Java 21 End of Free Commercial Use FAQ

Yes, for now.

• Java 21 builds obtained from Java.com are licensed by Oracle, and they will continue to be free for use until September 16, 2026. In July 2026, Oracle will distribute the last free update to Oracle JDK 21 that is licensed on a free, permissive use license known as the No Fee Terms and Conditions License. This license allows unrestricted use of a new, long-term support (LTS) release from its release date until a year after the release of the next LTS version. In the case of Java 21, the next LTS version is Java 25, which was released on September 16, 2025. 
• Up-to-date builds of Java 21 can always be freely downloaded from providers like Azul and Eclipse Temurin, which offer TCK-tested Java distributions. Additionally, you can build Java 21 yourself from source code from the OpenJDK Project. These builds are licensed under the open-source GPLv2 license. 

If you are currently running Java apps that use Oracle JDK 21 as your runtime, you will need to obtain a standard Oracle Technology Network (OTN) license, which is available with a Java SE Universal subscription.

In general, if you are using an Oracle Java runtime governed by the OTN for commercial use, you will need a Java SE Universal subscription. These are priced based on an employee-based metric that starts at $15 per month per employee, where employee is defined as: 

• All full-time, part-time and temporary employees 

• All full-time employees, part-time employees and temporary employees of agents, contractors, outsourcers, and consultants that support your internal business operations 

The result can be a 2-5x increase in licensing costs for large organizations. 

However, there are exceptions. Oracle provides a free nonexclusive, nontransferable, limited license for personal use, development use, Oracle Approved Product Use, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Use. 

If the Java 21 applications and infrastructure you use for commercial purposes are currently running on Oracle JDK you have two choices:  

• Purchase a subscription to Oracle Java SE. This subscription comes with the benefit of support from Oracle’s Java experts and Critical Patch Updates, which are useful for ensuring stability while keeping your Java estate fully patched and up to date. 

• Migrate to an OpenJDK distribution like Azul, which offers both free versions of Java 21 and fully supported versions with a subscription to Azul Platform Core.  

Azul Platform Core provides not only a functionally equivalent solution to Oracle Java SE, but equivalent support services as well, including quarterly Critical Patch Updates (CPUs) and out-of-cycle patches to address zero-day issues.  

Azul has developed a proven migration methodology, based on hundreds of successful enterprise migrations. This methodology consists of three steps: Discovery, Migration and Compliance. 

1. Discovery – the creation of a detailed catalog of existing JVM deployments using traditional ITAM tools or Azul Migration Toolkit (AMT) and Azul JVM Inventory to identify the installations and help automate their classification as to vendor, version, license liability, etc.
2. Migration – Oracle JVMs are replaced with Azul Platform Core on both servers and desktops by automating the step-by-step instructions in Azul’s migration playbooks. If required, Java Applet and Java Web Start implementations are replaced with Azul’s open source solutions. All migrated applications are then tested to validate successful transition.
3. Compliance – ensure ongoing security and stability by implementing quarterly Critical Patch Updates (CPUs). Ensure ongoing Oracle license compliance using Azul JVM Inventory which detects when / defends against Oracle JVMs being reinstalled 

For more information, see Oracle to OpenJDK Migration. 

Java licensing can be complex, but there are some guidelines that are widely applicable. For example:  

• All versions of Oracle Java are free for personal use. 

• The latest version of a Long Term Support (LTS) version of Oracle Java is free to use up until one year after the next LTS release. 

• Applications that bundle Oracle Java such as Weblogic, Siebel CRM and Oracle cloud-based apps are free to use.  

• Java versions prior to Java 8u202 also carry no license liability.