A template license answers who may use the source files and how many finished projects they may build. That question matters before an agency promises a client a site. A low purchase price is useful only if the license covers the intended handoff and future reuse. This guide explains common project limits in plain language and gives you a checklist for reading the exact agreement before buying.
What is an agency license?
An agency license is permission to use a product in a stated number of client projects under the seller's terms. The name alone does not tell you the limit. One seller may allow ten projects; another may allow unlimited client work but restrict team seats. Read the written license rather than relying on the tier label.
A license is not ownership of every part of the product. You may receive source files you can edit, while the original creator keeps copyright in the template. Your agency may own the original work it adds for the client. The client may receive a finished site and the rights stated in your own agreement. These layers need to fit together.
Begin by writing the intended use. Are you building one website for one client? Will you reuse the same starter across several clients? Will you transfer the repository? Will the client keep maintaining the site? Each answer points to a clause you should find in the license.
Do not assume a broad “commercial use” phrase covers source redistribution or unlimited reuse. Commercial use may simply mean you can build a business website. Ask for an exact written answer when the agreement is unclear.
What counts as one end project?
One end project is usually one finished product delivered for a specific client or owner, but the exact license defines the count. A website with many pages is often one project. Two separate client websites are usually two. A marketing site and a separate customer portal may be two, depending on the agreement.
Count future work conservatively. If an agency expects to use the same template for eight client sites, a three-project license will not cover the plan. Include internal experiments only if the license counts them. Some agreements treat staging copies and a live copy as one project; others specify a different rule. The agency license should define that rule before work begins.
Keep a project ledger. Record the client, domain, product version, license tier, and date the license was assigned. This can be a small table. It prevents accidental overuse when several team members work from the same starter.
If a client asks for a second brand site after the first launch, review the project count before copying the code. The fastest time to clarify that rule is before the new proposal is signed.
How do single, pro, and agency tiers differ?
The practical difference is the number of end projects covered, unless the seller states additional rights. For Deloryen's planned tiers, Single Site is $129 for one project, Pro is $229 for three, and Agency is $349 for ten client projects. These are planned prices for future available products, not a current checkout offer.
| Planned tier | Price | End project limit | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Site | $129 | 1 | One client or owner |
| Pro | $229 | 3 | A small set of projects |
| Agency | $349 | 10 | Repeated client delivery |
The table makes budgeting simple, but the full license still matters. It should state whether the project limit resets, whether you may transfer a finished site, and what happens when a client changes hands. It should also state whether you may share the template source outside the finished project. Compare the agency license wording with the smaller tiers.
Do not pick the largest tier automatically. Buy for the work you realistically expect to deliver. If you later need more projects, the seller should explain whether an upgrade or a new license is available. Keep that answer with the contract.
See the planned Deloryen license options for the stated project limits, while the products remain unavailable for checkout.
Can you give source code to a client?
You can give source code to a client only to the extent the license permits delivery of a finished end project. Many template licenses allow a finished website or application to be transferred while prohibiting redistribution of the unmodified starter. The difference is important.
Imagine a client receives a repository containing their content, integrations, and design changes. They may need it to maintain the site. That is a normal handoff when the license allows it. Giving the same client a clean copy of the template to reuse for unrelated future sites can be a different use. Selling the original source as your own template is usually restricted.
Write the client's rights in your proposal. Explain whether they can edit their finished site, hire another developer, and move hosting. Explain any limits on extracting the underlying starter for another project. A client should not discover those limits after paying your agency. Keep the agency license with your handoff record.
If the license language is vague, send a clear scenario to the seller: “We will build one branded website and transfer its repository to our client for maintenance. Is that allowed?” A specific question gets a more useful answer than “Can we use it commercially?”
Can you resell the template?
A normal client project license does not usually permit reselling the template itself. Building a finished site for a client is different from posting the starter files on a marketplace, offering them as a download, or including them in another template pack.
Check the restrictions on sublicensing and redistribution. A seller may allow you to use components inside a delivered product while forbidding buyers from extracting them as a standalone library. If your agency plans to create its own reusable product, you may need a different agreement.
Do not rely on superficial changes. Changing colors or a logo does not necessarily make the source a new original template. Respect the creator's code and assets, and track which parts your team wrote. If you plan a product business based on licensed code, ask for explicit rights before development.
This distinction protects your clients too. A client who receives a finished site should know whether they can later turn its source into a product for other customers. If the answer is no, put it in the handoff notes.
What about images, fonts, and third-party code?
Check the license for every asset included with the template, not only the application source. A product may use demo photos under one license, a font under another, and open source components under a third. A screenshot in the sales page does not prove the photo is included for commercial use.
Ask for an asset inventory. Which images are actual deliverables? Which are remote placeholders? Can the client use them on a live commercial site? Do the icons or illustrations require attribution? A good seller separates demo assets from included assets.
Third-party code often has notices you must keep. An open source license may allow commercial use while requiring a copyright notice. Keep those notices when you deliver the finished project. Do not remove them merely because the template seller packaged the code.
When in doubt, replace sample media with the client's own licensed material. This also makes the site more honest and distinctive. A mockup labeled as a concept is useful in a catalog, but it should not be delivered as evidence of a working page.
How do updates and support relate to the license?
Usage rights, updates, and support are separate promises. A license may let you keep using one version after purchase while updates end after a stated period. Support may cover installation and product bugs, but not custom features or client content.
Find the update period and channel. Will the seller publish new files, send a patch, or maintain a repository? How will your agency merge changes after it customizes the code? A “lifetime” word needs a definition: does it mean the lifetime of the product, the account, or something else? Check whether the agency license includes updates for all covered projects.
Find the support scope. Does it include a broken build, a third-party integration, or only questions about the documented product? Is there a response target? If the seller has not made a promise, budget internal time for the issue.
For client work, decide who maintains the finished site. A seller update does not automatically appear in a customized client deployment. Your agency may need to review, merge, test, and deploy it. Put that ongoing work into your service agreement.
What should the agency tell the client?
Tell the client what code they receive, what they may do with it, and who maintains it after launch. This avoids a mismatch between the template license and your client contract. The client does not need to read a long technical document to understand the practical limits.
Use plain language. State that the client receives a finished site based on licensed components, can use it for the agreed business, and can hire a developer to maintain that site if the license allows it. State any restriction on extracting or reselling the original template. Identify separate costs for hosting, email, payment providers, and stock media.
Transfer accounts carefully. The domain, hosting, analytics, and payment account should have a named owner. Avoid leaving client services under one employee's personal login. Store credentials securely and give the client recovery information through a safe channel.
Include a short maintenance guide. Show how to update content, report a bug, and request a new feature. A clear handoff is part of a professional license decision because rights are only useful when the client can operate the result.
How should preorders and subscriptions be described?
A preorder needs a delivery date and clear refund terms before payment. Under Lemon Squeezy's buyer terms, a buyer may request a refund for any reason before a preorder is delivered. An idea without a date and defined files should stay a planned product, not a charged preorder.
A subscription or annual pass needs an exact coverage list and renewal terms. “Access to everything” is too vague if the catalog contains concepts that have not shipped. Say which products are available, what updates are included, when renewal happens, and what access remains after cancellation. A pass should explain how it relates to a separate agency license.
A lifetime pass also needs a careful definition. It should say whether it covers current releases only, future products, updates, or support. Without those terms, the price is not a complete offer. Prepare the page and test flow, but keep payment closed until the promise can be delivered.
The license text and checkout page should agree. A buyer must not see a ten-project promise on one page and a one-project limit in the payment summary. Use one product record for status, price, variant, and license mapping.
How do you review a license before purchase?
Read the project limit, handoff rights, redistribution rule, update period, support scope, and refund policy in one sitting. Then compare them with your client proposal. If any part conflicts, resolve it before buying.
Keep a copy of the offer and agreement in your project folder. Record the purchase reference without saving payment card data. Assign one person to track project use. If the team grows, a simple license ledger can prevent accidental mistakes.
Ask questions in writing. A seller should be able to answer whether a second client site counts as another project, whether repository transfer is allowed, and whether updates are included. Treat silence as uncertainty, not permission.
A clear agency license should make delivery easier. It gives your team a predictable limit, gives the client a usable finished site, and gives the original creator control over redistribution of the source product.
The agency template evaluation guide places license checks alongside demo, code, and support checks.
Frequently asked questions
Does one website with many pages count as several projects?
Usually no, but read the exact license. The agreement defines what counts as an end project.
Can I reuse one single site license for a second client?
No, if it covers only one end project. Choose a wider tier or buy another license.
Does an agency license mean unlimited resale?
No. It normally permits a stated number of client projects and restricts resale of the original template source.
Do clients own the template after handoff?
Clients own the rights you grant to their finished work, while the original template remains subject to its license. State those rights clearly in the client agreement.