licscan
licscan: A free CLI for blocking license-policy violations and exporting compliance evidence in CI. Ranked #9 of 28 in Open Source License Compliance Software by our editors (8.2/10); pricing: Free plan; best for free CI license-policy enforcement.
At a glance
- Editor score8.2 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFree CI license-policy enforcement
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Policy enforcementBoth
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free open-source scanning with no account or telemetry
- Supports seven package ecosystems and configurable license policies
- Exports SBOMs, attribution notices, reports, and EU CRA evidence
Where it doesn't
- Command-line workflow may not suit teams wanting a visual interface
- Coverage is limited to seven package ecosystems
- No paid tiers or expanded commercial feature set are published
Our verdict on licscan
licscan is a local command-line tool for engineering teams that need dependency license checks and software-bill-of-materials output. It scans manifests and lockfiles for Go, Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Java projects. The tool runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux as a standalone local binary, with no account or telemetry. Its policy model supports configurable allow, warn, and deny decisions, including CI build failures when dependencies violate policy.
The published Free plan costs $0 per scan and includes local scanning, license policy checks, CycloneDX and SPDX SBOM generation, and EU Cyber Resilience Act evidence export. The free offering also covers attribution notices through THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES files and report output in JSON, HTML, Markdown, SARIF, and JUnit formats. There are no separate paid tiers to compare, so licscan fits teams seeking an open-source compliance utility rather than a tiered hosted service.
CI and ecosystem fit are central to the product. licscan provides an official GitHub Action and integrations for GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and GitHub Code Scanning. It can export CycloneDX 1.5 and SPDX 2.3 SBOMs, generate EU CRA PDF and SBOM evidence, and classify licenses by risk level. Teams that want local, repository-based enforcement across the supported ecosystems should consider licscan. Teams needing broader language coverage or a visual, account-based workflow should choose an alternative.
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licscan pricing
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licscan fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Policy enforcement | Both |
| Obligation tracking | Not verified |
| Attribution reports | Yes |
| SBOM import formats | Not verified |
| Deployment options | On-premise |
| Source scan methods | Repository |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Support | Email, Docs, Community |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 5 integrations: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitHub Code Scanning |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | licscan.dev |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
licscan integrations
licscan lists 5 integrations on its own site.
- GitHub Actions
- GitLab CI
- Jenkins
- Azure DevOps
- GitHub Code Scanning
Alternatives to licscan
- FOSSABroad open-source compliance coverage with free access, CI/CD controls, and SBOM workflows.9.4
- OSS Review ToolkitA flexible, self-hosted toolkit with broad ecosystem coverage and policy automation.9.0
- FossID WorkbenchA deep governance platform for teams managing open-source risk across the software lifecycle.8.8
See all licscan alternatives →
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licscan is listed in our Open Source License Compliance Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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