license-checker

Check licenses of your app's dependencies.

DecliningOpen SourceLow lock-in

Pricing

Free tier

Flat rate

Adoption

Cooling

License

Open Source

Data freshness

Aging · Jun 8, 2026

Overview

What is license-checker?

License-Checker is a tool that helps developers verify the licensing status of their project's dependencies, ensuring compliance with open-source license requirements and avoiding potential legal issues.

Key differentiator

License-Checker stands out as a simple, yet effective tool specifically designed to help developers manage and verify the licenses of their project's dependencies without requiring extensive setup or configuration.

Capability profile

Capability Radar

Ease of StartEcosystemValueMaturityFlexibilityScale Ready

Honest assessment

Strengths & Weaknesses

↑ Strengths

Checks licenses of all dependencies in a project.medium

Generates reports on license compliance.medium

Supports various package managers and ecosystems.medium

↓ Weaknesses

Limited support for non-NPM ecosystemshigh

Primary focus on Node.js projects, limited functionality with other package managers like Maven or Gradle.

Inadequate handling of transitive dependenciesmedium

May miss licenses from deeply nested dependencies which can lead to incomplete reports.

Manual configuration for complex projectshigh

Requires detailed setup and configuration, especially in large-scale or monorepo environments.

Outdated license datamedium

License information is only as current as the package metadata; outdated packages may provide incorrect licensing details.

Fit analysis

Who is it for?

✓ Best for

JavaScript developers who need to ensure their project's dependencies comply with open-source license requirements.

Teams that require automated compliance checks as part of their CI/CD processes.

Projects with complex dependency trees where manual tracking is impractical.

✕ Not a fit for

Developers working in languages or ecosystems not supported by the tool.

Users who need real-time updates on license changes for dependencies.

Cost structure

Pricing

Free Tier

Available

Open source — free to use

Starts at

$0

Model

Flat rate

Enterprise

None

Performance benchmarks

How Fast Is It?

Ecosystem

Relationships

Next step

Get Started with license-checker

Step-by-step setup guide with code examples and common gotchas.

View Setup Guide →