The SonarSource Primary Customer Agreement is the standard contract under which SonarSource Sàrl provides its commercial software and services. The current version was updated on 2026-08-27.[1] The main document sets general terms for every Product. Supplemental Terms add product-specific terms, Annexes apply where a law or feature requires them, and the Order records the purchase. “Together, this document, any applicable Supplemental Terms and Annexes, and the Order make up the Agreement.”[1] The SonarQube Server Supplemental Terms of 2026-10-01 note that the URL “previously hosted the SonarQube Server Terms and Conditions” and that those terms are now part of the Primary Customer Agreement.[2] Earlier versions are kept in an archive on SonarSource’s legal page.[10]
Editions
Exhibit A lists the Supplemental Terms in force. The Products are SonarQube Cloud, SonarQube Server and Gitar. The add-on Products and Features are AI CodeFix, governed by the AI Annex, and SonarQube Advanced Security.[1] Other documents incorporated by reference include the Acceptable Use Policy, the Support Terms, the Data Processing Addendum, the Technical and Organizational Measures, and the DORA Regulatory Requirements Annex for financial entities subject to the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act.[1] The SonarQube Cloud Free Tier and Team Plan, and trials and preview add-ons, have their own Supplemental Terms.[9][6]
| Document | Governs | As-of |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Customer Agreement | All Products | 2026-08-27[1] |
| SonarQube Server Supplemental Terms | LOC grant and definition | 2026-10-01[2] |
| SonarQube Cloud Supplemental Terms | SLA reference | Undated[3] |
| Free Tier and Team Plan Supplemental Terms | Self-service Cloud plans | Undated[9] |
| Advanced Security Supplemental Terms | SCA and advanced SAST | 2026-05-21[8] |
| AI Annex | Sonar AI Software | 2026-08-27[7] |
| Trial, Complimentary, and Early Access Supplemental Terms | Trials, temporary keys, previews | Undated[6] |
| Acceptable Use Policy | All Products | 2025-11-07[4] |
| Support Terms | Sonar Support tiers | 2026-03-31[5] |
Metrics
The Agreement itself defines no LOC metric; that is in the SonarQube Server Supplemental Terms and the documentation.[2] It does define the generic Billable Unit for metered Products: “the unit of usage by which a metered Product is measured, as defined in the applicable Supplemental Terms or, where the Supplemental Terms do not define it, in the Order”.[1] “Tier” means the edition or plan of a Product as specified in an Order and on SonarSource’s pricing pages.[1]
Grant and conditions
Who may use the software. SonarSource grants “Customer and its Affiliates a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable” right to use the SaaS Products and licence to deploy the Self-Managed Products in the Order.[1] An Affiliate is an entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with a Party, with control meaning more than 50% of voting equity.[1] A User is any individual the Customer authorizes, including “employees, consultants, contractors, and agents” of the Customer and its Affiliates.[1] Catalog proof: Licence grant extends to Affiliates and is non-transferable; Users may include employees, consultants, contractors and agents of the Customer and its Affiliates.
Purpose limitation. The grant is conditioned on compliance with the Agreement and the Acceptable Use Policy, “including use of the Products and Alerts solely for Customer’s and its Affiliates’ internal development purposes”.[1] The AUP adds that customers may not, without prior written consent, provide the Products to third parties other than authorized Users, sell or transfer rights to them, or “alter, circumvent, or provide the means to alter or circumvent the Products, including their technical limitations, recurring fees, or usage limits”.[4] Running SonarQube as a service for external clients therefore needs a separate arrangement. Catalog proof: Products and Alerts may be used only for internal development purposes.
Competitors and benchmarks. The AUP prohibits access by direct competitors and publication of “any benchmark, comparative, or performance tests or evaluations of the Products” without consent. It also prohibits creating add-ons or incorporating the Products into another product.[4] Catalog proof: Publishing benchmarks or competitive testing needs prior written consent.
Free software excluded. “SonarSource’s no-cost software downloads (such as SonarQube Community Build and SonarQube for IDE) are not Products covered by this Agreement.”[1] Catalog proof: Community Build and SonarQube for IDE are outside the Primary Customer Agreement.
Counting / floors
The Agreement sets out how metered Products are charged. Its usage-based clause, section 3.5, applies to Products identified as metered in their Supplemental Terms or the Order. Base fees, paid in advance, entitle the customer to a Usage Allowance for each Measurement Period, which is one calendar month by default. Overage is the usage above that allowance.[1] “Unused Billable Units do not roll over to a subsequent Measurement Period and are not refundable or creditable.” Overage Charges are billed in arrears at the Order rate, or at the rate shown in the Product and accepted by the customer.[1] SonarSource’s measurement “is the sole basis for calculating Overage Charges and is conclusive absent manifest error”. Access to a metered Product may be suspended after three failed charges or unpaid overage invoices.[1] The AI Annex repeats these mechanics for metered Sonar AI Software.[7] For purchases through an authorized reseller, payment terms, including for overage, are those agreed with the reseller.[1] Catalog proof: Usage Allowance does not roll over; overage billed in arrears; measurement conclusive.
Payment, term and termination
- Payment. Website purchases are charged to a card before each billing cycle. Orders are invoiced in advance and payable within 30 days.[1]
- No refunds. Except where the customer terminates for SonarSource’s breach, “all payments are non-refundable”. There are no credits for partial months, downgrades or unused time.[1] Catalog proof: Payments are non-refundable, including for downgrades and unused time.
- Term. The Agreement runs until all active Orders expire. Either party may terminate for uncured material breach after 30 days, or for insolvency.[1] Orders for SonarQube Server dated before 2026-06-01 keep a right to terminate without cause on three months’ notice.[2]
- Effect of termination. The customer must stop using the Products and “permanently uninstall and delete all copies” of Self-Managed Products and licence keys, confirming deletion in writing on request. SaaS Customer Data can be exported for 30 days, extendable to seven months on request.[1] Catalog proof: Self-Managed Products must be uninstalled and keys deleted on termination.
Liability, disputes and changes
Each party’s aggregate liability is capped at the amount paid in the 12 months before the claim. The cap is three times that amount for breaches of confidentiality or security obligations. Defence obligations and infringement of the other party’s intellectual property are excluded from the cap.[1] SonarSource defends customers against third-party IP claims about the Products as provided, subject to the usual exclusions for combinations and modifications.[1] Disputes go to arbitration before a single arbitrator. Governing law and seat depend on where the customer is domiciled: Delaware with a seat in Wilmington for the Americas, Singapore for Asia-Pacific, and Switzerland with a seat in Geneva for the rest of the world.[1]
SonarSource may modify the Agreement, Annexes and Supplemental Terms by notice at least 30 days before the change takes effect. “Customer’s continued use of the Products, Documentation, or Support after those 30 days constitutes acceptance”.[1] Licence managers should therefore record the version in force at each renewal. Catalog proof: SonarSource may change the Agreement on 30 days' notice.
Support Terms
Sonar Support is offered in tiers.[5]
| Tier | Availability | Blocker response | Critical response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Documentation and community only; no SLA | n/a | n/a |
| Core | Business hours (8x5) | 2 business days | 2 business days |
| Standard | Business days (24x5) | 2 clock hours | 4 clock hours |
| Enterprise | 24/7 | 1 clock hour | 2 clock hours |
Sources: Support Terms and Sonar support page.[5][11]
Support is not provided for “products not in the Order, such as Community Edition instances, free-tier services, trial subscriptions, or Preview Add-Ons”, even when they are run by the same legal entity.[5] Tiers are linked to edition and LOC size. An upgrade that exceeds the current tier’s eligibility upgrades Support automatically and is invoiced pro rata. Downgrades are allowed only at renewal, and Support must stay co-terminous with the licence.[5] References to “Premium Support” in agreements dated before 2026-03-03 are read as Enterprise Tier.[5] Support is advisory only and excludes hands-on professional services.[5] Catalog proof: Support covers only products in the Order, not Community instances or trials; Support Tier rises automatically with edition or LOC; no mid-term downgrade.
Trials, previews and AI
Complimentary Access covers temporary licence keys to evaluate Self-Managed Products and trial access to tiers above Free. Together with Preview Add-Ons, it is provided “as is” with no warranty, indemnity, SLA or support, and liability is capped at USD 250.[6] Preview Add-Ons are SonarSource Confidential Information.[6] The AI Annex gives customers ownership of AI-generated Suggestions, but not of “Sonar Proprietary Logic” such as rules and prompts. Where customers bring their own LLM, they bear its licensing costs and indemnify SonarSource for claims about it.[7] SonarSource trains on Input Data of SonarQube Cloud Enterprise or SonarQube Server customers “only if such Training is solely for the benefit of Customer”.[7] Advanced Security requires continuous payment for the underlying SonarQube Server or Cloud subscription.[8] Catalog proof: Trials and preview add-ons are as-is with liability capped at USD 250; AI Input Data of Cloud Enterprise and Server customers is trained on only for that customer; Advanced Security requires continuous payment of the underlying subscription.
Virtualization & partitioning
The Agreement contains no virtualization, hosting or partitioning rules. Deployment limits follow from the LOC grant in the SonarQube Server Supplemental Terms.[2]
Cloud / BYOL
The Agreement separates SaaS Products, such as SonarQube Cloud, from Self-Managed Products, such as SonarQube Server, which the customer runs “on its own infrastructure”.[1] It does not provide for converting one into the other.
Audits
There is no audit or records-inspection clause in the Agreement. Usage limits are enforced technically, and metered usage is measured by SonarSource.[1] SonarSource may suspend SaaS access if it reasonably suspects a violation, and may terminate promptly if the customer infringes SonarSource’s intellectual property.[1] See software license audit for the general practice.
Out of scope
- Negotiated master agreements and Orders, which may override the standard terms.
- The Data Processing Addendum, Technical and Organizational Measures and DORA Annex, which concern data protection and resilience rather than licence scope.
- Gitar Supplemental Terms.