No. 13of 28 ·Open Source License Compliance Software

Apache RAT

Linux · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Runs widely1 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Apache RAT is ranked #13 of 28 in open source license compliance software on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, Self-hosted. There is a free plan.

Apache RAT plans and pricing

All plans

Apache RAT Free Open-source release audit tool · latest release 0.18 creadur.apache.org · 8 Oct 2026

Compared on open source license compliance software

Free plan: Yes
Policy enforcement: both
Deployment options: on-premise
Source scan methods: multiple

Best Apache RAT alternatives

See all 20

Two bars FOSSology Free tier No. 1Free6.6 Two bars ScanCode.io Free tier No. 2Free6.6 Two bars Apache Flink CDC Free tier No. 3Free6.5 Two bars DeepFilterNet Free tier No. 4Free6.5 Two bars licscan Free tier No. 5Free6.5 Two bars OHRisk Free tier No. 6Free6.5

The record

Purpose: Apache RAT audits software distributions, with a focus on license headers.
License review: RAT is a release audit tool focused on licenses and is intended to improve the accuracy and efficiency of checking releases for licenses.
Interfaces: RAT 0.18 ships with a command-line client, an Ant task library, and a Maven plugin.
Extensibility: Users can add license definitions through XML, and can extend matchers, definition formats, reports, and user interfaces with the relevant expertise.
Configuration: Command-line options support file inclusion and exclusion, license approval lists, and report output styles including missing-header and unapproved-license reports.
Release: The downloads page lists Apache Creadur RAT 0.18 as the latest release and offers binary and source archives.
Integrity checks: The project recommends verifying downloaded releases with signatures from its main distribution directories; it also provides PGP signatures and SHA-512 checksums.
Security reporting: The Apache Security Team asks that potential vulnerabilities be reported first to a private Apache security mailing list.
Limitations: RAT highlights possible issues, its reports require interpretation, it may need tuning, and its heuristics may miss issues.
Runtime requirements: Building RAT requires Java 17, and the project recommends Apache Maven 3.9.13 or later.
License: Apache Creadur licenses its software to the public under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
Primary use: RAT is intended to improve the accuracy and efficiency of checking software releases for licenses.
Maven reports: The Maven plugin can write a text report to target/rat.txt or add a report to the generated site.
Header editing: The command-line tool can add Apache-2.0 license headers and copyright notices to files that are not excluded by its configuration.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Open Source License Compliance Software in 2026#13 of 28

Is Apache RAT yours?

Claim it for free: prove the domain, then correct facts, plans and screenshots. An editor reviews every change.

Claim it free Promote Apache RAT

Sources

creadur.apache.org/rat/· checked 8 Oct 2026
creadur.apache.org/rat/apache-rat/cli_options.html· checked 8 Oct 2026
creadur.apache.org/rat/download_rat.cgi· checked 8 Oct 2026
apache.org/security/· checked 8 Oct 2026
creadur.apache.org· checked 8 Oct 2026
creadur.apache.org/rat/apache-rat-plugin/index.html· checked 8 Oct 2026
creadur.apache.org/rat/apache-rat/index.html· checked 8 Oct 2026