Why Vuesion Is No Longer Open Source
TL;DR
Vuesion started as an open-source project because it was the simplest way for me to reuse my own work across client projects. Today, it has become something much bigger. This article explains why I decided to move Vuesion to a commercial model, why the original open-source version will remain available, and why I believe this decision will ultimately make the project better.
When I started Vuesion, I never planned to build a commercial product.
The original goal was much simpler.
I wanted a foundation I could reuse across my own projects.
At the time I was working at BCG Digital Ventures, where only software under permissive licenses such as MIT could be used in client projects. Making Vuesion open source was therefore the easiest way to continuously improve the same foundation while using it professionally.
For years, that worked remarkably well.
Vuesion grew alongside real products, accumulated thousands of GitHub stars, and became the starting point for many of the projects I worked on.
But over time, something changed.
Experience became the product
Every project teaches you something.
Sometimes it's a better component.
Sometimes it's a cleaner architecture.
Sometimes it's a mistake you promise yourself never to make again.
My most recent project, was different.
It wasn't just another opportunity to improve Vuesion. It produced ideas, patterns, and architectural decisions that represented a significant investment of time and experience.
For the first time, I looked at those improvements and thought:
These aren't just implementation details anymore. They are part of my competitive advantage.
That changed how I thought about Vuesion.
Open source was never the goal
This might sound surprising, but Vuesion was never created because I wanted to maintain an open-source framework.
Open source was simply the right decision for the environment I was working in.
Today, those constraints no longer exist.
That gave me the opportunity to ask a different question:
What is the best way to keep improving Vuesion over the next several years?
For me, the answer was no longer maintaining two separate repositories.
Maintaining two products isn't realistic
A modern foundation is much more than source code.
Every release also includes:
- Documentation
- Storybook
- Figma
- Tests
- New modules
- Examples
- Maintenance
Keeping all of that synchronized already takes a significant amount of time.
Doing it for both an open-source and a commercial edition would slow down development of both.
I'd rather invest that time into making one product exceptional.
This is about sustainability
Some people will inevitably see this as:
"Another open-source project has gone commercial."
I understand that reaction.
But this decision wasn't made because I wanted to stop sharing my work.
It was made because I want to continue investing in it.
Every license sold gives me more time to improve Vuesion.
More time means:
- Better documentation
- Better components
- Better architecture
- Better tooling
- Better support
- More ideas becoming reality
A sustainable product can improve for years.
That is far more valuable than a project that slowly loses momentum because it depends entirely on spare evenings and weekends.
Vuesion 5 isn't going anywhere
The existing open-source version remains available.
Vuesion 5 will stay online as a reference and continue to represent the journey that brought the project to where it is today.
It simply won't receive new features or ongoing maintenance.
Could Vuesion become open source again?
Possibly.
I haven't closed that door.
If I eventually have enough time, or if I can automate the process of keeping a shared core open while building more advanced features separately, I would love to revisit the idea.
I still believe open source creates enormous value.
Right now, however, my priority is building the best possible foundation I can.
If you'd like to support the project
If you're disappointed that Vuesion is no longer fully open source, I completely understand.
The best way to help change that is surprisingly simple.
Use Vuesion.
Build something with it.
Write about it.
Share it with others.
And if it helps you build better software, consider buying a license.
Every new customer gives me more time to invest back into the project.
The better Vuesion becomes, the more everyone benefits.
That has always been the goal.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Vuesion over the years.
I'm excited about what comes next.