Simple, transparent pricing

Frequently asked questions

Who can use Mantis for free?

Individuals working on personal, non-commercial projects; accredited educational institutions, their staff and students, using it for coursework or academic research; registered nonprofits (not the nonprofit arm of a for-profit company); and anyone running a non-production evaluation — at any scale. For-profit companies are also free while they have fewer than 25 employees and contractors. Every tier includes every feature; nothing is gated.

When does an organization have to pay?

A for-profit organization needs a commercial license once it reaches 25 employees, counting employees and independent contractors across the whole corporate group — parent, subsidiaries and affiliates under common control. The same applies if you run Mantis on behalf of an organization that size. Under 25, it's free. Registered nonprofits and accredited educational institutions stay free regardless of size. Government and public-sector bodies are not covered by a free category and license at the band matching their headcount.

How is company size measured?

By employee count alone — employees plus independent contractors, counted across your whole corporate group, including parent company, subsidiaries and affiliates under common control. That is the entire test: no revenue figures, no private financials, nothing to disclose. You already know your own headcount, so you can work out your band in seconds without asking anyone — and we never ask you for it.

Does the software meter or enforce this?

No. There is no license key, no metering, no telemetry, and no kill switch: nothing in the product counts anything for billing, and no usage figure ever leaves your infrastructure. The commercial requirement lives in the license text, not in the code. We rely on honest organizations, and their own procurement and legal teams, to license correctly.

What does the commercial license include — and not include?

It grants the commercial-use right beyond the free line plus ongoing development and security updates. It is not a support contract: support is best-effort, by email, with no SLA. We do not offer paid support, IP indemnification, or compliance attestations at this time.

Is Mantis open source?

Not yet, and that is by design. Mantis is source-available under the Business Source License 1.1: you can read, modify, and self-host the full source, and every release converts to a true open-source license (AGPLv3) on 22 December 2029 — or four years after that version is first published, whichever comes first. This qualifies as "Fair Source" — open to use and inspect now, fully open later.