Open source and self-hosted DAM
Freedam is not open source. It is proprietary software that you can run on your own servers under a commercial licence. If you are looking for a self-hosted DAM, this page compares the two ways to get one.
Side by side
Both run on servers you control and keep your files on your infrastructure. The difference is the licence and who maintains the software.
| Topic | Open-source DAM | Self-hosted Freedam |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | An open-source licence such as GPL, AGPL, MIT or BSD. You can read, change and redistribute the code under its terms. | A commercial licence per deployment. Freedam is proprietary: the source code is not publicly available and you cannot redistribute it. |
| Licence cost | No licence fee. Some projects sell paid editions, modules or support contracts. | A yearly fee per deployment, with unlimited workspaces, users and storage. |
| Updates and security patches | Released by the project when its maintainers can. You test and apply them yourself. | Monthly releases and security patches from the team that builds Freedam. |
| Support | Community forums and issue trackers, or a paid contract with the vendor or a service provider. | Email support from the people who build Freedam, included in the licence. |
| Changing the software | You can fork it and add your own features, then maintain the fork. | You extend it through the REST API, webhooks and the MCP server, not by changing the code. |
| Hosted option | Often available from the vendor or a third party, sometimes with different features. | Freedam Cloud is the same product, and a workspace snapshot moves between the two. |
The self-hosted DAM comparison lists the open-source and commercial products by name, with their licence, stack, install method and latest release, each linked to its source.
Which fits
Running a DAM yourself is work either way: servers, storage, backups and upgrades. The licence decides who writes and supports the software.
Situations we often hear about
Your data has to stay on your infrastructure, and a commercial licence is acceptable. You want releases, patches and support from one vendor. You want AI tagging and search by meaning built into the product. You may want to move to a hosted service later without migrating to another product.
Situations where less may be enough
Your policy or procurement rules require an OSI-approved licence. You want to change the code and maintain your own version. Your team can install, upgrade and support the software without a vendor. You cannot budget a yearly licence fee.
Self-hosting price and terms
The pricing page lists what the yearly licence covers and how it is billed.
Questions buyers ask
No. Freedam is proprietary software. You can use it as a hosted service or run it on your own servers under a commercial self-hosting licence, but the licence is not an open-source licence and the source code is not publicly available.
Yes. Self-hosted Freedam ships as a Docker Compose environment with a command-line installer, for your own servers, your cloud account or an isolated network. It is the same product as Freedam Cloud, with monthly releases and support included in the licence.
When your policy or procurement rules require software under an OSI-approved licence, when you want to modify the code yourself, or when you have a team that can install, upgrade and support the software without a vendor. The self-hosted DAM guide lists the open-source options with their licences and latest releases.
Yes, in both directions. A workspace snapshot moves your assets, metadata and settings between a self-hosted deployment and Freedam Cloud.
Continue exploring
These pages go a little further into the product, the decision or a related day-to-day situation.
Guide
Open-source and commercial self-hosted DAMs with their licences, stacks and latest releases.
Read moreProduct
What you provide, what we ship, and how a deployment is installed and updated.
Read moreCompare
The same product in two places, and which features need an internet connection.
Read moreTry the product first
The hosted Free plan runs the same software as a self-hosted deployment, so you can test search, metadata and sharing with your own files before you plan servers.
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