Acronis licensing is the set of terms under which Acronis International GmbH licenses its backup, disaster recovery and cyber protection software. All Acronis software is licensed to end users by Acronis International GmbH.[1] Two documents govern it. The Acronis Software License Agreement (EULA) grants a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited licence and states that one licence covers one physical machine or virtual environment unless the Acronis Licensing Policy says otherwise.[2] The Licensing Policy then sets product-by-product rules, and the EULA incorporates “the current and all future updates” of that policy.[2] Acronis’s legal page points to both.[8] The standard policy is based on the number of devices and operating environments, on premises or in any cloud, for which the software is used.[1] For the general model, see concurrent and device licensing.
Acronis sells to two audiences with different constructs. Businesses buy Acronis Cyber Protect subscriptions per protected device or seat, from Acronis’s online store or from partners.[5] Managed service providers buy Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, a multi-tenant platform billed monthly per workload or per gigabyte, above a minimum monthly commitment.[1][3]
Editions
| Product | Audience | How it is licensed |
|---|---|---|
| Acronis Cyber Protect Standard, Advanced and Backup Advanced | Businesses | Subscription per Workstation, Server, Virtual Host, Public Cloud VM (three VMs), Windows Server Essentials, or per Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace seat[1] |
| Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud | Service providers | Monthly per workload, per GB, or solution-based per workload, with Advanced packs per workload or mailbox[1][3] |
| Acronis Cloud Storage, Disaster Recovery Add-on | Businesses | Storage capacity subscription; per DR cloud server, with Compute Points and IP addresses[1] |
| Acronis Cyber Protect Connect | Businesses and individuals | Per End User subscription; Free, Personal and Professional editions[1] |
| Acronis Snap Deploy, DeviceLock DLP, Cloud Manager, Cloud Security, Cyber Infrastructure | Businesses | Per Machine, per Host or VM, or by storage capacity[1] |
| Acronis True Image (formerly Cyber Protect Home Office) | Home users | Subscription for one, three or five Machines plus unlimited mobile devices[1] |
The three Cyber Protect editions differ in scale and features. Advanced and Backup Advanced manage an unlimited number of machines centrally, while Standard backs up and protects five physical machines, with unlimited virtual machines, under a single protection plan.[1] Detailed coverage is in Acronis Cyber Protect licensing, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud licensing and Acronis Snap Deploy, DeviceLock and other products licensing.
Metrics
| Acronis term | Catalog row | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Device | Device | A single hardware system with an operating environment, physical or virtual; a Windows or Linux operating system counts as one device even when several operating systems are installed on one hardware unit.[1] |
| Hypervisor Host Server | Hypervisor Host Server | A computer that can run multiple operating systems on a single machine; Virtual Host licences cover it and an unlimited number of its VMs.[1] |
| Microsoft 365 seat | Microsoft 365 seat | A Microsoft 365 user or a shared mailbox.[5] |
| Workload | Workload | In Cyber Protect Cloud, an individual Workstation, Virtual Machine, Server, Hosting Server, Website, Mobile Device, Microsoft 365 seat or Google Workspace seat.[1] |
| GB | Protected storage (GB) | In the Per GB model, Acronis Hosted, service-provider-hosted and local storage used by all protected workloads.[1] |
| Compute point | Compute point | A unit introduced by Acronis for pricing and reporting compute resources used by failover servers.[1] |
Counting / floors
One licence per protected device. A licence is required to protect each device. Deploying the software needs no licence, but a device protected through bootable media, without an installed agent, still needs one.[1] Catalog: One licence is required per protected device, even without installation. Inventory tools that only find installed agents will therefore undercount devices backed up with boot media.
Clusters. Each node of a cluster must be licensed.[1] Catalog: Each cluster node must be licensed.
Seat packs and minimums. In the online store, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup and Email Archiving are sold in packs of five seats.[5] Catalog: Online store Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace seats come in packs of five. DeviceLock DLP has a minimum order of five licences.[1] Service providers commit to a minimum monthly tier.[3]
Transfer. Device licences are non-transferable and non-assignable, except that a licence may move to a replacement machine when the original becomes non-functioning or obsolete and is taken out of service.[1] The EULA allows a single-machine licence to move to a new machine once the original installation is completely removed and no longer in use.[2] Catalog: Device licences move only to a replacement machine.
Virtualization & partitioning
Virtual machines are devices in their own right, and Acronis offers three ways to license them. A Workstation or Server licence covers one physical or virtual machine. A Virtual Host licence covers one Hypervisor Host Server and an unlimited number of VMs on it, with unlimited VM migrations to or from the host. A Public Cloud VM licence covers three VMs in Microsoft Azure or AWS.[1] Catalog: Virtual Host licences cover unlimited VMs on one hypervisor host; Public Cloud VM licences cover three VMs in Azure or AWS. Multi-boot hardware counts as one device.[1] See virtualization and partitioning.
Cloud / BYOL
Acronis licences explicitly cover machines “running on the End User’s premises or in anyone’s cloud”, so a Server or Workstation licence can protect a VM hosted by any provider.[1] Cloud deployment of the management server, hosted in an Acronis data center, is available only with subscription licences.[5] Perpetual licences cannot use cloud deployment or features such as cloud-to-cloud backup.[4] See cloud BYOL.
Programs
- Service provider models. Per Workload, Per GB and Solution-based licensing, under a minimum monthly commitment. Only one model may be used per customer tenant.[6] See Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud licensing.
- Acronis Advantage. The first-year subscription of Acronis Advantage is included with corporate products. It offers 24x7 phone, chat and email support with a one-hour initial response for business-critical errors.[7] Catalog: First year of Acronis Advantage is included with corporate products.
- Trial license. All Cyber Protect features are available for 30 days after trial licence activation.[4]
Subscription and perpetual licences
Acronis Cyber Protect is sold with subscription licences.[1] A subscription includes unlimited updates and free technical support during its validity. When it ends, existing protection plans stop working and new ones cannot be created.[4] Catalog: Expired subscriptions stop protection plans. Perpetual licences are now labelled legacy: use is not time-limited, but support and free updates are available only during a renewable maintenance period.[4] Catalog: Perpetual licences are legacy; updates and support need maintenance. Other product lines moved the same way. DeviceLock DLP has been sold only on subscription since 2021-07-01 and Snap Deploy Machine licences since 2023-08-01; the DeviceLock Endpoint DLP section adds that from 2022-01-01 Acronis no longer offers new perpetual licences in any territory except Japan, without affecting maintenance for existing perpetual licences.[1]
Subscription dates run from the purchase date, not from the date a key is registered in the Acronis Customer Portal. A renewal bought before expiry extends from the current expiration date, and a renewal bought after expiry starts on its purchase date.[1] Catalog: Subscription terms start on the purchase date, not on registration. Keys bought in advance and left unregistered therefore lose term.
Licence keys and activation
Acronis issues a licence key for each licence purchased. Subscription licences are considered activated on delivery or on key activation, unless the purchase order sets another date, and subscription software may contain time-stamped serial keys that deactivate when the paid term expires. Using, distributing or selling keys outside the Licensing Policy and the EULA is prohibited.[1] Catalog: Licence keys may only be used within the Licensing Policy. Keys bought online are delivered once payment is received and registered automatically in the Acronis Customer Portal.[5] On-premises installations must synchronize subscriptions with the customer account, which requires an internet connection on the machine running the product.[1]
Contract terms
Restrictions. The EULA prohibits sublicensing, renting or distributing the Software, using it to perform services for third parties on a service bureau or time-sharing basis without written authorization, and publishing benchmarks.[2] Catalog: No service bureau use or benchmark publication without consent. The licensee may not assign or transfer its rights without Acronis’s prior written consent, while Acronis may assign freely.[2] Catalog: EULA rights may not be assigned without Acronis's consent.
Changes. Changes to the EULA take effect immediately for new users and, for existing users, 30 days after e-mail notice or website posting. Acronis may also introduce licence fees at any time for Software, Services or Features it did not previously charge for.[2] Catalog: EULA changes bind existing users after 30 days and new fees may be introduced.
Governing law. The governing law depends on the licensee’s principal address: Massachusetts for the United States, Germany, England and Wales, Singapore for much of Asia and Oceania, and Switzerland elsewhere.[2]
Audits and compliance
For Acronis Cyber Protect, the EULA lets Acronis ask the licensee to certify in writing the number of servers, copies, configuration and site in use. Acronis, its licensors or an independent auditor may audit use during normal business hours, after reasonable advance written notice, no more than once a year.[2] Catalog: Cyber Protect licensees may be audited once a year. The Licensing Policy adds a separate usage audit right under its Fair Use Policy for hosted Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace storage.[1] Catalog: Excessive hosted Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace storage may be charged. For the general discipline see software license audit and license compliance.
Out of scope
- Prices quoted by partners and distributors, and the service provider price list, which is in the Partner Portal Licensing Guide.
- Discontinued products listed in the Licensing Policy’s section on discontinued products, such as Cyber Protect 15 perpetual licences and MassTransit.
- Acronis Cyber Files, Files Connect and Cyber Notary Cloud beyond their mention here.
- Litigation. No court case about Acronis software licences was found in primary court records.