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License FAQ

On this page, we answer some common questions about our license.
If you need any clarification, send an email to [email protected].

See the Terms and Conditions for the full definitions.

Free License vs. Company License​

Who is eligible for the Free License?​

You are eligible to use Remotion for free if you are:

  • an individual, whether for personal or commercial use
  • an organization or team of individuals with up to 3 people
  • a non-profit or not-for-profit organization
  • evaluating whether the Remotion Software is a good fit, and are not yet using it in a commercial way

Contact us in case you need confirmation if your use case is acceptable.

Does the Free License have restrictions in functionality?​

No. There is no difference in functionality between the Free License and Company License.

What do I have to do to use the Free License?​

If you are eligible, simply get started!

You don't have to contact us to use Remotion under the Free License.
You also don't have to sign up on remotion.pro to use the Free License.

But if you are unsure, don't hesitate to contact us and we are happy to clarify your license situation.

Why is Remotion free for some and paid for others?​

We run the Remotion project in spirit like many open source projects: the code is openly available on GitHub, we accept contributions and it is free for most people.

But to pay for the time that it takes to maintain such an ambitious project, we need to generate money.
By separating individuals and companies, we are charging those who are able to afford it.
This is good for you: You get regular updates, good support, motivated maintainers and an overall healthy product.

Can single-person companies use the Free License?​

Yes. Even if you are incorporated, you can operate under the Free License, as long as your total headcount is 3 or less. You don't need a Company License for it.

Can I make money under the Free License?​

Yes. There are only a couple of small commercial restrictions which are in place for everybody.
There is no difference between the Free License and Company License when it comes to commercial usage.

Can I run an automation under the Free License?​

Yes. In the following sections on this page, we discuss the "Remotion for Automators" plan, but it only applies to the Company License.
If you are eligible for the Free License, you can also run an automation.

Company License​

Do I need to buy a license?​

See above whether you are eligible for the Free License.

If you are, you don't need to buy a license - even if you set up an automation, launch a SaaS, or are using it commercially.

If you are not eligible for the Free License, you need to buy a Company License.

How do I buy a Company License?​

You can buy a Company License under remotion.pro/license.

How much does a Company License cost?​

We distinguish 2 cases:

  • Remotion for Creators is for organizations wanting to produce videos without setting up an automation.
    It costs $25/month per person who writes Remotion code themselves or using agentic coding tools.
  • Remotion for Automators is for organizations building automations.
    It costs $0.01 per render, with a minimum spend of $100/month.

Both options can be activated, a combined minimum spend of $100 per month applies.

Developers working on automations do not require a "Remotion for Creators" seat.

Use our Pricing Calculator to see how much a Company License costs for you.

What is considered an automation?​

An automation is defined as owning code that programmatically calls one of the following APIs or commands:

In practice, organizations building video editors, prompt-to-video tools, automated video pipelines or using the Remotion Player will fall under Remotion for Automators.

How is 1 render defined?​

1 render is the successful generation of a video, audio, GIF, still image or PDF.

Previews in the Remotion Studio or Remotion Player do not count as Renders.

When do I need to purchase Renders?​

You only need to pay per render if you are required to license "Remotion for Automators".
If you are eligible for the Free License or "Remotion for Creators", you don't need to pay per render.

For how long do I need to maintain my license?​

Remotion for Creators:
You need to have at least 1 seat active as long as you are using Remotion to render videos.
Of course you remain the right to use your produced videos even after you cancel your license.

Remotion for Automators:
You must maintain an active license while you are considered running an automation.
Once you fully stop running this automation, you may cancel your license at any time.

Are there benefits of the Company License?​

There are no special features that you unlock through the Company License.
It is simply a requirement for organizations of a certain size.

We do however respond first to people who own a Company License.
Your team members can enter their Discord username after purchasing a license, giving them a tag on Discord and access to a private #customers channel, which will signal to us that you are a holder of the Company License.
See our Support Policy for more details.

Enterprise License​

What is the Enterprise License?​

It is an elevated version of the Company License which will make us do extra things for you. For example:

  • Agree to customizations of terms and pricing
  • Put our signature on agreements
  • Fill out vendor onboarding, compliance forms and any other form of paperwork
  • Private support channel with the Remotion team on Slack or Discord
  • Move off our self-serve licensing platform on remotion.pro
  • Highest feature request consideration if the current API does not suffice

These things are overhead for us, so we only do them under the Enterprise License which has a higher minimum.

How much does an Enterprise License cost?​

As a baseline, the cost is the same as a Company License, but with a minimum spend of $500 (instead of $100).
We may quote you a higher price if the requirements you have to lead to more effort, risk or resources being taken on our side.
On the Enterprise License level, we are considering custom pricing suggestions to fit your use case.

What are the benefits of the Enterprise License?​

With the Enterprise License, you:

  • can propose customizations of terms and pricing
  • get us to fill out paperwork
  • can obtain a formalized signed agreement from us
  • get a monthly consulting session with an engineer from the Remotion team
  • have a direct support channel with the Remotion team at the highest priority
  • have higher influence on Remotion's roadmap
  • get the Editor Starter for free

Our Enterprise License subscribers are considered our partners and we are especially concerned with their success.
Often we also actively reach out to them to notify them about new improvements and suggestions for how they specifically can get the most out of Remotion.

How do I buy an Enterprise License?​

You can buy it through remotion.pro/license, our self-serve platform.

But since most Enterprise Licenses are about forming a partnership and potential customizations of the terms, most interested companies are contacting us first at [email protected] or by booking a call.

Allowed use cases​

What kind of commercial use is allowed?​

Any commercial use case is allowed as long as you are not selling Remotion as a product itself or allowing people to circumvent cases where they would have to buy a license themselves.

Example of an accepted use case: Allowing users to create and render their own personalized video based on your Remotion template.

Example of an unacceptable use case: Allowing users to submit any Remotion video, meaning a Remotion project, to your server for rendering.

We are an agency making videos for a client. Do we need a license?​

It depends on whether your client receives only the finished video, or whether they also own or operate the Remotion project.

You deliver only a finished video file (e.g., an MP4). Your client never receives the project code, never runs Remotion, and has no access to it. In this case your client is not a User of the Remotion Software, so their headcount does not count toward yours. Only your agency's headcount counts. If your agency has 3 or fewer personnel, the Free License covers this work; if it has 4 or more, your agency needs a Company License.

Your client owns or operates the Remotion project. For example, you are building a Remotion codebase that the client will own, run, or continue to develop, or you are collaborating directly with the client on the same Remotion project. In this case both companies' headcount is aggregated for the 4-person threshold. The responsibility for purchasing the license falls upon the entity that ultimately owns the IP of the Remotion project, though an agency may administer the license on the client's behalf via the Remotion Dashboard.

You hire another agency or contractors. If you bring in another studio, freelancers, or a consulting agency to help operate the Remotion Software on the same project, their headcount aggregates with yours for the 4-person threshold.

See the Terms and Conditions for the formal definitions.

Can I use an LLM to generate Remotion code on behalf of a user?​

Yes, it is allowed to build a service that generates Remotion code using artificial intelligence and renders it.
Your customers can be other companies and they don't need to have a Company License.

Allowing end-users to edit the Remotion code is also permitted if the code was initially generated by your service.
However, it is not allowed to let users bring or upload their own Remotion code to your service for rendering.

See the Terms and Conditions for the full policy on rendering services.

Telemetry​

How does Remotion know how many videos we render?​

On the "Remotion for Automators" plan, it is your responsibility to continuously ensure your license covers the amount of renders you do per month. You can update the amount of renders on your remotion.pro dashboard.

We may use telemetry to ensure customers' licenses cover their usage (see next question).

Does Remotion have telemetry?​

For client-side rendering, there is telemetry enabled by default which cannot be disabled.
Through this, we see which domains render how many videos and will routinely reach out for sales and upsells if we see that Remotion is not properly licensed.
See: Telemetry in client-side rendering

For server-side rendering, there is no automatic telemetry.
Because of accountability problems, we are making a change to our license and terms in Remotion 5.0 to make telemetry mandatory for "Remotion for Automators" customers.
See: Telemetry

Telemetry in server-side rendering remains voluntary for Free License users and for companies under the "Remotion for Creators" option.

What if I cannot enable telemetry due to organization policy?​

If you are unable to activate telemetry due to firewall restrictions, corporate policies, or other technical limitations, you must provide Remotion with a monthly verifiable report of your rendering activity as an alternative.
Please contact us if this applies to you.

Procurement​

How do I sign up for a Remotion license/account?​

Signing up is only required if you fall under the requirements of the Company License.
If you are eligible for the Free License, you do not need an account.

To create an account:

  1. Go to the Remotion licensing platform at remotion.pro/license.
  2. Create an account using either email, Google, or GitHub.
  3. Once signed up, create a new project associated with your account.
    You will be asked to link the project to your company and use case.
  4. After the project is created, configure your license according to your use case and expected usage.
  5. Invite team members to the project so they can help manage the license.
  6. Set up the telemetry based on the instructions if you obtained "Remotion for Automators".

What is the difference between remotion.dev and remotion.pro?​

Remotion AG operates two websites:

  • remotion.dev is the Remotion documentation and project site, where you find docs, examples, and templates.
    It is where you learn about and explore Remotion.
  • remotion.pro is the Remotion licensing platform.
    It hosts the Remotion Dashboard for managing your Company License (seats, team members, renders, billing, perks, telemetry) and the Remotion Store for buying products like the Editor Starter.

You only need an account on remotion.pro if you require a Company License or want to buy products in the Remotion Store.

The legal documents in this section (e.g., Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, DPA and DPIA Statement) are published on remotion.dev for easy access, but where they refer to the licensing platform, the Store, or the Dashboard, they concern remotion.pro.

How can I sign up for an account on remotion.pro?​

You can sign up for an account on remotion.pro using one of the following methods:

  • Email: Enter your email address and we will send you a magic link to confirm your address. Password-based authentication is not supported.
  • Google: Sign up with your Google account for a quicker login experience.
  • GitHub: Sign up with your GitHub account for a quicker login experience.

If you signed up using email, you can link your Remotion account to Google or GitHub in your account settings for a smoother login experience.

What if we go beyond the usage my license allows?​

If you go beyond the render limit of your license, you can increase the number of renders at any time in your Remotion Dashboard, and the price will be prorated for the current period and included in your next invoice. We expect that you make those adjustments in the Remotion Dashboard within 30 days after you have exceeded your limit.

The same applies to the number of Seats, if you onboarded more Creators than you bought Seats for.

Is there a refund period?​

There are no refunds because you can already evaluate Remotion before using it commercially.

Can we upgrade / downgrade / cancel / get an invoice?​

Your Remotion Dashboard allows you to do all of these without having to contact a human.

What payment methods are accepted?​

We use Stripe as a payment service. It accepts all major payment methods.

We require a purchase order process or a vendor onboarding. Do you do this?​

Filling out compliance forms, introducing additional commitments and skipping our licensing platform for license management, such as billing and payment, requires an Enterprise License. Please contact us if you would like to discuss a custom agreement.

Is Remotion open source?​

Remotion is source-available software, but it is not open source software according to the Open Source Initiative's Open Source Definition.

The Remotion source code is publicly available, but its use is governed by the proprietary Remotion License, which includes conditions that are not part of OSI-approved open source licenses.

Does a Remotion license cover codec patent fees?​

No. A Remotion license covers your use of Remotion only. It does not include a license to third-party patents, such as patents relating to codecs like H.264/AVC, HEVC or AAC. Depending on your use case and jurisdiction, you may need additional licenses or need to pay royalties. It is your responsibility to determine whether these requirements apply to you.

See the Terms and Conditions for the full terms and the FFmpeg license page for the third-party software that Remotion redistributes.

Where is my Remotion project hosted?​

We don't host Remotion for you. Remotion is a self-hosted product and licensing gives you permission to use it, but Remotion is not a hosted service.

You have to set up your own infrastructure in the cloud, setting up your own on-premise infrastructure or just using Remotion locally.