Is TV Rename Free and Open Source, and What Are the Licence Terms?
Updated
TV Rename is free to use and open source. The project states that you may freely modify it for non-commercial use, that improvements should be fed back into the project so others benefit, and that any modified version you distribute must remain open source under the same licence. These terms come from the project's own description of its licence details, so treat them as the project's stated position rather than a formal legal opinion.
What the licence allows
Based on the project's stated terms, the permissions and conditions break down like this:
| Point | What the project says |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free to use |
| Source | Open source |
| Modification | Freely modify for non-commercial use |
| Feedback | Asked to feed improvements back into the project |
| Distribution of modified versions | Must stay open source under the same licence |
The key condition is the last one: if you distribute a modified version, it cannot be closed off — it has to carry the same open-source licence. The request to contribute improvements back is framed as an ask rather than a hard restriction, but it reflects the project's expectation for how the community should work.
What "free" covers — and what it doesn't
The project describes TV Rename as "100% Free" and "open source and free to use." That covers the software itself. The site's pricing signals contain no payment links or payment platforms, and the documentation does not describe paid tiers, subscriptions, or login-gated features. Nothing in the available material suggests a paid edition, but the absence of pricing information is not itself a statement that every future feature will remain free.
"Non-commercial use" is the boundary drawn for modification. If you plan to use or adapt the tool as part of a business or a paid product, the stated terms do not cover that case, and you would need to clarify the position with the project rather than assume it is permitted.
Practical implications for a typical user
For most people — renaming TV show and movie files, downloading posters and episode images, creating .nfo metadata, and organising a media library for Kodi, Mede8er, PyTivo, or similar hubs — the free, open-source status means there is no licence fee to budget for and no activation step described in the documentation.
The tool runs on Windows 10 and later. If you are setting it up for the first time, the project recommends reading the Quick-Start Guide before configuring preferences, since the workflow depends on telling it where your media library lives and then running a scan.
Where to check before relying on the terms
Licence details can change between versions, and the project's summary is a plain-language description rather than the full licence text. Before distributing a modified build or using the tool commercially, check the licence file shipped with the version you download and confirm the current wording on the project site. That is the reliable way to verify the terms that actually apply to your copy.