Do I need a commercial license for PineScript-to-C++ at a hedge fund?
Yes: managing others' capital is Commercial Use under the LICENSE, so a hedge fund using PineForge codegen and PineForge HPO (pineforge-hpo, from version 0.11.0) needs the Fund plan, priced by assets under management from $3,000 to $33,000 per year for AUM up to $500M, and quoted above that.
A hedge fund manages, advises on or trades capital that belongs to its investors: that is use (1) of the LICENSE, and Investment Management, which no purpose makes free. Its own use of the software is use (2). Fund covers both, for the whole firm, with no limit on users. The band is set by the assets under management: the others' capital managed, advised on or traded across the firm, whether or not with the software, plus the firm's own trading capital.
Plans and prices that apply
| Plan | Band | Price per year | How to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fund | AUM up to $5M | $3,000 | Buy |
| Fund | AUM over $5M up to $25M | $6,000 | Buy |
| Fund | AUM over $25M up to $100M | $13,500 | Contact us to buy |
| Fund | AUM over $100M up to $500M | $33,000 | Contact us to buy |
Prices in US dollars, plus tax where it applies, for 12 months. Self-serve plans renew automatically each year unless you cancel; plans bought by quote, invoice or purchase order, and the pilot, do not renew automatically.
- Above this: AUM above $500M.
Which number you state
- Managers of others' capital state their AUM: the others' capital they manage, advise on or trade across the whole firm, whether or not with the software (regulatory AUM where a filing states it, else the average of its last 3 month-end values), plus their own trading capital.
- Exchange-rate moves count as market movement. You state the number at checkout, with how it was measured and as of which date.
What the LICENSE says
From the LICENSE: PineForge Source License 1.2
Investment Management means using the software to manage, advise on, or trade investment capital; to research, develop or backtest strategies for investment capital that you, or anyone you do the work for, manage, advise on or trade; or to operate the software for others who do any of these things; in each case whoever the capital belongs to and whether or not for a fee.
Investment Management is Commercial Use for every individual and every organization, including the noncommercial organizations listed under Permitted Purposes, whatever its purpose, unless it is Personal Trading.
Commercial Use requires a separate commercial license from the licensor.
The guide's answers for this case
The decision guide on the home page asks these questions. These answers lead to the result shown, as the guide and POST /api/recommend give it.
- Will you manage, advise on, or trade capital that belongs to any other person or entity outside your household, whether or not for a fee?Yes
- Is the capital that is not yours only funded-trader or challenge accounts, or the money of relatives outside the household, friends or first clients, up to $1M in total, traded by you alone as one person?No
- Will you use it by, for, or on behalf of a company, fund, partnership, or other organization, including your own company or your work for one?Yes
- Is the organization a charitable organization, educational institution, public research organization, public safety or health organization, environmental protection organization, or government institution?No
- Is the organization one you wholly own, alone or with your household, holding only your household's capital, where no one but you uses the software and no one outside your household works on its trading or research?No
- Will you embed the software or its Output into a product or service made available to others, distribute either bundled with such a product or service, or use the software to generate Output for one?No
- Will you operate a hosted, software-as-a-service, or otherwise public-facing service through which others can run the software or receive its Output?No
Result: You need a commercial license: Fund
Next steps
For software agents: /api/plans lists every plan, band and price as JSON, and /openapi.json describes the API.