Free Grist Activation Key
Program policy and FAQ
Who qualifies for free self-hosted Grist?
We build Grist to be useful and widely used. That’s why our core is open-source and freely licensed. The full edition of Grist adds features mostly needed by large organizations, but some of these are valuable for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets. For them, we offer Grist for free for self-hosters.
Policy guidelines
- Any organization whose total finances are less than USD $1,000,000 may request a free activation key to run Grist at no cost.
- “Total Finances” is defined as the greater of (a) gross annual revenue, (b) total annual operating budget, or (c) funds raised in the preceding 12 months. The legal entity of the organization has no bearing on eligibility.
- The free use comes with community support only (Community Forum, Discord), like the Grist Community edition.
- Organizations above the $1M threshold require a paid Grist license, which comes with a full commercial relationship and options for hosting and professional services.
- For IT consulting, contracting, and solutions companies, if the Grist end-users are your customers, eligibility is based on your customer’s revenue, not yours.
Application guidelines
- All applications are reviewed by a human.
- Applying through a company email helps us verify your claim.
- To prevent abuse of the program and keep it available for those who qualify, personal emails requesting team use are treated with greater scrutiny. The more you tell us, the better.
- Please allow for up to 5 business days for your key request to be processed.
30-day trial for all users
Any organization, regardless of size, may use Grist for a 30-day trial period. If you require a longer evaluation period, a pilot phase, or have questions about additional services, book a call or email success@getgrist.com.
FAQ
How long is the free Grist activation key valid for?
Grist activation keys are valid for one year. After one year:
- If your organization still qualifies, e.g. is still under US $1M threshold, then the key can be renewed for another year at no cost.
- If your organization is now over the US $1M threshold, you can purchase a license or downgrade to the free open-source version — core functionality remains fully available and only paid features (e.g. MCP, email notifications, audit log streaming) are disabled. No data is locked or removed.
What if I work for a nonprofit?
Regardless of profit/nonprofit status, the free activation threshold is always total funding, revenue, or income.
Non-profits are eligible for a 50% discount on a paid license of Grist. To apply the discount, us a Letter of Determination for your organization at success@getgrist.com at least a week before your free trial ends.
What if I work at a university and/or research lab?
As part of our free Grist activation key for self-hosters, we look at the overall finances of the parent organization, even if only a small group will be using Grist. With universities and research institutes, this often means the parent organization is above the $1M threshold, even though the actual team requesting Grist operates with its own budget and decision-making process.
In these cases, we’ll work with you to issue a free evaluation key with an appropriate term. To get in touch, book a call or email success@getgrist.com.
What if I work as part of a small team in a larger organization?
To qualify for a free self-hosted activation key, the overall finances of the parent organization must be less than USD $1,000,000. If you need to make a case for Grist internally, help us help you. To get in touch, book a call or email success@getgrist.com.
What if I’m a small solutions provider or consultant?
For IT consulting, contracting, solutions or hosting companies providing Grist to their customers, eligibility is based on your customer’s revenue, not yours.
If you’re including Grist in a service for an organization with more than USD $1,000,000 in annual revenue, we ask that you purchase a license for their use. This directly funds the continued improvements, bug fixes, documentation, and long-term sustainability of Grist, and also allows it to remain open-source and self-hostable.
For your customers with less than USD $1 million in annual revenue, you may apply for a free activation key on their behalf.
This is where a partnership model can work nicely: you’d resell Grist licenses to larger customers (over $1M) who use Grist as part of your offering, while smaller customers still qualify for the free key. Official partners also get some extras: lead referrals from us, co-marketing opportunities, use of the Grist name in your materials, and more. Learn more about our partner program.
