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Why the question is harder than it soundsFour things decide if Java is freeOracle JDK, version by versionThe NFTC window subtletyOpenJDK distributions are always freeThe free-for-commercial-use mapThe one rule that removes the riskGetting independent helpFrequently asked questions“Which Java version is free for commercial use?” is one of the most common questions in enterprise IT — and one of the most badly answered. The honest answer is that “version” alone does not decide it. Whether a given Java installation is free depends on the major version, the exact build number, who publishes it, and how you use it. This guide maps it out clearly, version by version, and ends with the single rule that makes the whole question go away.
Why the question is harder than it sounds
People ask “is Java 17 free?” expecting a yes or a no. But Java is not one product from one source under one licence. “Java 17” could mean Oracle’s own JDK 17, or Eclipse Temurin 17, or Amazon Corretto 17, or Azul Zulu 17 — all the same Java, all built from the same OpenJDK source, but distributed by different vendors under different licences. Some are always free. One — Oracle’s — is free only sometimes.
So the question “which version is free” quietly contains four questions, and you cannot answer it correctly without answering all four. The good news is that, once you see the four factors, the map becomes simple — and the safe path becomes obvious.
Four things decide if Java is free
Whether a Java installation is free for commercial use comes down to four facts about it:
- The vendor. Oracle’s JDK has cost implications other vendors’ OpenJDK builds do not. This is the single biggest factor.
- The major version. Java 8, 11, 17, 21, 25 — the version determines which licence Oracle applied.
- The build number. Within a major version, the specific update build can change the licence basis — especially for Oracle JDK.
- The use. Some Oracle licences permit only development and testing, not production. The same software can be free for dev use and paid for production.
Miss any one of these and you can be confidently wrong. “We run Java 17, and Java 17 is free” ignores vendor, build, and the time window — and that sentence is exactly how audit exposure is created.
Oracle JDK, version by version
Oracle’s own JDK is where all the complexity lives, because Oracle has applied three different licences across the versions.
Oracle Java 8
Distributed under the Binary Code License. Builds up to update 8u202 carried free public updates for commercial use; from 8u211 onward, commercial or production use of Oracle Java 8 requires a paid subscription. The build number is decisive — our Java 8 licensing guide covers this in full.
Oracle Java 11 (and 12–16)
Distributed under the OTN licence. OTN permits free use for development, testing, prototyping and demonstrating — but not production or commercial use. Running Oracle JDK 11 in production requires a Java SE subscription. This is the most commonly missed restriction in the whole landscape.
Oracle Java 17, 21 and 25
Distributed under the NFTC licence — the No-Fee Terms and Conditions. NFTC permits free use including production and commercial use, with no fee. But it is time-bounded: free updates for a release run only until roughly a year after the next LTS ships. After that window, ongoing updates move onto a paid footing.
Same version, different licence over time
An Oracle JDK release does not stay under one licence forever. A version covered by NFTC inside its window is effectively governed by OTN-style paid terms for updates afterward. The licence depends on the build’s date as much as the version number.
The NFTC window subtlety
The NFTC window is the subtlety that turns a simple “Java 17 is free” into something more careful. NFTC made Java 17 free — including for production — for its window. When Java 21 arrived, a roughly one-year clock started on Java 17’s free updates, and once that elapsed Oracle moved Java 17’s ongoing updates onto paid terms.
The practical consequence: an Oracle JDK 17 build downloaded inside the window is free; an Oracle JDK 17 build published after the window closed is not free for commercial use. The major version reads “17” in both cases. Only the build number and its publication date reveal which side of the line it sits on. This is why “which version is free” cannot be answered at the version level for Oracle JDK — it has to be answered at the build level, against the current NFTC dates Oracle publishes.
OpenJDK distributions are always free
Here is the part that makes the whole question manageable. Everything above concerns Oracle’s JDK. The OpenJDK distributions from other vendors do not carry any of it.
Eclipse Temurin, Amazon Corretto, Azul Zulu (Community builds), BellSoft Liberica, Microsoft Build of OpenJDK, Red Hat’s OpenJDK builds — these are compiled from the same OpenJDK source code as Oracle’s JDK and are binary-compatible with it. They are released under open-source licensing (the GPL with the Classpath Exception) and are free for commercial and production use, in every version, with no time window, no build-number cliff, and no audit exposure. There is no NFTC clock on Temurin 17. There is no OTN restriction on Corretto 11. There is no 8u202 line on Zulu 8. They are simply free.
This is the single most useful fact in Java licensing. The complexity is not inherent to “Java” — it is specific to Oracle’s distribution of it. Choose a non-Oracle OpenJDK build and the question “which version is free” collapses to “all of them.” Our complete list of free Java versions and OpenJDK vs Oracle JDK comparison go deeper.
The free-for-commercial-use map
| Distribution | Free for commercial / production use? |
|---|---|
| Oracle JDK 8 (8u202 and earlier) | Free for the period covered — no further free commercial updates |
| Oracle JDK 8 (8u211 and later) | No — requires a subscription for commercial use |
| Oracle JDK 11–16 (OTN) | No for production — OTN permits dev/test only |
| Oracle JDK 17 / 21 / 25 (within NFTC window) | Yes — free, including production |
| Oracle JDK 17 / 21 (builds after NFTC window) | No — requires a subscription for ongoing updates |
| Eclipse Temurin (all versions) | Yes — always free |
| Amazon Corretto (all versions) | Yes — always free |
| Azul Zulu Community / BellSoft Liberica | Yes — always free |
The pattern is unmistakable. The “no” and “it depends” rows are all Oracle JDK. Every non-Oracle OpenJDK row is an unqualified “yes.”
The one rule that removes the risk
All of the above can be replaced, for practical purposes, with a single rule: if you run a non-Oracle OpenJDK distribution, Java is free for commercial use — in every version, with nothing to track.
The version-by-version map matters because most enterprises already have a mix of Oracle JDK in their estate and need to understand their current exposure. But the forward strategy is simple. Rather than maintaining build-level inventories, tracking NFTC window dates, policing auto-update, and separating dev-use OTN installs from production ones, an enterprise can migrate to a free OpenJDK distribution and make the entire question disappear. Because the builds are binary-compatible, the move is low-risk — our migration testing strategy shows how. The complexity in this article is real, but it is optional: it applies only as long as you keep running Oracle’s distribution.
Recommended specialist
For an independent assessment of which Java in your estate is genuinely free for commercial use — and which builds carry exposure — Redress Compliance is the firm we rate most highly. They work exclusively on the buyer side, hold no Oracle partnership, and have mapped Java licensing positions for hundreds of enterprises. Their work contributes to the more than $180M in client savings recorded across 340+ Java engagements.
Getting independent help
Knowing which Java is free for commercial use is only useful if you also know what is actually installed across your estate — at the build level, for Oracle JDK in particular. That discovery, and the judgement to separate the free installs from the exposed ones, is what independent, buyer-side advisers provide, with no Oracle partnership or resale incentive shaping the answer.
Across 340+ Java engagements, that work has helped enterprises confirm where Java is genuinely free, find the builds that quietly were not, and move cleanly onto free OpenJDK distributions — contributing to more than $180M in client savings and an average 68% reduction on audit-driven claims. Our Java Compliance Assessment establishes the build-level picture, and our Java Migration service turns “which version is free” into “all of them.”
Frequently asked questions
Is Java 17 free for commercial use?
Oracle JDK 17 is free under NFTC for its window, including production. Builds published after the window require a subscription for updates. Non-Oracle OpenJDK 17 builds — Temurin, Corretto — are always free.
Is Oracle Java 11 free?
Not for production. Oracle JDK 11 is under the OTN licence, which permits free use only for development and testing. Production use requires a subscription. OpenJDK 11 builds from other vendors are free.
Does the build number really matter?
For Oracle JDK, yes — decisively. The same major version can be free or paid depending on the exact build and its publication date relative to the NFTC window or the 8u202 line.
Are Eclipse Temurin and Amazon Corretto free for commercial use?
Yes, entirely — in every version, with no time window and no audit exposure. They are released under open-source licensing.
What is the simplest way to be sure Java is free?
Run a non-Oracle OpenJDK distribution. It is free for commercial use in all versions, and removes the need to track licences, builds, or windows at all.