Direct comparison
CC BY vs. CC BY-SA: Key Differences
CC BY and CC BY-SA both permit commercial reuse with attribution. CC BY-SA adds a ShareAlike clause requiring derivatives to use the same license.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | CC BY | CC BY-SA |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Attribution | Attribution-ShareAlike |
| License elements | BY only | BY + SA |
| Attribution required | Yes | Yes |
| Commercial reuse allowed | Yes | Yes |
| Derivative works allowed | Yes, no restriction on how they're licensed | Yes, but must carry the same or a ShareAlike-compatible license |
| "Copyleft"-style condition | No | Yes — openness propagates to derivatives |
| Can a derivative be relicensed more restrictively? | Yes | No |
| Mixing with differently-licensed material | Straightforward — no downstream license constraint | Can be legally awkward — combined derivative must satisfy the SA condition |
| Typical research use | Journal articles; the default under most funder OA mandates | Educational/reference material, wikis, some datasets where continued openness is a priority |
| Plan S (cOAlition S) status | Default requirement for funded outputs | Named acceptable alternative to CC BY |
| License version in current use | 4.0 (Nov 2013), recommended for new works | 4.0 (Nov 2013), recommended for new works |
Common questions
FAQ
Can I convert a CC BY-SA work into a CC BY one?+
No. The ShareAlike condition is binding on anyone creating a derivative — you cannot strip it out by relicensing. Only the original rights holder can choose to additionally release the work under a different license.
Does CC BY-SA restrict commercial use?+
No. Both CC BY and CC BY-SA allow commercial reuse; commercial restriction is a separate license element (NC) that neither license includes.
Why do funder open-access mandates default to CC BY instead of CC BY-SA?+
CC BY imposes the fewest downstream constraints, which maximizes reuse and text/data-mining compatibility — a priority for funders like cOAlition S. CC BY-SA remains an accepted alternative under Plan S, but CC BY is the default.
Is CC BY-SA compatible with other ShareAlike licenses?+
Sometimes — Creative Commons maintains a compatibility list of other ShareAlike-style licenses that adaptations of CC BY-SA material may use instead of CC BY-SA itself. Compatibility isn't automatic between arbitrary licenses; it applies only to licenses Creative Commons has explicitly designated as compatible.
Going deeper
