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Understanding Plane's Editions

Plane is available in three editions, based on how it is deployed. As of 2025, our Cloud is the only hosted edition. We also offer two unique self-hosted editions tailored to different needs: the open-source Community Edition and the recommended Commercial Edition.

About Our Self-Hosted Editions​

Community Edition​

Built with transparency in mind, the Community Edition:

  • Is governed by the AGPL v3.0 license, ensuring free and open usage
  • Allows contributions to the repo through modifications and customizations
  • Has no code dependencies or restrictions on or from the Commercial Edition

It’s ideal for those who want to try Plane first, audit the code for security, and see how each service works with the others. Tens of thousands of users have used it, and many have contributed to it.

The Community Edition matches the Free tier of the Cloud edition in feature availability. To upgrade to paid plans, you must first switch to the Commercial Edition.

Commercial Edition​

Designed for teams that need governance, compliance, and privacy controls, the Commercial Edition is ideal for organizations looking to unlock advanced work management and security features.

This edition also comes with a Free tier and allows seamless upgrades to all paid plans. It offers:

  • Full feature parity with our Cloud
  • A bundle of 12 free user seats per workspace, so there are no surprises when you upgrade
  • An intuitive upgrade flow that automatically calculates the number of seats you need based on the number of users with paid roles in your workspace, so you never have to guess

Why We Separate Editions​

We’ve designed Plane’s editions to serve diverse user needs while staying true to the ethos of open source.

  • The Community Edition is completely open-source, with no restrictions beyond those outlined in the AGPL v3.0 license. This edition is now ranked #1 in our space on GitHub.
  • The Commercial Edition remains closed-source to offer enterprise-grade features and seamless scalability for businesses.

Unlike some open-core companies, we’ve adopted a clean separation to keep things simple and transparent. There’s no hidden code that limits modifications on the Community Edition, and no forced migrations from one edition to another.

Differences in Versions Between Editions​

Each of our editions is built on a distinct codebase. Versions differ based on how we ship new code according to our three separate release cycles. This distinction allows us to:

  • Use the Cloud as a test bed for new features before they come to our self-hosted editions
  • Innovate quickly on a more controlled Commercial Edition
  • Be intentional and deliberate with changes to the Community Edition

For both the Commercial and Community Editions, version updates are in your control. Regular updates ensure you benefit from the latest features and improvements. See Update Plane for how to upgrade your versions.

Changelog​

We maintain a detailed changelog for all editions. Check it out and bookmark it to stay informed about the latest features, bug fixes, and improvements by edition.