Free Java versions: the complete 2026 list.

“Is Java free?” has no single answer — it depends entirely on which build you download and which version it is. The good news for 2026: a large share of Java can still be run in production at zero cost. This guide lists every free Java option, flags the ones that quietly require an Oracle subscription, and shows how to stay on the free side of the line.

Free vs paid: the real distinction

There are two separate things people call “Java”, and conflating them is the root of most licensing mistakes.

OpenJDK is the open-source reference implementation of the Java SE platform. Its source code is licensed under the GPL version 2 with the Classpath Exception — a licence that explicitly permits free use, including in commercial production, with no fee. Many vendors compile that source into ready-to-run builds.

Oracle JDK is Oracle's own commercial build. It is functionally near-identical to OpenJDK, but it ships under Oracle's own licence terms — and those terms decide whether your use is free. Depending on the version, that licence is the NFTC, the OTN agreement, or the old BCL.

So the question is never “is Java free”. It is “which build, which version, and which licence”. Get those three facts for every installation and the answer becomes clear.

Oracle JDK under NFTC: free, with limits

In September 2021 Oracle released the No-Fee Terms and Conditions (NFTC) licence, starting with Oracle JDK 17. Under the NFTC, Oracle's own JDK build can be used free of charge — including in commercial production — but only for a defined window.

That window runs until one year after the next Long-Term-Support release ships. When the free period for a given version ends, continued use of those specific Oracle JDK builds — including the security updates released after that date — requires a Java SE subscription.

So Oracle JDK 17 and Oracle JDK 21 are NFTC-licensed and free today, but each has an expiry on its free status. NFTC is best understood as a free trial period attached to each release, not a permanent grant. Treat any NFTC build in production as something with a calendar attached. Our NFTC explainer covers the timing rules in detail.

Oracle JDK that needs a subscription

Several Oracle JDK situations are not free and routinely surface in audits:

• Oracle JDK 8 past April 2019. Public commercial updates ended then. Patched Oracle JDK 8 builds for business use require a subscription.
• Oracle JDK 11 under the OTN licence. Oracle JDK 11 shipped under the Oracle Technology Network licence, which permits free development and testing but not free production use. Running OTN-licensed Oracle JDK 11 in production needs a subscription.
• Oracle JDK 17 or 21 past the NFTC window. Once the free period closes, the builds and their later updates require a subscription.
• Any Oracle JDK where you take updates after the free window. Applying a post-window Critical Patch Update to an Oracle build is itself a subscription-requiring act.

Free OpenJDK distributions

If you want Java that is unambiguously free for production — with no expiry window and no audit exposure — use an OpenJDK build from a vendor other than Oracle. All of the following are licensed under GPLv2 with the Classpath Exception and are free for commercial production use:

• Eclipse Temurin — built by the Adoptium project under the Eclipse Foundation. Vendor-neutral, widely adopted, and the common default for migrations away from Oracle JDK.
• Amazon Corretto — Amazon's free, production-ready OpenJDK build, with long-term support and patches at no charge, usable anywhere, not only on AWS.
• Azul Zulu — Azul's free OpenJDK distribution, with optional paid support tiers for those who want them.
• BellSoft Liberica — a free OpenJDK build available in full and lightweight variants, including builds with JavaFX.
• Red Hat build of OpenJDK — free OpenJDK builds, with commercial support available through a Red Hat subscription for those who need it.

These distributions are built from the same OpenJDK source. For the overwhelming majority of applications they are drop-in compatible with Oracle JDK, which is what makes migration low-risk.

The complete 2026 table

Choosing a free build

For most organisations the practical choice is straightforward. If you want zero licensing exposure and no expiry dates to track, standardise on a non-Oracle OpenJDK distribution. Eclipse Temurin is the common neutral default; Amazon Corretto is a strong choice for cloud-heavy estates; Azul Zulu and BellSoft Liberica suit teams that want an optional commercial-support path without paying Oracle for it.

What matters most is consistency. A single, governed standard build across the estate — with a documented LTS version policy — is far easier to keep compliant than a mix of Oracle and non-Oracle JDKs accumulated over the years. Our comparison of Azul, Corretto, and Temurin helps narrow the choice.

Pitfalls that turn free into paid

Even an estate that intends to be free can drift into exposure. Watch for:

• Oracle JDK arriving as a dependency. Installers, application bundles, and developer tooling can quietly pull in an Oracle JDK build.
• NFTC windows expiring. An Oracle JDK 17 install that was free at deployment becomes subscription-requiring once its window closes.
• Mixed estates. A handful of forgotten Oracle JDK installs among thousands of free builds still triggers the employee-wide metric in an audit.
• Patching Oracle builds. Pulling a post-window update for an Oracle JDK is a licensable act in itself.

The defence is a real inventory: every installation, with vendor and version recorded, and a standing process to spot Oracle JDK creeping back in.

Independent help

Most organisations that audit their own estate find they are paying for Oracle Java they do not need — or are exposed on Oracle JDK they assumed was free. Independent, buyer-side advice resolves both. Across 340-plus Java licensing engagements, independent advisers have delivered a 68% average audit-claim reduction and more than $180M in client savings.

Frequently asked questions