Is Apache-2.0 compatible with GPL-2.0-only? No
No. Apache-2.0's patent-termination and additional-restriction terms conflict with GPLv2. The single most-searched incompatibility.
Open-source license compatibility checker
Select the licenses of the components you're combining and how you distribute the result. The verdict, the resulting work's license, and the obligations come from a reviewed dataset of 16 common licenses.
Check compatibilityCommon licenses
All 16 licenses → MIT permissive Do anything; keep the copyright notice and license text. Apache-2.0 permissive Permissive WITH an express patent grant. GPL-3.0-only strong copyleft Strong copyleft with patent and anti-tivoization terms. GPL-2.0-only strong copyleft Strong copyleft. MPL-2.0 weak copyleft File-level copyleft. AGPL-3.0 network copyleft GPLv3 PLUS a network clause: making the software available over a network (SaaS) counts as distribution, so you must offer source to remote users.
Popular checks
Full matrix →Is MIT compatible with GPL-3.0-only? Yes
Yes. Permissive code can be pulled into a GPL work; the combined distributed work becomes GPL. One-way: you cannot pull GPL back into a permissive project and keep it permissive. Result license is the more restrictive of the inputs. You must satisfy every input license's notice and source-offer terms. Verify pairwise compatibility first.
Is GPL-2.0-only compatible with GPL-3.0-only? No
No. Different copyleft versions with no upgrade clause cannot be merged. Resolve by finding a 'GPL-2.0-or-later' variant of the dependency.
Is Apache-2.0 compatible with GPL-3.0-only? Yes
Yes. GPLv3 was written to accept Apache-2.0's patent terms. Combined work is GPLv3. Result license is the more restrictive of the inputs. You must satisfy every input license's notice and source-offer terms. Verify pairwise compatibility first.
Is Apache-2.0 compatible with GPL-2.0-or-later? It depends
It depends. Incompatible as GPLv2, but the 'or later' clause lets you upgrade the combined work to GPLv3, under which Apache-2.0 IS compatible. Result license is the more restrictive of the inputs. You must satisfy every input license's notice and source-offer terms. Verify pairwise compatibility first.
Is MIT compatible with Apache-2.0? Yes
Yes. Combine freely; retain all notices. Result can be relicensed (kept proprietary) downstream. Result license is the more restrictive of the inputs. You must satisfy every input license's notice and source-offer terms. Verify pairwise compatibility first.
Is MPL-2.0 compatible with GPL-3.0-only? Yes
Yes. Secondary-license mechanism covers GPLv3. Result license is the more restrictive of the inputs. You must satisfy every input license's notice and source-offer terms. Verify pairwise compatibility first.
Is LGPL-2.1 compatible with GPL-2.0-only? Yes
Yes. LGPL-2.1 can be relicensed up to GPLv2. Result license is the more restrictive of the inputs. You must satisfy every input license's notice and source-offer terms. Verify pairwise compatibility first.
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