Free, Transparent & Community-Driven

Yes! All core functionality is open source under MIT and AGPL licenses. You can download, install, modify, and use Aelira for free forever. No usage limits, no time restrictions, no hidden fees. We offer paid support plans ($299-$2,999/mo) if you want installation help, priority bug fixes, and ongoing maintenance. But the software itself is completely free.

We use MIT for libraries and AGPL for the main platform to ensure openness while preventing closed commercial copies. • MIT-licensed components (CLI, rulesets) - Maximum flexibility for universities and developers • AGPL-licensed components (web dashboard, AI services) - Ensures transparency and contribution back if hosted publicly This balance keeps Aelira open for the community while protecting the project from closed re-branding or misuse.

Accessibility is a human right, not a profit center. Universities shouldn't have to pay $160K/year (like Blackboard Ally) for closed-source software. Our business model: We give away the software for free and sell support, hosting, and professional services. This aligns our incentives - we make money by helping you succeed, not by locking you into expensive licenses.

Free (self-hosted): • You download and install Aelira yourself • You provide infrastructure (servers, storage, backups) • Community support (GitHub issues, Discord) • No official support SLA Paid ($299-$2,999/mo): • Installation assistance (1-day setup) • Email support (24-72hr response) • Priority bug fixes • Quarterly check-ins • Dedicated support engineer (institution plans) The software features are identical - you're paying for support, not software.

Yes! MIT license gives you complete freedom to modify Aelira however you want. You can: • Add custom features for your university • Integrate with proprietary systems • Rebrand the UI • Fix bugs yourself • Contribute improvements back (appreciated but not required) If you modify the core platform and want us to maintain your fork, that falls under our professional services ($200-$350/hr).

We're releasing Aelira as open source after our pilot program concludes in Q2 2026. Why wait? We want to ensure: • Rock-solid stability tested by 50+ universities • Comprehensive documentation • Easy-to-follow deployment guides • Community contribution guidelines Join our pilot program now to get early access, or sign up for notifications when the open source release is available.

Minimum requirements: • 4-8 CPU cores • 8-16GB RAM • 50-100GB storage (SSD recommended) • Ubuntu 22.04 or Docker Recommended for production: • 8-16 cores (better AI performance) • 16-32GB RAM (parallel processing) • 200-500GB storage (scan history) • PostgreSQL database • Redis cache • Nginx reverse proxy You can host on: Department servers, AWS, Azure, GCP, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, OVH, or any VPS provider.

No! Aelira uses Ollama for local AI inference. It's as simple as running Docker containers. Our Docker Compose setup includes everything: • Ollama (AI inference server) • Llama 3.2 3B (analysis) • Qwen 2.5 Coder 7B (code fixes) • PostgreSQL (database) • Redis (cache) • Nginx (web server) No PhD in machine learning required - just basic Docker/Linux knowledge.

Yes! We welcome contributions: • Bug fixes • New features (especially higher ed-specific) • Documentation improvements • Translations • Test coverage • Performance optimizations See CONTRIBUTING.md in the repository for guidelines. All contributors are credited in CHANGELOG.md and on our website.

We offer professional services for custom development: • API integration with existing systems • Custom workflow development • Migration from legacy tools (YuJa, Ally, ReadSpeaker) • Training for IT staff (1-5 days) • On-site implementation Rates: $200-$350/hr depending on complexity. Or hire your own developers - MIT license allows it!