Licensing
BetterDesk is free software under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).
- Use, modify, and deploy BetterDesk for personal or commercial purposes
- If you modify BetterDesk and run it as a network service, AGPL requires making those modifications available to users who interact with the service
- Full text: LICENSE
Note
v3.4.0 is the first stable release under AGPL-3.0 across the project (server, console, agents, clients, SDKs).
Active GitHub Sponsors at $50/month or above (Bronze, Silver, Gold) and Honorary Supporters may receive an optional Commercial Grant:
| Allows | Does not allow |
|---|---|
| Private deployment patches without publishing under AGPL | Reselling BetterDesk as standalone OEM product |
| Internal/client use of modified builds | Replacing upstream open-source obligation for merged features |
Lower tiers ($5–$15) and Buy Me a Coffee do not include the grant.
Details: COMMERCIAL-GRANT.md and SPONSORS.md.
RustDesk clients remain separate software with their own licenses. BetterDesk server is a clean-room compatible implementation — not a fork of RustDesk server source.
- Privacy — self-hosted data, no vendor analytics
- FAQ — licensing FAQ
- Home — project overview
- Contributing
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Wiki source: docs/wiki/ — last sync: 2026-09-06