Licensable
Licensable is a web service that provides open-source license insights and compliance reports for GitHub repositories.
What Licensable is
Licensable is a web service that provides open-source license insights and compliance reports for GitHub repositories. It scans manifests or metadata files to map a project’s dependencies, then flags potential obligations and checks whether dependency licenses are compatible with the repository’s license. When several licenses apply, it automatically selects the most permissive option. Checks can report success, a neutral result when some dependency licenses may be unknown, or failure when a license is incompatible. Documented support covers Python, npm, Yarn, pnpm, Rust, Ruby, Go, CocoaPods, Gradle, Maven, and NuGet. Users install Licensable through GitHub, select organizations and repositories, and open a pull request to begin. Its access is limited to repositories the user grants. The privacy policy says OAuth scopes are read-only, communications use HTTPS, and source code is not persistently stored unless explicitly enabled. Repository metadata and results are retained as needed to provide the service or as required by law. Licensable says results are best effort, may be incomplete or incorrect, and are not legal advice. Public repositories are free; private repositories are free during the open beta.
Good
- Free for public repositories.
- Private repositories are free during open beta.
- Supports a range of manifest and lockfile ecosystems.
- Access is limited to repositories users grant.
Watch out
- Results may be incomplete or incorrect.
- Results are not legal advice.
- Some dependency licenses may be unknown.
Who it suits
Licensable suits teams that want GitHub-based license checks across dependencies and supported ecosystems. It is for compliance insight, not legal advice.
Verdict
Licensable can help teams flag dependency-license issues through GitHub checks. Treat its findings as best-effort guidance rather than a definitive legal assessment.
Plans and prices
From Licensable's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Private repositories (beta) | Free | Free for private repositories during open beta · During the beta |
| Public repositories | Free | Free for public repositories |
The facts
Each one read from Licensable's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Check results
- A check can report success, neutral when some dependency licenses may be unknown, or failure when a dependency license is incompatible with the repository license.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Data retention
- The privacy policy says repository metadata and analysis results are retained only as long as needed to provide the service or as required by law.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Data sources
- Licensable enriches license data with external sources such as ClearlyDefined and curated datasets.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Dependency scanning
- It scans repositories for manifests or metadata files to capture the dependency tree.checked 7 Oct 2026
- GitHub access
- It accesses GitHub repository metadata, dependency information, and source code for compliance analysis, with access limited to repositories the user grants.checked 7 Oct 2026
- GitHub setup
- Users install Licensable through GitHub, select organizations and repositories, then open a pull request to start.checked 7 Oct 2026
- License analysis
- It flags potential license obligations and checks compatibility with the project’s license.checked 7 Oct 2026
- License selection
- When multiple licenses apply, it automatically selects the most permissive option.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Limitations
- Licensable says its results are best effort, may not be fully correct or exhaustive, and are not legal advice.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Licensable provides open-source license insights and compliance reporting for GitHub repositories.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Security
- The privacy policy says OAuth scopes are read-only, communications use HTTPS, and source code is not persistently stored unless explicitly enabled.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The terms list [email protected] for questions or feedback.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Supported ecosystems
- Its documented lockfile and manifest support includes Python, npm, Yarn, pnpm, Rust, Ruby, Go, CocoaPods, Gradle, Maven, and NuGet.checked 7 Oct 2026
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