Services + hosting

Open-source planning software, with managed hosting and implementation help when teams need it.

OpenPlan is positioned as Apache-2.0 open-source software first. Nat Ford Planning earns revenue by operating hosted workspaces, onboarding teams, supporting planning workflows, and building custom extensions — not by locking agencies into a black-box license.

Proof path for the open-source posture:Source repository Apache-2.0 license text

Request a services review Sign in to an existing workspace Read license boundary

Software license

Apache-2.0 core

The commercial offer is services around OpenPlan: managed hosting, implementation, onboarding, support, and extensions.

Hosted workspaces

Managed service

Nat Ford can operate OpenPlan for teams that do not want to run their own infrastructure.

Planning standard

Human-reviewed outputs

OpenPlan accelerates drafting and evidence handling, but professional judgment remains visible and accountable.

Service catalog

Choose the right service path

The lanes are intentionally plain: run OpenPlan yourself, ask Nat Ford to operate it, or pair the software with planning implementation support.

Open-source firstself-hosted

Self-hosted core

Best for technical agencies, MPOs, universities, and civic-tech teams that can operate their own stack and want transparent planning software rather than a closed vendor dependency.

Apache-2.0 source code license
Run your own OpenPlan environment with your own infrastructure and data controls
Reuse the planning workspace patterns, schemas, and public documentation that are committed to the repository
Community contributions welcome through the public contribution process
No OpenPlan license fee from Nat Ford for the open-source code

Open-source firstmanaged-hosting

Managed hosting + support

Good for a small agency, tribe, RTPA, or consultant team that wants the open-source product operated for them with clear support boundaries.

Nat Ford-operated hosting for one or more planning workspaces
Workspace setup, payment records, backups, and support handled through a reviewed managed-service lane
Signed-in planning workspace, Analysis Studio access, engagement, reporting, and support-led payment records
Email support with a 2-business-day target for baseline managed hosting
Stripe remains available as the payment rail for hosted workspace support and service retainers

Open-source firstimplementation

Implementation + planning services

Best when the real need is not just software access, but a working planning process installed around local data, staff capacity, funding deadlines, and public accountability.

Onboarding, data setup, workflow configuration, and staff training
RTP, ATP, grant-support, engagement, and project-list implementation help
Custom extensions, integrations, reports, and client-specific planning workflows
Human-reviewed planning support from Nat Ford Planning, not black-box automated recommendations
Service scope can be paired with managed hosting or delivered against a self-hosted deployment

Implementation notes

Operational details that matter before a hosted workspace goes live

The OpenPlan codebase is intended to be open-source first under Apache-2.0. Managed hosting, onboarding, support, planning services, and custom extensions are the commercial lanes.

Prices shown are service baselines, not proprietary software-license fees. Final managed-hosting or implementation scope may vary by agency complexity, data requirements, support level, and procurement path.

Payment and entitlement records remain in the product because hosted workspaces need a reliable support ledger. That infrastructure does not turn the open-source core into a proprietary software license.

For this release, billing evidence is historical live payment evidence plus current non-money-moving billing checks. No new same-cycle paid checkout was run, so sales language should call that check waived rather than re-proven.

No hidden fees, punitive change orders, black-box scoring claims, or unsupported planning-grade promises.

Hosted billing

Keep hosted-workspace billing explicit.

Billing actions in OpenPlan are tied to a specific hosted workspace because project records, run history, support obligations, and billing status all need to stay aligned.

Do not start managed-hosting billing until the account is attached to the intended workspace.

Use the current billing caveat honestly: historical live payment plus current non-money-moving billing checks, not a fresh paid checkout canary.

Use the request-access lane to decide whether the need is self-hosting, managed hosting, implementation, or a mix.

If the service scope or workspace target is unclear, stop and resolve it before the team begins paid delivery work.