Licensing & Pricing
Whether you run Barbacane as an API gateway, an outbound LLM proxy, an inbound MCP gateway, or all three, the licensing is the same. Open source under AGPLv3. A commercial license is free for small teams and non-profits, paid for larger organisations.
Open Source
Free
AGPLv3 license
- All features, no gating
- Use freely if you comply with AGPLv3
- Copyleft: source modifications must be published
Commercial License
Free
For startups, non-profits & academic
- Startups: ARR ≤ €1M and ≤ 10 employees
- Non-profits, academic & open-source projects
- Keep your source private
Commercial — Paid
Contact us
For organisations that don't qualify for the free tier
- All features, no copyleft obligation
- Run as a managed / hosted service
- Enterprise agreement & invoicing available
All licenses include the same software — no features are held back. See LICENSING.md in the repository for the full terms.
Professional Services
Need expert help? We offer consulting, support, and training regardless of which license you use.
Consulting
Expert guidance for architecture, migration, and custom solutions.
- Architecture reviews
Deep-dive into your API landscape, gateway requirements, and AI traffic patterns (outbound LLM, inbound MCP)
- Migration planning
Structured path from legacy API gateways or standalone LLM proxies onto Barbacane
- Custom plugin development
WASM plugins tailored to your traffic patterns, including AI governance middlewares
- Performance optimization
Tuning for your traffic patterns and SLOs
Pro Support
SLA-backed support with direct access to maintainers.
- Guaranteed SLAs
Response time guarantees for critical issues
- Priority issue resolution
Your bugs and features get prioritized attention
- Direct maintainer access
Private Slack channel with the core team
- Security advisories
Early notification of security issues
Training
Hands-on workshops to level up your team.
- Spec-driven API design
OpenAPI and AsyncAPI best practices, including MCP extensions for exposing APIs to AI agents
- WASM plugin development
Build custom plugins in Rust, Go, or AssemblyScript
- Operations & monitoring
Deployment, scaling, and observability deep-dive
- Custom curriculum
Tailored content for your team's needs
Frequently asked questions
Is Barbacane really free?
Yes. All features are available to everyone with no gating. The source code is published under AGPLv3, which is free to use as long as you comply with its copyleft terms. If you can't comply with AGPLv3 (e.g. you want to run it as a managed service without publishing modifications), a commercial license is free for small teams (≤ €1 M ARR, ≤ 10 employees) and non-profits.
What if I don't need paid services?
That's perfectly fine! Use Barbacane freely, contribute to the project if you can, and reach out when you need help. Our documentation, GitHub issues, and community channels are available to everyone.
Can you help with compliance requirements?
Absolutely. Our consulting packages include compliance reviews for SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and other frameworks. We help you configure Barbacane's logging, security policies, AI governance middlewares, and audit trails to meet your requirements.
Does this cover AI and MCP workloads?
Yes. Barbacane's AI gateway capabilities (ai-proxy
dispatcher, AI governance middlewares) and MCP gateway capabilities are part of
the same software. The same licensing and services apply, whether you are using
Barbacane for outbound LLM routing, inbound agent tool exposure, or as a full API
gateway.
Do you offer on-premise deployment?
Barbacane is designed to run anywhere: on-prem, in your cloud, at the edge, or air-gapped. We can help you design and implement the deployment architecture that fits your infrastructure and security requirements.
Not sure what you need?
Let's talk. We'll help you figure out the best path forward for your team.
contact@barbacane.dev