FOSSology

7.2easy start · #2 of 28
in Open Source License Compliance Software

Free to practise onyes
Free trialnot on record
Well documentedyes
Runs where you workyes

Runs on api, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows.

FOSSology is ranked #2 of 28 in open source license compliance software on The Geeks Club. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web, Windows. There is a free plan.

FOSSology plans and pricing

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FOSSology Free Open-source license compliance toolkit and system fossology.org · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on open source license compliance software

Free plan: Yes
Obligation tracking: Yes
Attribution reports: Yes
SBOM import formats: SPDX; RDF
Deployment options: on-premise
Source scan methods: multiple

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The record

Purpose: FOSSology is an open-source license-compliance system and toolkit for scanning software for license, copyright, and export-control information.
Scanning workflow: Users can upload individual files or software packages, which FOSSology can unpack and scan using selected agents.
License scanners: Nomos identifies licenses using phrases, regular expressions, and heuristics, while Monk compares text against stored license texts or user-defined phrases.
Review tools: The web interface supports reviewing license findings, managing license texts, bulk recognition, aggregated file views, and reuse of reviews for files with matching hashes.
Copyright and export-control scans: FOSSology can find copyright statements and let users review keyword-based findings that may relate to export-control codes.
Reports: FOSSology can generate SPDX 2.0 exports, Debian copyright files, hierarchical file lists with license identifiers, and Readme files containing identified license texts and copyright information.
Automation and API: The REST API supports CI/CD integration, package uploads and scan triggering from other applications, and command-line retrieval of SPDX files.
Deployment: The project describes installation using Docker, Vagrant with VirtualBox, or source installation.
License: The project states its source code is licensed under GPL-2.0 or LGPL-2.1.
Support: The project provides voluntary community support through its mailing list and invites users to report bugs through GitHub issues.
Known limitation: FOSSology cannot determine which libraries were used to create a binary and says binary analysis tools are needed for that task.
Intended users: The project says its community includes companies, individuals, and groups using the toolkit or system to improve their ability to comply with open-source licenses.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on The Geeks Club

Best Open Source License Compliance Software in 2026#2 of 28

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Sources

fossology.org/about/· checked 30 Sept 2026
fossology.org/features/· checked 30 Sept 2026
fossology.org/get-started/basic-rest-api-calls/· checked 30 Sept 2026
fossology.org/get-started/· checked 30 Sept 2026
fossology.org/about/license/· checked 30 Sept 2026
fossology.org/about/project-governance/· checked 30 Sept 2026
fossology.org/get-started/faq/· checked 30 Sept 2026