“Free” on a download page rarely answers the question an IT department actually has: may we install this on company computers? Some free tools say yes outright, some allow it only up to a number of devices, and some are free for home use only, with the business licence hidden one click away. This matrix collects what the vendors themselves say for 22 tools common in small IT departments, so you can check a tool before it ends up on fifty machines.
Licence terms were read on vendor and project pages on 13 October 2026 by the editorial team. We have not installed or tested these tools for this article (Not tested yet), and this is not legal advice: licences change, so read the current text before a large roll-out.
The short answer
Open-source tools under GPL, AGPL or public-domain terms — SimpleWall, Clavier+, Actiona, hMailServer, Mail-in-a-Box, the VirtualBox base package — can be used in a company without paying. Among closed-source freeware, SyncBackFree, FBackup, Personal Backup and Iperius Backup Free state commercial use is allowed. LiteManager Free (30 computers) and Remote Utilities Free (10 devices) allow business use within a limit. MailStore Home, OneCommander, FreeCommander XE, the VirtualBox Extension Pack and the free vSphere Hypervisor are not for normal business use.
The licence matrix
| Tool | Licence | Commercial use | Limit in the free version | Source checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VirtualBox (base package) | Open source, GPL v3 | Yes | None from the licence | virtualbox.org Licensing FAQ |
| VirtualBox Extension Pack | PUEL | No — personal and educational use only | Business use needs an Oracle licence | virtualbox.org Licensing FAQ |
| SyncBackFree | Freeware | Yes | Fewer features than the paid editions | 2brightsparks.com freeware page |
| FBackup | Freeware | Yes | None stated | fbackup.com |
| Personal Backup | Freeware | Yes, the author’s licence includes companies | None stated | Author’s site (licence in German) |
| Iperius Backup Free | Free edition of a commercial product | Yes (EULA section 2.3) | No service mode, cloud, FTP or image backup; no support | iperiusbackup.com EULA |
| LiteManager Free | Free edition | Yes, for individuals and legal entities | 30 computers | litemanager.com |
| Remote Utilities Free | Free licence key | Yes | 10 devices | remoteutilities.com |
| NetXMS | Open source | Yes | Windows server: 250 nodes without a support contract; Linux: none | netxms.org download page |
| Graylog Open | Source-available, SSPL | Yes for own use | Obligations apply if you offer it as a hosted service | graylog.org FAQ |
| SimpleWall | Open source, GPL v3 | Yes | None | GitHub henrypp/simplewall |
| Comodo Firewall | Freeware | Yes, per the vendor’s FAQ | No central management | Vendor FAQ |
| hMailServer | Open source, AGPL v3 | Yes | None | hMailServer project |
| Mail-in-a-Box | Public domain | Yes | None | mailinabox.email |
| Clavier+ / Actiona | Open source, GPL v3 | Yes | None | GitHub project pages |
| EventSentry Light | Free edition | Not stated on the edition page | 5 monitored machines; no SIEM, no dashboards | eventsentry.com edition comparison |
| PingPlotter Free | Free edition | Not stated; single-user terms | 1 target, 10 minutes of history | pingplotter.com, Pingman EULA |
| TinyTask | Freeware (donations) | Not stated; “free for personal use” | — | tinytask.net |
| MailStore Home | Free edition | No — private use at home | Companies are pointed to MailStore Server | mailstore.com |
| FreeCommander XE | Free 32-bit for private users | No — 32-bit only for testing; business needs the 64-bit licence | — | freecommander.com licence page |
| OneCommander | Free for home use | No — professional use needs a Pro licence | — | onecommander.com |
| vSphere Hypervisor (free ESXi) | Free edition | No — non-production use only | Home labs, development and testing; no backup API | Broadcom/VMware |
Green: free for business, no strings
Open-source licences such as GPL v3 and AGPL v3 do not restrict who uses the software or why. They put conditions on distributing modified code, which an IT department installing a firewall or a mail server does not do. hMailServer’s AGPL adds one point: if you modify the server and let others use it over a network, you must offer them your changes. Running it unmodified for your own mail does not trigger anything.
Closed-source freeware is only as free as its licence text says, so the explicit statements matter. 2BrightSparks writes that its free software may be used for “personal, educational, charity, government, and commercial use”; FBackup’s site calls it free “for both commercial and personal use”; Iperius’s EULA lets you use the free version for commercial activities on an unlimited number of computers.
Amber: free for business up to a limit
Remote support is where limits are most common. LiteManager Free controls up to 30 computers and the vendor says the free version is for individuals and legal entities alike. Remote Utilities Free covers 10 devices for business use with a free licence key requested from the developer. Beyond the limit both are shareware (conditionally free).
NetXMS is open source, but the Windows server build runs up to 250 nodes without a support contract; the Linux server has no such cap. Graylog Open has no ingestion cap, and the SSPL matters only if you would offer Graylog itself as a service to outside customers.
Two tools sit here because the vendor does not answer the question. EventSentry Light (5 machines) and PingPlotter Free (1 target, single-user EULA terms) say nothing explicit about business use. For both, ask the vendor in writing before relying on them at work.
Red: home use only
The most common trap is the VirtualBox Extension Pack. The base package is GPL v3, but the Extension Pack (USB 2/3 passthrough, disk encryption and more) is under the PUEL, which “expressly exclude[s]” commercial purposes; we cover it in detail in Is VirtualBox Free for Commercial Use?.
MailStore Home is free “for private use at home”; companies are directed to MailStore Server. FreeCommander XE’s licence allows businesses to use the 32-bit version for testing only, and commercial use requires the 64-bit licence. OneCommander requires a Pro licence for professional use. The free vSphere Hypervisor is licensed for non-production use. TinyTask describes itself as “free software for personal use” and says nothing about companies — treat that as not covered.
How to check a tool before a roll-out
- Find the licence text, not the download page. Look for EULA, Licence or Legal links; the word “free” on a button is not a licence.
- Search it for “commercial”, “business”, “personal” and “non-production”. If none appears, the licence does not grant business use explicitly.
- Count devices, not users. Remote-support and monitoring tools usually limit endpoints or nodes.
- Check add-ons separately. Extension packs, plugins and 64-bit builds can have their own terms.
- Save a copy with the date. Store the licence text in your asset register next to the software entry.
- When unclear, ask the vendor in writing. An email reply is better evidence than a forum post.
For the remote-support tools in the amber group, see our guide to free remote support software.
FAQ
Is FreeCommander free for commercial use?
No. The 32-bit version is free for private users; businesses may use it only for testing, and commercial use requires a licence for the 64-bit version.
Is MailStore Home free for business use?
No. MailStore Home is free for private use at home only. The vendor points companies to MailStore Server.
What does the Remote Utilities free license cover?
Up to 10 controlled devices, for business as well as personal use. You request the free licence key on the developer’s site and enter it in the Viewer.
Is the free vSphere ESXi license allowed in production?
No. Broadcom licenses the free vSphere Hypervisor for non-production use such as home labs, development and testing.
Is the Graylog free license OK for a company?
Yes for your own log management. Graylog Open is free under the SSPL with no ingestion cap; extra obligations apply only if you offer Graylog as a hosted service.
Is the TinyTask free license valid for business?
The site only says TinyTask is free for personal use and does not mention business use. Ask the author or choose Actiona or Clavier+, which are GPL v3.
