PrimeNG is switching to the PrimeUI licensing model from version 22. Versions already released under the MIT license will remain MIT. A free community license will continue to be available, but only under certain conditions. We summarize what is changing, what this means for existing Angular projects and what alternatives there are.
What is changing in the licensing model
With PrimeUI , active further development becomes proprietary. New versions from PrimeNG 22 onwards appear as compiled packages. Package names and imports remain the same, but it is no longer possible to check the source code and apply your own patches as under the MIT license. PrimeTek justifies the change with the effort for long-term maintenance, framework compatibility and support. We take this need seriously, but still independently check whether the new conditions fit our own organization and product strategy.
Community License: According to current licensing regulations, organizations must meet all of the following requirements at the same time:
– less than five developers in total, not only in the PrimeNG project
– less than ten employees
– less than one million US dollars in annual turnover (for non-profit organizations: budget)
– no more than three million US dollars in external capital
– no public, state-funded organization or educational institution
The license allows commercial applications. It is valid for twelve months and then requires a new confirmation (30-day waiting period). So free does not mean unconditional, and non-profit status alone is not enough.
Commercial Suite: The Commercial Suite will cost $599 per developer until the end of 2026, after which it will cost $799, according to the announcement. One year of updates is included, and each additional year costs $399 per developer. The license remains permanently valid for covered versions. External developers and developers working on internal PrimeUI wrappers also need a license slot, but not end users or CI/CD pipelines. License slots can be reallocated, but not shared between concurrent developers. The license is not a mandatory subscription, and the license check runs offline.
What does this mean for an existing Angular project?
For many companies, the path to the next PrimeNG version changes, not the right to continue using the existing application. We therefore advise against a hasty replacement of the interface. However, the license change is a good opportunity to evaluate the dependency: Does PrimeNG still fit the product? What maintenance does the project need? And what are the benefits of a migration?
First, we separate the current operation from the next development phase. An older MIT version, PrimeNG 21, an upgrade to version 22, and a new development have different starting points. Then we capture components, wrappers, styles, themes, and tests. The effort determines how much behavior the library adopts for the application, not the number of imports. A table with server-side filters, selection states, and custom cells drives it more strongly than ten simple buttons.
We recommend a small prototype with a sophisticated table, a form and a dialog from the real application. We use it to check data access, validation, keyboard operation, focus guidance, theme changes and regressions. This allows us to detect rework and new test responsibility before we change the entire interface. A gradual change also needs an end date for parallel operation. According to the FAQ of Optimus UI , it means duplicate components and theme runtimes. Finally, we compare the license costs with the effort for implementation, design and maintenance. A free library can be the more expensive decision.
Option 1: Keep the existing version
Sticking with the existing version is legitimate. According to PrimeTek , published MIT versions remain under MIT. So we don’t have to rebuild a working application just because of the license. The license and copyright notices are retained, as required by the MIT terms .
It makes a difference whether a very old version is running or major version 21, the branch last published under MIT. According to Security Policy , 21.x only receives security fixes, earlier releases are end of life. There are no longer any new functions and usual bug fixes. Those who stay still install available security fixes and changes to other dependencies; both belong in the operating plan.
Angular also sets a time frame. PrimeNG 21.1.10 is designed for Angular 21, not Angular 22. This is not an end date for PrimeNG. By then, however, the next Angular upgrade should be planned at the latest, and with it the decision on the UI library will inevitably be made.
We therefore recommend staying only with named responsibility, regular dependency check and a fixed date for re-evaluation. It is suitable as a bridge for a product that is being phased out, but not as a permanent solution for long-term active use.
Option 2: Optimus UI
Optimus UI is an independent community fork of PrimeNG 21 under MIT. If the PrimeNG component model is to be preserved, we check it first. The migration guide requires PrimeNG 21. The ‘p-‘ selectors are retained. The migration mainly affects packages, imports, configuration and assets, and a schematic reports remaining references. Nevertheless, we check our own styles and wrappers. According to the version map, Optimus UI 1 belongs to Angular 21 and Optimus UI 2 to Angular 22.
The limit is maintenance. According to the project philosophy , a small group of maintainers will maintain the fork, without an SLA and without a support contract. PrimeTek templates, PrimeBlocks and commercial design tools are not included. Functionality is not guaranteed to be the same as PrimeNG 22. Before making a decision, we clarify who evaluates new releases, installs updates and works with the maintainers in the event of blocking bugs. We recommend Optimus UI for teams that want to stay close to the stock and consciously accept community maintenance.
Option 3: ng-zorro-antd
ng-zorro-antd is an extensive Angular library based on Ant Design on MIT. Its major versions are based on Angular. The table component offers sorting, filtering, pagination, and customizable templates, and the API documents parameters for server-side queries.
For data-rich business applications, it is a real alternative, but not a one-to-one replacement. Templates, events and wrappers have to fit anew, and we do not transfer an individual PrimeNG theme unchanged, as the theme documentation shows. In the prototype, we check the same technical processes: Is a selection retained during filtering? Are validation and error messages correct? Does the keyboard operation work? The existing backend interfaces remain the starting point. We recommend ng-zorro-antd if we deliberately realign the interface and Ant Design fits the product.
Option 4: Angular Material and CDK
Angular Material and CDK are under MIT. They are maintained by the Angular team and the community.
– Material supplies finished components according to Material Design.
– CDK supplies building blocks for your own components. Those who choose CDK take on more component development and test responsibility. This is worthwhile for your own design system, not only to save a license fee.
The model differs for tables. The documentation describes the interaction of table, sort, paginator and selection model. The standard class MatTableDataSource is not sufficient for all server-side interactions; we are planning a separate data source for this. The released version 22.2.1 supports table virtualization, but only with ‘fixedLayout’ and without conditional row templates via ‘when’. Forms and dialogs must also be technically and visually correct in the new component model. Material and CDK are solid candidates, but not a free one-to-one copy of a PrimeNG interface.
Decision matrix: Which strategy suits the project?
As a starting point, we assume a PrimeNG-21 project. The colors evaluate the fit, not the overall product quality: 🟢 fits or is available, 🟡 requires a project decision, 🔴 means additional conversion or a concrete boundary.
Our recommendation according to project situation
Conscious UI realignment: If ant design is part of the product goal, we prioritize ng-zorro-antd. For material design, we choose material, for our own design system, CDK. We confirm the suitability on the prototype.
We support you with the migration
You don’t yet know which path suits your Angular project? We support you in the migration and develop the best strategy with you. As part of a solution assessment , we evaluate your holdings and check the libraries in question on a prototype with your most important interfaces. We then plan the next steps, from the licensing decision to the step-by-step implementation. Contact us.
