Delphi & C++Builder Community Edition FAQs

No. Only Delphi Community Edition and C++Builder Community Edition are available. If you're interested in all the features RAD Studio has to offer, you can request a 30 Day Free Trial of RAD Studio Architect.

The Community Edition is a great way to get started building high-performance applications. Community Edition includes a fully featured IDE, code editor, ultra-fast compiler, integrated debugger, two-way visual designers to speed development, hundreds of visual components. Note, however, that your use of the Community Edition is subject to certain restrictions stated in the License Agreement. We have summarized the restrictions applicable to the Community Edition throughout this FAQs.

For example, Community Edition is both designed to allow individuals and startups to bootstrap their vision until annual revenues reach $5,000 at which point you are required to stop using the Community Edition and purchase a paid license to continue using either the Delphi or C++Builder.

If you're an individual you may use Community Edition to create apps for your own use and apps that you can sell until your revenues reach $5,000 per year. For more information please read Question #5 below and the License Agreement.

Yes. Delphi and C++Builder are also available in Professional, Enterprise, and Architect editions. Learn more about the differences between the editions at https://www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi/product-editions and https://www.embarcadero.com/products/cbuilder/product-editions.

Yes, subject to the restrictions summarize below and stated in the License Agreement. If you're an employee of a small company or organization with revenue up to $5,000 per year, you can use the Community Edition. Once the company's total revenue reaches US $5,000 per year or your team expands to more than 5 developers, you must buy an unrestricted paid commercial license.

Yes, subject to the following restrictions. You must download and use the Community Edition software on your own computer and not on company issued hardware. In addition, the revenue of all contract work performed by you in one calendar year may not exceed $5,000.00 (or the equivalent in other currencies) (the "Threshold") whether or not the Community Edition is used for all projects. For example, a developer who receives payment of $5,000.00 for a single project (or more than $5,000.00 for multiple projects) even if such engagements do not anticipate the use of the Community Edition, is not allowed to use the Community Edition. Also, a developer building solely an app store application would not be allowed to use the Community Edition once the app store revenue reaches a revenue of $5,000.00 or more in a year.

No. Embarcadero offers academic discounts on the Professional, Enterprise and Architect editions, so we recommend the higher editions for academic use.

Community Edition is a great choice for individual students to install on their personal machine for learning programming languages.

No. Embarcadero makes available a trial version of RAD Studio Architect editions, which allow users to try out all the highest level features of Delphi and C++Builder. You can see the differences in features by edition on the Product Editions web page and in the feature matrix. The Community Edition MUST NOT be used as a trial version .

Yes, subject you don't install the Community Edition in your employer issued device and the use of the Community Edition doesn't benefit the company (i.e. your employer). Your use of the Community Edition must be for your own personal use and to the extent your use benefits or is connected (directly or indirectly) with your employer, Embarcadero, at its sole discretion, will assume you use of the Community Edition is to benefit your employer, which is outside the scope of the License Agreement because your employer generates more than $5,000.00 in revenue. See Question #5 above.

Yes. You can use the Community Edition for building apps that will be used by a non-profit organization provided your cumulative annual revenue, overall non-profit revenue (including any donations) is less than US $5,000 or local currency equivalent. See License Agreement for details.

Yes. When you need to upgrade your edition (if you're no longer eligible for Community Edition or require additional capabilities of higher editions), purchase the edition you need. You'll be able to save and maintain all of your code projects you created in the Community Edition in your new paid edition.

Yes. You may sell any apps or components developed with the Community Edition under the Community Edition license until your annual revenue exceeds US $5,000 or local currency equivalent. Please see license terms here.

Yes, subject the company total revenue doesn't exceed $5,000.00 dollars or local currency equivalent. Putting another way. A Professional, Enterprise or Architect edition license is required for developing or deploying any apps or components within any company with total company revenues exceeding US $5,000 or local currency equivalent.

No. Apps and components built with the Community Edition may be distributed royalty-free. However, if you are selling your licenses and services built with Community Edition, we require that you purchase a full commercial license when your revenue based on those licenses or services exceeds US $5,000 or local currency equivalent, or if your annual company revenue exceeds US $5,000 or equivalent. See License Agreement for details.

No. Only one or the other can be installed.

No. Delphi Community Edition and C++Community Edition cannot co-exist with another product edition of the same version on the same machine.

Yes, database application development is a feature of the Community Edition. Community Edition includes local and embedded database connectivity. Purchase Enterprise or Architect editions to build applications with remote (client/server, multi-tier) access to a wide range of databases including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, SQL Anywhere, InterBase, DB2, Informix, MongoDB, MySQL and ODBC data sources.

Yes. The Community Editions are meant for hobbyists, individual developers, and small teams doing limited commercial development, including pre-revenue startups. Companies or organizations with teams of more than five developers doing development are required to purchase a Professional, Enterprise or Architect edition license for each developer rather than using Community Edition.

The term of the Community Edition license is for one year from your first download or unsealing of Licensor's Products ("Community Edition Term") and will automatically expire upon the end of the Community Edition Term - the Community Edition license will not auto-renew. To the extent you want to continue using the Community Edition after the expiration or termination of your Community Edition Term, you must re-install the latest version of the Community Edition and agree with the terms and conditions of the Agreement in force at that time. For example, if Licensee installed the Community Edition v1.0 and upon expiration of the Community Edition Term intends to continue using the Community Edition then, subject to Licensee's continued compliance with the additional license terms and restrictions of the Community Edition, Licensee must re-install the then current version of the Community Edition license. Upon expiration of the Community Edition Term, all software developed using the Community Edition license may continue to be distributed by Licensee subject to the terms and restrictions of the License Agreement. All restrictions and conditions relating to the Community Edition license shall survive the termination or expiration of your Community Edition Term. The Community Edition license will automatically terminate upon Licensee's breach of the terms specified in the License Agreement.

No. Only single user licenses are available. Network named and concurrent licenses are available for Professional editions and above.

No, access to earlier versions is only included with the Professional, Enterprise, and Architect editions, not with Community Edition. The Community Edition license is always valid for the most recent version.

Key Reasons to Choose Professional:

• Perpetual license (Community License is a one year term)
• No annual revenue restriction
• Update Subscription - fixes, new releases, beta access and more
• Technical Support
• Ability to move the command line compiler to another machine or build server

Remember: per the License Agreement, you are required to purchase Professional or higher edition when your annual revenues reach $5000 USD or local currency equivalent, or when your development team grows to 5 or more developers.

Yes.

The general FAQs for Delphi and C++Builder (not specific to the Community Editions) are available at http://www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi/faq and http://www.embarcadero.com/products/cbuilder/faq

Community Edition installation is only supported through the web based GetIt installer, not the offline InstallAware installer. For paid editions, we provide to installation options, a web based installer, and an offline ISO installer.

Yes, the project files are the same and can easily be opened

Users will be able to request a new 1 year key through the website. That key will be applicable to the current Community Edition that's available for download at that time.

We will assist you to stay current and up to date, always on the latest version.