is versioned; older versions remain accessible in the git history.

The commitment.

PAELLADOC Free includes the complete current product for individual use on your own machine, with a limit of 3 projects.

That means:

  • Free: complete, up to 3 projectsYou can use the current product capabilities — the No-Coder harness, product work, AI work, repositories, knowledge graphs, traceability, and proof — without paying, on up to 3 projects.
  • Pro: unlimited projectsThe current individual Pro tier removes the 3-project limit. Team capabilities, cloud services, organizational features, priority support, custom integrations, and commercial / professional terms may be licensed separately.

"Commercial / professional use" means use within a company (yours or your employer's), use on paid client work, use that generates revenue directly or indirectly, or use as part of a paid service.

The current product distinction is capacity, not a cut-down experience: Free is the complete factory for up to 3 projects; Pro is the factory with unlimited projects.

What this does not say.

I don't say "free forever, for everyone, forever". That would be either a lie I would regret, or a constraint that kills the project's ability to sustain itself.

I do say: the version of PAELLADOC you download today, with the product capabilities it has today, can be used by you on up to 3 projects without paying.

Versions you've already downloaded.

Every release is signed and timestamped. The terms attached to a binary at the moment you downloaded it apply to that binary indefinitely. Future releases may carry different terms; you are never required to upgrade. The installer you have today keeps working under the rules of today.

If a future release changes terms, the change applies to that release, not retroactively to ones you already use.

What I may charge for.

The full list, so nobody is surprised:

  • Pro capacityUnlimited projects for individual builders. Eligible builders may earn a personal Pro Lifetime license through the current Founders program.
  • Team featuresShared knowledge graphs, multi-user roles, audit log export, SSO, organization-level governance.
  • Cloud / syncOptional hosted sync between devices, encrypted backup, hosted gold-gate runners.
  • Support & SLAPriority response, hotfix backports, dedicated onboarding for organizations.
  • Commercial / professional useUse of PaellaDoc inside a company, on paid client work, in revenue-generating workflows, or as part of a paid service may require a per-seat, professional, or organization license.

How I'll communicate changes.

  • Versioned pageThis document carries a version (v1.0 today). When this promise changes, I will bump the version and keep the previous one accessible in the git history of the public website repo.
  • Forward-only changesAny change applies to releases after the change date. Already-downloaded binaries keep their original terms.
  • Notice in the appIf the app introduces new paid surfaces, those surfaces will be clearly labeled. The complete Free path and its 3-project limit will remain visible before you choose Pro.

Questions or edge cases.

If you're unsure whether your situation falls under "personal individual use" — for example, you're a freelancer using PaellaDoc to ship for clients, or a student doing paid work on the side, or a solo founder building a future company — DM @jlcases on X. I will give you a straight answer in writing.

Promise version: 2.0 · effective from 2026-07-13.
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