VST 3 SDK  VST 3.6.7
SDK for developing VST Plug-in
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VST 3 Licensing Issues

This developer use case guide will help you to decide which VST3 licensing model to choose.

What are the licensing options for VST3?

You can choose between the "Proprietary Steinberg VST3" or the "Open-source GPLv3" license (dual-license) depending on how you like to distribute your plug-in/host. This license can be found at www.steinberg.net/sdklicenses.

"Proprietary Steinberg VST3" license

The "Proprietary Steinberg VST3" license allows you to distribute your plug-in/host in a binary form. It comes with requirements though.

For more detail please read the "Proprietary Steinberg VST3" License agreement, if you accept it you have to fill it, sign it and send it back to us per post (at the Steinberg address mentioned in the license) or per email (recep.nosp@m.tion.nosp@m.@stei.nosp@m.nber.nosp@m.g.de) or per fax (+49 (0)40 210 35-300). We will sign it and send it back to you.

"Open-source GPLv3" license

The open-source license lets you share the source code of your plug-in/host ***including the VST3 SDK's sources which are put under the GPLv3***.

Note that VST2 sources are NOT part of the GPLv3!

It also gives you the ability to change and modify the VST3 SDK's sources as long as you share your changes and make them available for everyone (e.g. on an internet hosting service like GitHub).

Which files of the VST3 SDK are under which license?


Developer use cases

The following use cases support you to choose the right license.

I would like to share the source code of my plug-in/host on GitHub.

I would like to distribute my plug-in/host as freeware.

I would like to sell my plug-in/host in binary form.

I would like to sell my plug-in/host in binary form.

I would like to reuse a distributed modified version of the VST3 SDK for my own plug-ins/host.

I would like to distribute my plug-in/host in binary form based on a modified version of VST3 SDK which is under GPLv3.

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