Bitwarden Adopts Dual Licensing Model for Store-Published Apps

Licensing Change for Store Apps

Bitwarden announced that its applications published to various app stores will transition to commercially licensed builds starting with the next release. This change does not affect the functionality of existing apps, which will continue to operate as they do currently.

Continued Open Source Commitment

Despite the introduction of a commercial license for store-published versions, Bitwarden maintains its commitment to open-source security and transparency. The GPLv3 open-source licensed version will continue to be updated and published on GitHub, allowing users to read, audit, and contribute to the codebase. Bitwarden confirmed it is not moving to a closed-source model and self-hosting options remain unchanged.

Feature Availability and Future Development

Currently, all features are available in both the commercially licensed and GPLv3 versions. However, Bitwarden indicated that some future components will be published exclusively under the commercial license. Newly developed features will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine their licensing. This model aims to provide additional legal protection for specific features.

Impact on Users and Community Concerns

The licensing change primarily affects those who repackage and resell Bitwarden. The company reiterated its commitment to a free-forever plan. Some community members expressed concerns about the long-term implications, drawing parallels to other projects that have transitioned away from fully open-source models. Bitwarden clarified that commercially licensed code will also be viewable and transparent on GitHub.