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Illustration licences explained: commercial, client and SaaS use
"Free for commercial use" does not always mean you can use it in client work, templates or a product you sell. Here is what the common licence terms mean, the questions to ask before you ship, and the mistakes that cause trouble later.
By Abdullah NomanOctober 13, 20263 min read
This is a practical guide, not legal advice. Licences differ, and the licence text of the library you use is what counts. But most illustration licences are built from the same handful of ideas, and once you know them you can read any licence in a few minutes.
The terms you will see
| Term | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Royalty-free | You pay once (or nothing) and do not pay per view, sale or copy. It does not mean free or unrestricted. |
| Commercial use | You can use it in things that make money: your product, your marketing, ads. |
| Attribution | You must credit the creator, usually with a visible link. Common on free tiers. |
| Client work | You can use it in projects you deliver to someone else. Often a higher tier. |
| Seats or users | How many people at your company can use the files. |
| Redistribution | Giving or selling the files themselves. Almost always forbidden. |
| End product | The thing you make (a site, an app). Licences limit products where the illustrations are the main value, like templates. |
Six questions to ask before you ship
1. Can I use it commercially?
For product and marketing work this is the baseline. Most paid libraries say yes. Some free libraries are personal-use only.
2. Do I need to credit the creator?
Attribution is easy to miss and annoying to add later, especially inside an app. If a free tier needs attribution and you do not want a credit link in your footer, budget for the paid tier.
3. Does it cover client work?
Freelancers and agencies should check this first. Some licences cover only your own projects. Others allow client projects but not unlimited ones. Also check whether the client needs their own licence to keep using the delivered site. Good licences say they do not.
4. Can I use it in something I sell?
Using illustrations inside a SaaS product you sell is normally fine. Using them in a template, theme, UI kit or print-on-demand item, where buyers effectively get the illustrations, is normally not, or only with a special licence. The test most licences apply: could someone extract the files and reuse them?
5. How many people can use it?
A licence bought by one designer does not automatically cover the whole team. Check seats, and whether contractors count.
6. What about AI tools?
New question, and licences are catching up. Two separate things to check: whether you may use the illustrations through AI coding tools to build your own projects (increasingly common and usually allowed), and whether you may use them to train an AI model (usually forbidden).
Common mistakes
- Assuming free means unrestricted. Free libraries often require attribution or forbid certain uses.
- Sharing one licence across an agency. If five designers use files bought by one, check the seat count.
- Putting illustrations in a template you sell. The most common licence breach in design marketplaces.
- Uploading the files to a public repository or sharing a download link. That is redistribution, even if you did not mean it.
- Not keeping a record. Save the receipt or licence email with the project, so you can show where assets came from.
Subscription vs one-time licences
With a subscription, you can usually keep using what you downloaded while subscribed, and terms differ on what happens after you cancel. With a one-time licence, you pay once and keep the right to use what you got. Read the "after cancellation" or "after the update period" section either way; it is the part people regret skipping.
How the Liniqo licence answers these
Since you are reading this on our site, here is ours in one place. The full plain-English version is on the licence page, and the Terms are what legally applies.
- Commercial use: yes, on every plan, including the free illustrations.
- Attribution: never required.
- Client work: Pro and Lifetime cover unlimited client projects. The client does not need their own licence for the finished site.
- Seats: Personal and Pro are one person. Lifetime covers up to five people in one team.
- Templates and UI kits: not allowed where the illustrations are the main value. Ask first if they are a small, non-extractable part.
- AI tools: using Liniqo through Claude, Cursor, Lovable or v0 for your own projects is covered. Training AI models on the library is not.
- Price model: one-time. After the update year on Personal and Pro you keep everything you downloaded.
Questions
Does royalty-free mean free?
No. Royalty-free means you do not pay per use or per copy. You may still pay once for the licence, and the licence can still restrict how you use the files.
Can I use licensed illustrations in a client website?
Only if the licence covers client work. Many paid licences do on a higher tier. Check whether the client needs their own licence too.
Can I use illustrations in a template I sell?
Usually not, because buyers could extract the files. Some licences allow it when the illustrations are a small, non-extractable part. Ask the creator first.
Do I need to credit Liniqo?
No. Attribution is never required on any Liniqo plan, including the free illustrations.
