- Redis licence by version
- What each Redis licence lets you do
- Modules are now included free
- Redis Cloud's free tier, as of October 2026
- Your Redis client library has its own, simpler licence
- The free tools: Redis Insight and Redis for VS Code
- How to use Redis free without licence worries
- My verdict on whether Redis is free
- Frequently asked questions
Yes, Redis is free to download and use. Redis Open Source costs nothing, and from Redis 8 you can choose the AGPLv3, an OSI-approved open source licence. The catch is that the licence depends on the version, and versions 7.4 to 7.8 aren't open source in the strict sense.
For most businesses running Redis as a cache or a session store behind their own app, that's fine and nothing changes. It matters if you sell a service built on Redis. Below is what Redis's own licensing and pricing pages say, checked as of October 2026.
Redis licence by version
Redis's licensing page lays out three eras. This is the table I'd keep handy, because the version you're running decides the rules.
| Redis version | Licence | Open source? |
|---|---|---|
| 7.2 and earlier | BSD-3-Clause | Yes |
| 7.4 to 7.8 (Community Edition) | RSALv2 or SSPLv1, your choice | No, both are source available |
| 8 and later (Redis Open Source) | RSALv2, SSPLv1 or AGPLv3, your choice | Yes, if you pick AGPLv3 |
Redis says the third option was added because some community members were unhappy with its March 2024 change to the RSALv2 and SSPLv1 dual licence, neither of which is OSI approved. It describes adding AGPLv3 with Redis 8 as an extra option rather than another licence change.
What each Redis licence lets you do
The short versions, in Redis's own terms:
- RSALv2 lets you use, copy, distribute and build on the software, with two main limits: you can't commercialise it or offer it to others as a managed service, and you can't remove licensing or copyright notices. Redis says plainly that it isn't an open source licence.
- SSPLv1, created by MongoDB, allows free use and modification, but if you provide the product as a service to others you must publish your modifications and the source code of your management layers. It's copyleft and not open source.
- AGPLv3 is an OSI-approved open source licence designed for software that runs over a network. If you modify it and offer it as a network server, you have to provide the source of your modified version to the users of that server.
Here's the plain-English read for a small business. If you run Redis inside your own product and don't modify Redis itself, all three options let you do that free. The licences start to bite when you resell Redis as a service, or change its code and serve it to other people.
Modules are now included free
The most useful change in Redis 8, to my mind, is the bundling. Redis says RediSearch, RedisJSON, RedisTimeSeries and RedisBloom are now integral parts of Redis Open Source under the same tri-licence, and their version numbers now match the Redis version they ship with. Search and JSON features that used to feel like add-ons are in the free download.
Redis Cloud's free tier, as of October 2026
If you'd rather not run a server, Redis Cloud has a free plan. These are the figures on Redis's pricing page.
| Redis Cloud plan | Price shown | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | US$0, always | Up to 30 MB, a single database on shared cloud, best-effort SLA, community support |
| Essentials | From US$0.007 per hour (shown as US$5/month) | 250 MB to 100 GB, single database, SSO, RBAC, encryption |
| Pro | From US$0.014 per hour, minimum US$200 a month, first US$200 free | Dedicated deployment, unlimited RAM, multiple databases, active-active |
Thirty megabytes is enough to learn on and to prototype a small cache. It isn't a production database. The free tier runs on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.
Your Redis client library has its own, simpler licence
This is the part that answers most developers' real worry. The code your app uses to talk to Redis is a separate project with its own licence, and Redis's licensing page lists them. They're all permissive.
| Client library | Licence |
|---|---|
| redis-py, NRedisStack, node-redis, ioredis | MIT |
| Jedis, Lettuce, redis-rb | MIT |
| hiredis | BSD-3-Clause |
| go-redis | BSD-2-Clause |
| rueidis | Apache v2.0 |
So even if the server licence feels complicated, the library inside your product isn't copyleft. And Redis says that if you're switching from Community Edition 7.4 or later to Redis 8, or using the code as-is from an older version, the addition of AGPLv3 most likely doesn't affect you at all.
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The free tools: Redis Insight and Redis for VS Code
Redis's graphical tools follow a different rule. The licensing page says Redis Insight and Redis for VS Code are provided under a commercial licence to paying customers, while community users and non-paying individuals use them under the SSPLv1. So you can use them free; just know which licence you're on.
How to use Redis free without licence worries
- Check which version you run with the INFO command or your package manager.
- If you're on 7.2 or older, you're on BSD-3-Clause, which is permissive.
- If you're upgrading, go to Redis 8 or later so the AGPLv3 option is available to you.
- Avoid modifying Redis's own source unless you're ready to share those changes under the licence you choose.
- Talk to a lawyer before you offer Redis to customers as a hosted service.
My verdict on whether Redis is free
For the usual job, a cache or queue sitting behind your own website or app, Redis is free and the licence change won't touch you. The rules only get complicated for hosting companies and people reselling Redis, which is exactly who the 2024 change was aimed at. If you're weighing up options, see my Redis vs Memcached comparison and the list of Redis alternatives, including the open source forks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Redis free for commercial use?
Yes, for running it inside your own products. Redis Open Source is free to use. Under RSALv2 you can't offer it to others as a managed service, so hosting providers face the most restrictions.
Is Redis still open source?
From Redis 8 you can choose AGPLv3, which is OSI-approved open source. Versions 7.4 to 7.8 are under RSALv2 or SSPLv1, which Redis says aren't open source licences. Versions 7.2 and earlier stay BSD-3-Clause.
When did Redis change its licence?
Redis moved to the RSALv2 and SSPLv1 dual licence in March 2024, then added AGPLv3 as a third option with Redis 8.
Does Redis Cloud have a free plan?
Yes. As of October 2026 the pricing page lists a free plan with up to 30 MB, a single database on shared cloud and community support.
Will Redis change its licence again?
Redis says it has no plans to change or add to the current Redis Open Source licence configuration and plans to keep it under AGPLv3.
Are RediSearch and RedisJSON free?
Yes. Redis says they're now integral components of Redis Open Source from Redis 8, under the same tri-licence.
