Posit publishes three desktop-facing offers whose licences differ in kind. RStudio is the long-standing open-source IDE for R. Positron is a newer IDE for R and Python. Posit AI is a paid assistant add-on. Posit describes RStudio as the premier free, open-source development environment for R and says Posit has invested in open-source data science since 2009 and that RStudio will remain free, and that using it without AI will cost nothing.[1]
RStudio: AGPL or commercial licence
The AGPL default
The COPYING file in the RStudio source repository says that unless the program was received directly from Posit under a commercial licence agreement, RStudio is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3, whose terms follow in the file.[2] The same file says RStudio includes other open-source software with its own licence terms, and that the Windows version bundles utilities licensed separately.[2] The product page lists the Open Source Edition as free with community forum support and “AGPL v3 license”.[1]
The AGPL is a copyleft licence designed for network server software. Section 13 requires that, if the program is modified, the modified version prominently offers all users interacting with it remotely through a computer network an opportunity to receive its Corresponding Source.[2] On its terms, the network-source condition of section 13 applies where the program is modified and users interact with the modified version remotely. GNU GPL, LGPL and AGPL obligations describes the licence family. Catalog rules: RStudio is licensed under the AGPLv3 unless a commercial agreement applies and Modified RStudio offered over a network must offer source to remote users.
RStudio Desktop Pro
For organizations that cannot use AGPL software, Posit sells RStudio Desktop Pro. The product page prices it at $1204.00 per year and describes it as a commercial licence with priority email support, an 8-hour response during business hours (Eastern Time), and Posit Professional Drivers for database connectivity.[1] The Software License Descriptions license RStudio Desktop Pro for one Named User on up to five computer desktop devices, with a fee for each Named User who accesses and uses the Software.[4] Professional Drivers may be downloaded and used at no additional charge with Workbench, Connect and RStudio Desktop Pro.[4] Being proprietary Software, Desktop Pro falls under the EULA and activates with a licence key or file; the documentation lists RStudio Desktop Pro among the products with their own activation instructions.[6][8] Catalog: RStudio Desktop Pro covers one Named User on up to five devices, RStudio Desktop Pro is a commercial licence for organizations that cannot use AGPL software, Posit Professional Drivers are included at no extra charge and the SKUs RStudio Desktop Open Source Edition and RStudio Desktop Pro.
The choice of AGPL or commercial licence is a policy decision for each organization. The pages retrieved do not state that AGPL use by a company is prohibited or that internal use requires a commercial licence; they position the commercial licence for organizations that cannot use AGPL software. RStudio Pro sessions are also supplied in the server product, Posit Workbench, under the EULA and Software License Descriptions;[4] see Posit Workbench, Connect and Package Manager licensing.
Positron
Positron is Posit’s next-generation IDE for R and Python, available as a free desktop app or through Posit Workbench.[1] The licence file in the Positron repository is the Elastic License 2.0 preceded by a Posit notice, with copyright 2022 to 2026.[3] The licence grants a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, non-sublicensable, non-transferable licence to use, copy, distribute, make available and prepare derivative works, subject to three limitations.[3]
- The software may not be provided to third parties as a hosted or managed service where the service gives users access to any substantial set of its features or functionality.
- The licence key functionality may not be moved, changed, disabled or circumvented, nor may protected functionality be removed or obscured.
- Licensing, copyright and other notices may not be altered, removed or obscured.
Use in violation is not licensed and the licences terminate automatically. If Posit gives notice and the violation stops within 30 days, the licences are reinstated retroactively, but a later violation ends them permanently.[3] The licence also contains a patent licence that ends if the user claims the software infringes a patent.[3] Catalog: Positron is under the Elastic License 2.0: no hosted service and no key circumvention, Positron licences reinstate if a violation stops within 30 days of notice and the SKU Positron.
Positron is also delivered inside paid products. The licensing FAQ states that Positron on Amazon SageMaker requires a Workbench Advanced licence and uses the same AWS License Manager entitlement as Workbench on SageMaker.[7] Posit’s licensing documentation also lists Positron for Education on JupyterHub, which qualified academic institutions can host as a service, with its own activation instructions.[6]
Posit AI
Posit AI can be added to any RStudio edition at $20 per month. The product page says it includes unlimited Next Edit Suggestions and Posit Assistant credits, offers a free trial with no credit card, and states a zero-data-retention approach in which code and data are not stored or used for training.[1] Posit AI is a service, not licensed Software, and is governed by the Posit AI Service Terms. Under them a login may be used by only one person. The paid plan is billed monthly in advance, is non-refundable, and renews each month until cancelled, with cancellation taking effect at the end of the billing month. Price increases need at least 30 days’ notice and take effect at the next renewal. A 14-day cooling-off period allows cancellation and a prorated refund after the first purchase.[5] Catalog: Posit AI is billed monthly in advance and renews until cancelled, A Posit AI login may be used by one person and the SKU Posit AI.
Counting
None of these offers is counted on servers. RStudio Desktop Pro is counted by Named User with up to five devices; Posit AI by login; Positron by no count at all, though its licence prohibits managed-service offerings.[3][4][5] A software inventory should record which RStudio installations are the open-source edition and which are activated Desktop Pro or Workbench sessions, since the licence differs even where the interface looks alike.
Out of scope
This article does not cover R, Python or the thousands of open-source packages used inside the IDEs, nor Quarto or Shiny as projects. It does not cover Workbench, Connect or Package Manager, Posit Cloud, or the data processing terms of the AI service.