New License Pricing and Structure (In Effect From April 2024)
This post is an introduction to the new licensing model that will be introduced by amCharts from April 2024.
In the body of this post, we will go through the new licenses, the reasons for the change, and how the changes will (not) affect current license holders.
TL;DR
- The new changes will be rolled out during the day of Sunday, March 31, 2024.
- Any licenses or services purchased before that day, will be unaffected by the change.
- All licenses are now per-seat, meaning that you will need to acquire as many licenses as you will have actual developers working with amCharts product(s) at the same time.
- Licenses are now available as annual subscriptions that require renewal every 12 months as well as perpetual licenses that do not expire and do not require renewal.
- There are four types of licenses:
- Basic – for public websites where users do not have to log in.
- SaaS – for SaaS websites where users have to log in.
- OEM – for developing redistributable web, mobile, and desktop applications.
- Extended OEM – for developing software tools, using across multiple affiliates, and creating “white label” relicensed applications.
- No more limits on websites/projects. You purchase only developer seats. It doesn’t matter how many projects (covered by a target license) they are working on. The stuff you create can be used indefinitely even if license subscription runs out.
- No changes in product lineup. Three products are still available: Charts, Maps, Stock Chart.
- Maps is now a standalone product and does not require a license for Charts.
- Support subscriptions (amPlus) are now per-seat, too. A number of seats subscription purchased will determine how many people can contact amCharts support.
- Current support subscriptions remain unlimited-seats until their next renewal cycle, whenever that may be.
- Current support subscriptions can be renewed using the old unlimited-seats model until midnight July 1st, 2024. After that, all renewals will be switched to the new per-seat model.
Why we are doing it
Having been around for more than 15 years now, we’ve accumulated a vast amount customers of all sizes: ranging from a one-man operation, to Fortune 500 behemoth corporations.
Based on the feedback collected over more than a decade, we’ve came to the conclusion that our one-size-fits-all approach to licensing, while very convenient and straightforward, does not fit the bill (so to speak) anymore.
With that in mind, we’ve set out to design a new licensing approach, which would employ flexible pricing based on the following criteria:
- Size of the team working on the project
- Duration of the project
The new model should drastically reduce licensing costs for time-limited projects or projects implemented by compact development teams.
Pricing
Full pricing will be announced on March 31st, 2024.
That said, 1 seat pricing in vast majority of cases will be lower for perpetual licenses, than they are now, and significantly lower for license subscriptions.
What’s changing
Introducing license subscriptions (in addition to perpetual licenses)
Up until now all amCharts licenses were perpetual: pay once – use forever. That still remains.
We’re also introducing annual license subscriptions: pay a subscription fee – use for 12 months.
As a client, you can control whether you want the subscription to auto-renew for another 12 months automatically, or you will do it manually.
NOTE: Projects created while subscription was active, can remain in use indefinitely. You need an active subscription only when developing using amCharts product(s).
Licenses are now per-seat
Now, when purchasing the license you have ability to choose how many actual developers will be working with amCharts product(s).
For example, if you are developing an SaaS website with a team of 3 developers working on it, you will need 3 x SaaS license for amCharts.
amCharts will provide tools to manage your subscription: add or remove developer seats, cancel or resume subscription, as well as change billing details.
No-more website/project limit
Licenses no longer have a limit on a number of projects/websites they can be used for.
Example: You have 5 public websites you need chart on, and 2 developers developing those websites. You can acquire 2 developers seats for a Basic license for amCharts: Charts.
No changes in product lineup
Three principal products remain:
- amCharts: Charts – all chart types like Percent, XY, Radar, etc. (everything excluding Stock Chart and Maps)
- amCharts: Maps
- amCharts: Stock Chart
OK, a small change regarding amCharts: Maps
amCharts: Maps is now a standalone product (not an add-on to amCharts: Charts) requiring only its own license to operate.
If all you need is to display geographical maps (MapChart), you need only one product – amCharts: Maps.
How current licenses are affected
Any license purchase made before the switch during March 31st, 2024 is not affected. Meaning:
- The end-user license agreement that was in effect during the purchase will remain so indefinitely.
- No per-seat limit will be imposed on those licenses.
- The licenses still remain perpetual and will not expire.
Technical support subscriptions
Technical support subscriptions – amPlus – will also take on a per-seat approach.
The number of seats purchased will determine how many distinct people from your organization will be able to contact amCharts support service.
amCharts will provide online tools to easily manage the list of email address covered by your support subscription.
Some license purchases will include complimentary support subscriptions, as per below table:
| License type | Basic license | SaaS license | OEM license | Extended OEM license |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Support pricing: Extra fee | Support pricing: Included | Support pricing: Included | Support pricing: Included |
| Perpetual | Support pricing: Extra fee | Support pricing: First year: Included Renewals: Extra fee | Support pricing: First year: Included Renewals: Extra fee | Support pricing: First year: Included Renewals: Extra fee |
Current active subscriptions will accommodate unlimited seats condition until at least their next renewal date.
At this time we plan on keeping renewals with the old conditions until July 2024. Any renewals to old subscription before July 2024 will retain the unlimited-seats model.
Subscriptions expiring after midnight of July 1st, 2024 will need to be switched to the new per-sear support subscriptions.
When is this happening?
We’re implementing changes on Sunday, March 31st, 2024. There are a lot of moving parts to consider, so changes will appear gradually.
We strongly advise to hold off from purchases on March 31st.
If you still need to purchase an old-style license, do it on March 30 or earlier. Or wait for April 1st.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I need to add developer seats mid-project?
You will be able to do so using subscription management tools.
For active subscriptions, adding new seats will create a new charge, pro-rated based on the time remaining to the next renewal.
And what if I need to remove seats from subscription?
You can do so, too. However, we won’t be able to refund you the amount for the remaining subscription period.
The new seat count will take effect with the next billing cycle.
How can I specify users who will be able to access license information as well as contact support?
amCharts will provide online tools where you will be able to edit a list of email addresses that can see license information when logged into amcharts.com, as well as a list of address that can contact amCharts support under your support subscription.