One of the great things about Blender is that it has a large and active community of developers who create add-ons to extend its functionality. These add-ons can be used to add new features, tools, and workflows to Blender, making it even more powerful and versatile.

So, can you use Blender add-ons commercially and pay seat license?

What license should you use for Blender add-ons?

If you are a developer and you want to create an add-on for Blender, you may be wondering what license you should use. First of all don’t confuse with art license and software license. You can use any art license for your art work created with Blender.

But for Python add-ons, as soon as you import ‘bpy’ module in your script, your script becomes a derivative work of Blender. So, you have to use a license that is compatible with Blender’s GPL license.

What is GPL License?

It stands for General Public License. The work can be freely used, modified, and distributed. Distributed works must remain open-source and licensed under GPL. It translates to the fact that you can’t restrict the user from modifying and distributing your script.

Can you sell your Blender add-on?

Yes, you can sell your Blender add-ons. You can charge for a copy of the add-on that you deliver to the user. But you can’t restrict the user from modifying and distributing it.

Can you use blender add-ons commercially and pay seat license?

GPL license allows you to use the software for any purpose, including commercial use. Owner of the addon can’t restrict you from using it commercially, redistributing it, or re-selling it. Once you buy a copy of the addon, you can use it on as many computers as you want without paying any additional seat license fees or any other restrictions.

It may sound not fair for the developer, but it is the way GPL license works and it is the reason why Blender is released under GPL license.

Conclusion

If you are a developer and you want to create an add-on for Blender, you should use a license that is compatible with Blender’s GPL license. This will allow you to create and distribute your add-on freely, without any restrictions on its use. You can sell your add-on, but you can’t restrict the user from modifying and distributing it. You can only charge for the service of providing the add-on. And you don’t have to pay seat license for Blender add-ons.