Is Kando Free and Open Source?

Updated

Yes. Kando is completely free and open source, and according to the project itself, it always will be. It is described as a passion project built for the community, with no paid tier mentioned anywhere on the site. You can get it by downloading it from GitHub, and the documentation is available separately for setup and usage guidance.

What "free and open source" means here

The Kando website states plainly that Kando "is and always will be completely free and open source." That covers two separate things worth distinguishing:

  • Free: there is no price attached to using it. The site presents no pricing page, subscription, or payment option.
  • Open source: the source code is publicly available, and the project is distributed through GitHub rather than a closed storefront.

Because it is community-oriented, development is framed as a passion project rather than a commercial product. The site also notes that Kando receives regular updates, with the most recent one having overhauled the menu action system so workflows can run multiple actions in sequence.

How to get Kando

  1. Go to the Kando website (kando.menu).
  2. Use the Download on GitHub link to reach the repository and download the application.
  3. If you want to understand configuration before installing, use the Read the Docs link first.

The site does not specify system requirements, installer formats, or package-manager options, so check the GitHub repository and documentation for the current download details.

What you get for free

The free download includes the full feature set described on the site:

Capability What it does
Launch apps Open applications with a single gesture instead of hunting through menus
Execute workflows Run a series of actions with one gesture, without memorizing key combinations
Open files Navigate to frequently used files and folders quickly
Gesture selection Select items in deeply nested submenus using muscle memory
Customization Nested menus, custom icons, menu themes, icon sets, and sound themes
Per-app menus Different menus depending on the current application or window
Cross-platform use Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Multiple input types Designed for mouse, stylus, touch, or controller input

Privacy as part of the deal

Kando states it is privacy-first: no telemetry, no tracking, no cloud. Your data stays on your machine. That matters for a free tool, because it means the project is not monetizing usage data in place of a purchase price. The site does not describe any account creation or login requirement.

Things the site does not answer

A few practical questions are not covered by the available material, so treat them as open:

  • Whether donations are accepted or how the project is funded.
  • The exact license text (the site says open source but does not name a license).
  • Minimum OS versions or hardware requirements.
  • Whether prebuilt binaries exist for every platform or whether some require building from source.

For all of these, the GitHub repository is the authoritative place to look.

Bottom line

If your question is simply whether Kando costs money or is closed off, the answer is no on both counts. It is free, open source, cross-platform, and distributed via GitHub, with documentation available for setup. The main thing left to verify before installing is platform-specific download and requirement details, which live in the repository rather than on the landing page.