One client site versus a product that charges users. Here is the split we use on every VicanTheme purchase. This is a working note from the VicanTheme journal, written for agencies, founders, and in-house teams. The catalog we keep returning to is HTML templates, because files you can host beat a locked builder when the brand has to last.
If you already know the industry, skip ahead to the recommended demo — Kalmara — and use the headings as a checklist rather than a speech.
Regular: one end product
A regular license covers one end product. Client sites count. Internal tools count. You cannot wrap the theme in a SaaS, a paid template, or anything end users pay to access.
If you build five hotel sites, you buy five regular licenses. Do not copy the folder into a studio starter kit and call it process. That is redistribution.
Extended: when users pay you
Extended is still one product, but that product may charge users — a SaaS, a paid community, a template you resell as part of a larger paid thing. It is not unlimited source redistribution.
If you are unsure, start regular. Finance would rather you ask than guess, and so would we.
What always ships
Source ZIP, license key, and updates for that product. Card details never touch our servers; Razorpay handles checkout in USD. Kalmara is a typical regular-license hospitality job unless you productize a booking OS on top of it.
Put the license type on the statement of work so the client does not assume they bought a white-label factory.
How to explain it to a client
One sentence: you paid for one website, not a template business. If they later sell access to the software the theme skins, they need extended.
Keep the original ZIP in your archive. Hand over the built site, not a pirate copy for reference.
Do this in order
- Open the live demo on a phone.
- Replace photographs before you restyle the CSS.
- Connect the real enquiry or booking tool last.
Questions people actually ask
Can I modify the code?
Yes. The license is for the design and the files, not a ban on CSS.
Do licenses expire?
No. Updates follow the product, not a yearly tax.
Keep reading: Coastal boutique hotel website design: layout that does the job and Best HTML template for coastal boutique hotel sites in 2026. Or browse Guides in the journal.
