What is Less?
Less is a dynamic stylesheet language that extends CSS with variables, mixins, functions, nesting, and mathematical operations, compiling to standard CSS for web projects.
Less pricing
We don't have Less's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- Web
- Self-hosted
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
Less FAQ
Common questions about Less, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is Less?
Less is a dynamic stylesheet language that extends CSS with variables, mixins, functions, nesting, and mathematical operations, compiling to standard CSS for web projects. It is indexed under JavaScript Tooling.
Source: https://lesscss.org
Is Less free to use?
Less is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
Source: https://lesscss.org
What platforms does Less support?
Less supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Source: https://lesscss.org
Can Less be self-hosted?
Yes. Less can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Source: https://lesscss.org
Is Less open source?
Yes. Less is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.
Source: https://github.com/less/less.js
Less alternatives
Other javascript tooling we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- Moment.jsA JavaScript library for date and time manipulation and formattinglow · 23%
- BowerFront-end dependency management toollow · 16%
- Gruntlow · 22%
- Backbone.jsProvides organizational structure for JavaScript applicationslow · 28%
- VagrantA framework for defining and managing consistent development environments across platformslow · 27%
- CoffeeScriptlow · 21%
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for Less, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dependent projects | 100 | 0.08 | 8.0 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 99 | 0.07 | 6.7 | ✓ |
| Security score | 61 | 0.05 | 3.2 | ✓ |
| Stars | 80 | 0.03 | 2.6 | ✓ |
| Development activity | 19 | 0.12 | 2.3 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 0 | 0.08 | 0.0 | - |
| Integrations | 0 | 0.05 | 0.0 | - |
| Security posture | 0 | 0.09 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.17 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.08 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 3 | mediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 5 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 67% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | JavaScript | highsource · 2026-10-14 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | Apache-2.0 | highsource · 2026-10-14 · 95% |
Pricing
Release
Security
Is Less the right choice for you?
Tell us the job, the constraints and what you weigh most, and we will rank Less against the rest of the javascript tooling we index, using the same dated evidence weighted your way.
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Is this your product?
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