Oracle Java Usage, Pricing & Migration Survey and Report

In January 2023, Oracle changed its Java pricing and/or licensing model for the fourth time in four years. Under the latest rules, businesses pay based on the number of employees – including part-time workers and contractors – rather than for the amount of Java they use, where they use it, or the number of named users in their organization. Questions about the impact of this decision exploded inside board meetings, financial planning discussions, IT/engineering stand-ups, analyst calls, and news reports.

In the Azul State of Java Survey and Report 2023, more than 80% of businesses were concerned about the new Oracle Java SE pricing and licensing changes. This first annual Oracle Java Usage, Pricing & Migration Survey and Report provides insights into how organizations have reacted to Oracle Java pricing and ongoing pricing changes, and their plans to migrate to alternatives based on OpenJDK.

A global survey, the Oracle Java Usage, Pricing & Migration Survey and Report includes responses from 663 qualified participants from companies of all sizes, across six continents. All participants are versed in Java, with 75% saying a substantial part of their jobs involve Java, 10% saying it’s a minor part of their job, and another 16% managing teams that have responsibility for Java application development or operations. Participants also ranged in seniority from individual contributors (16%) to director and above (45%). Any participant who did not meet the criteria for company size or use of Java was disqualified from completing the survey.