The password manager announced on October 9 that, from its next release, apps distributed through app stores and its direct-download page will be commercially licensed builds. The GPLv3 code will stay on GitHub and keep receiving updates, and all current features remain in both versions. Self-hosting is not affected. The catch: some future components will be commercial-only, with the license for each new feature decided individually. Bitwarden has not named those components. The Hacker News thread passed 383 points and 281 comments. This follows an October 2024 dispute over the license on its SDK. In that case, the CTO said the packaging had been changed so the app could be built and run using only GPL/OSI licenses. The company's existing Bitwarden License, which covers enterprise code, is modeled on the approaches of Elastic and Confluent. For AI founders who distribute open-source clients, models or agents, this is a familiar pattern. The code stays open, while the official binary moves to commercial terms. Procurement teams often approve an open-source license rather than a commercial one, so changing the license on a build can trigger new contract reviews even if the code doesn't change.