Frequently Asked Questions

The Community Edition of Hippo CMS can be downloaded from our Community Site.  While the Enterprise Edition of Hippo CMS contains the exact same core software as the Community Edition - there are extra enterprise tooling.  For more information on the Enterprise Edition - please contact Hippo directly.

As a truly Open Source player - there are no differences in the core software between the Community Edition and The Hippo Enterprise Edition of Hippo CMS.   However, the Hippo Enterprise Subscription does contain extra third party integrations and reporting modules, including Enterprise tooling and dashboards. It also support priority patching and upgrades.  The Hippo Enterprise Subscription also comes with Support that includes all upgrades and software maintenance.  The Hippo Enterprise Subscription has guaranteed response times, as well as warranties and indemnification.

Yes, of course.   Hippo's modular architecture and support for open standards make the software ideally suited for VAR or OEM types of relationships.  Please contact us to discuss your particular needs in greater detail. 

Maintenance release (tags) on the latest version of Hippo CMS are publicly available. Maintenance release on previous versions are available for customers with a Hippo Enterprise Subscription.

While both editions of the Hippo Software are free - organizations using the Hippo Enterprise Subscription enter into a licensing agreement via Hippo.  The Hippo Enterprise Subscription requires that clients pay an annual subscription fee for Hippo to provide ongoing enterprise-class support services with guaranteed response times, Enterprise tooling, warranty and legal indemnification and product roadmap alignment.   Additionally, Hippo provides other services such as implementation, training and other consulting services to provide for the full lifecycle of enterprise WCMS support.

Hippo CMS is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license.  The Hippo Enterprise Edition of Hippo CMS - whether installed on-premise or as part of Hippo's On Demand solution, requires a Hippo Enterprise Subscription for upgrades and software maintenance.  The Hippo Enterprise Subscription also includes extra reporting components and enterprise tooling (Hippo licensed), backports of patches for older versions, software for automatic upgrades and a Service Level Agreement with guaranteed response times and on top of that warranties and indemnification. You are always free to cancel your subscription at the end of the term, and you can continue to utilize the Community Edition of Hippo CMS under the terms of the Apache License.

If you have any technical questions, please feel free to utilize our free Community forum at www.onehippo.org.  There are also mailing lists that you can subscribe to - and these are also monitored by Hippo Personnel.   Of course, Hippo Enterprise Subscription users will have guaranteed response times for any technical issue or question - and you can feel free to email or call your Account Representative.

If you discontinue your Hippo support contract, you lose the right to use the Hippo Enterprise Edition - but you are free to utilize the Community Edition under the Apache 2.0 License. If you have had a Hippo Enterprise Subscription for more the 3 years, then the Hippo Enterprise Edition has a perpetual license.

The short answer is 'No'. The Hippo Enterprise Edition (HEE) is a commercial license, and elements of Hippo Enterprise Edition are covered under that commercial license ( i.e. you pay money for the right to use the Hippo Enterprise Edition under the terms of the license). By using Hippo Enterprise Edition, you are agreeing to the Hippo Enterprise Subscription (HES) - and the elements of commercial licensing that this entails. Please read the HES to understand the agreed upon terms. The source code of the Enterprise tooling is accessible for the clients, but just can't be redistributed.

The fee is paid annually in advance.

There are no concurrent licensing schemes - and you may create as many users as you like.  The Hippo Enterprise Subscription makes Hippo Software available on a per server basis.

Yes. When you acquire the Hippo Enterprise Subscription you can also install Hippo CMS in a development environment.

A production environment is one that is typically a "live" Website or content platform and available over the public internet.  However, it is not limited to that.  If you are making Hippo available as a private community site, or intranet - the production environment is the one that is available to end-users. 

The Hippo CMS Enterprise Edition is licensed. You can modify the source code of Hippo Enterprise Edition for your own use, but disallows distribution or deployment of the binary. You need to buy a Hippo Enterprise Subscription license for every server on which you run your modified Hippo Enterprise Edition. (Please see the license for exact details, this FAQ entry only sums up the points in plain English and is no replacement for the license).

No, there is no separate charge as such. No matter how many machines you have, you count the number of servers and thus determine the price of the Hippo Enterprise Subscription.

Typically, your subscription to the Hippo Enterprise Subscription (HES) will automatically be prolonged for one year once the initial contract term ends, unless you (or we) cancel the subscription at least 30 days before it terminates. Please check your contract for exact terms & conditions. You will receive a new invoice with the new applicable subscription fees. Please read the HES for details.

3 years after announcement of new major release the previous becomes EOL. This gives companies 3 years to upgrade. Hippo Enterprise Subscription customers can buy extended support after 3 years.

Maintenance release on the newest version of Hippo CMS are publicly available. Maintenance release on old versions are available for customers with a Hippo Enterprise Subscription.

Documentation to upgrade to the latest version of Hippo CMS are publicly available. Automatic upgrade software is available for customers with a Hippo Enterprise Subscription.