Ansys agreements and product codes are the documents that set the rights in an Ansys licence. Since at least August 2023 Ansys has used a modular framework. The Ansys General Terms and Conditions (AGTC) govern “all of Ansys’ offerings, like licenses, TECS, services and SaaS”. Additional Terms apply to each offering as listed on the Order Form, and Ansys Product Codes (APCs) give detailed provisions for individual offerings. In each case the version in effect at contract execution applies.[6] Ansys lists archived versions of all three. AGTC versions date from August 2023, License Terms from August 2023 and Product Codes from August 2023 onwards.[6] Before that framework, Ansys licensed under a Software License Agreement incorporated into each signed License Form. Web versions run from 2002 to the current version of 2021-07-29.[11][4]
Editions
| Document | Version cited | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Ansys General Terms and Conditions | 2025-11-19[1] | Master terms; each Order Form is a separate Agreement[1] |
| License Terms (Additional Terms) | 2025-04-09[2] | Licence grant, geography, borrowing, TECS, audit[2] |
| Ansys Product Codes | 2026-05-15[3] | Licence type, geography and special rights per Program[3] |
| Software License Agreement | 2021-07-29[4] | Earlier model, signed through a License Form[4] |
| Clickwrap Agreement for Licensed Offerings | 2024-04-18[5] | Only where no written agreement governs the Program[5] |
Precedence. Under the AGTC a conflict is resolved in this order: the APC, then any cloud services description, then the Additional Terms, then the AGTC.[1] A renewal is on the same terms unless the parties agree otherwise.[1] The clickwrap is void wherever the customer has already agreed in writing to an agreement that specifically governs the Programs.[5] Catalog: Order of precedence: Product Code, cloud services description, Additional Terms, AGTC.
Metrics
Product codes are where Ansys defines its licence metrics. The ones a licence manager meets most often:
| Code | Meaning (APC May 2026) |
|---|---|
| STL | Standard License: simultaneous tasks or active processes on the Designated Network[3] |
| NUL | Named User License: named Users by e-mail or username; no sharing[3] |
| MAU | Monthly Active User: one user per licence for the rest of the calendar month[3] |
| NLL | Node-locked License: one designated computer, by host ID[3] |
| MIL | Multi Instance Standard License: one User may run several instances on one computer[3] |
| AEC | Ansys Elastic Currency: use up to the credits at the rate-table rate[3] |
| FSA | Flexible Spending Account: a lease drawn down against a prepaid amount[3] |
| DBL | Database License: a licence for each individual User accessing the Program, directly or indirectly[3] |
| CPL | Collaboration Pool License: free, with quarterly usage reports[3] |
The Database License says the customer “shall not bundle access requests by several Users by technical means”. A licence is needed for each individual User accessing the Program, directly or indirectly. In effect this is an anti-multiplexing rule (commentary).[3] The 2021 Software License Agreement used a separate definition of user-host-display (UHD) counted components.[4] Catalog: Monthly Active User licences lock to one user for the month; UHD-counted components: one licence per user, computer and display.
Counting / floors
Who may use. Programs may only be used by Users, meaning employees of the customer or its Affiliates and Contract Users, and only for Internal Business Purposes.[2] Internal Business Purposes may include value-added services to third parties. They exclude providing data processing services, acting as an application service provider, batch processing services, and using the Program or its results to create a competing product.[2] Ansys may deny licences and TECS to Affiliates that join after the agreement, for example through an acquisition.[2] The 2021 SLA went further. It let Ansys terminate on a change of control, such as the transfer of a majority of the licensee’s voting securities.[4] Catalog: Internal Business Purposes: consulting allowed, ASP and data processing services not; Ansys may deny use by Affiliates acquired after the agreement.
Lease renewals (2021 SLA). Lease Licenses are non-cancelable and renew automatically for a like term unless notice is given. A licensee that issues no purchase order before expiry is deemed to have given notice, and Ansys is deemed to have given notice if it sends no renewal quotation. Leases bought again in the same configuration within three months need no new License Form.[4] Catalog: Lease Licenses are non-cancelable and renew automatically (2021 SLA).
TECS. TECS is included with Lease Licenses and bought separately for Paid-up Licenses. It covers only the two most recent commercially available releases, and lapsed TECS is reinstated at the then-current reinstatement fee.[2] Under the 2021 SLA, Ansys has no obligation to reinstate TECS that has lapsed for more than three months.[4] Catalog: TECS: two latest releases; lapsed TECS reinstated only for a fee. See software maintenance and support.
Virtualization & partitioning
Geography is the main locational limit. With no code on the Order Form, a key-managed Program is LAN and a login-managed Program is Global WAN.[2] The APC defines LAN as users within 50 miles (80 km) of the Designated Site. Extended LAN covers the country of the Designated Site. Site-based WAN covers 50 miles of each Designated Site. Regional WAN covers one of the regions Ansys publishes. Global WAN covers anywhere, subject to Export Laws and any Restricted Country License.[3] The four WAN regions are North America and the Caribbean, Europe with the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Use is limited to sites on the Remote Site List that comes with the Quotation.[8] The 2021 SLA used a 25-mile (40-km) LAN radius instead.[4] Catalog: LAN licences cover users within 50 miles (80 km) of the Designated Site; WAN geographies: Extended LAN, Site-based, Regional and Global WAN.
Dongles. A dongle permits use on one computer at a time and remains Ansys property. If a Lease License dongle is not returned, the licensee pays the then-current Paid-Up License fee.[9] Catalog: Lease dongles not returned are charged at the Paid-Up price.
Cloud / BYOL
The License Terms do not name clouds. Use is defined by geography and by the Designated Network that a License Key restricts.[2] The 2021 SLA added that Ansys may transmit customer information to Ansys-sanctioned data centres to execute simulation workloads, and that this is not a disclosure to a third party.[4] For hosted licensing, see Ansys Elastic and web licensing.
Programs
Academic. Academic Programs must be used for non-proprietary work, and only by people at or affiliated with an academic facility. They may not be used for competitive analysis such as benchmarking, or for commercial activity including consulting.[7] They may be used within 50 miles (80 km) of the Designated Site, or within the same country under Campus Solutions or Academic Extended LAN. The limits also apply to VPN access and borrowing.[7] The product codes rank academic licences by scope. Academic Teaching (ATE) is teaching only. Academic Research (ARL) adds non-proprietary research without commercial third parties. Academic Associate (AAS) adds industry-funded non-proprietary research.[3] Catalog: Academic; Academic licences: non-proprietary work, no benchmarking or commercial use.
Ansys Student. The free bundle is for educational use only. The built-in licence for the current release is valid until 2027-03-31.[10] Catalog: Ansys Student; Ansys Student: educational use only, capped problem size.
Evaluation. Evaluation Licenses are for internal demonstration and evaluation only, without warranty or indemnification.[3] Catalog: Evaluation License.
Audits and compliance
Audit. On 15 days’ notice and no more than once a year, Ansys may review licence usage with its own staff or an independent firm. It may have access to premises during business hours and to relevant data. Non-compliant use is paid at the then-current list price plus damages within 30 days. If its list value is 5% or more of the current contract year’s value, the customer also reimburses audit costs and attorneys’ fees.[2] The 2021 SLA allowed an audit every twelve months on 15 days’ notice. Any non-compliance made the licensee pay the audit costs, with no threshold.[4] Catalog: Audit once a year on 15 days' notice; costs shift at 5% of contract year.
Usage reports and anti-piracy. For multi-site licences the customer must on request send a yearly usage report with sites, machine identifiers and hours of access.[2] Ansys may embed anti-piracy technology that reports user, network, location, IP, hostname, MAC address and domain data if programs or licence keys are tampered with. The customer must tell its Users about this processing.[2] The clickwrap puts the same warning in capitals at the top.[5] Catalog: Multi-site licences: annual usage report within 20 days of request; Anti-piracy technology reports tampering with programs or licence keys.
Enforcement in court. Federal court dockets show Ansys suing over unlicensed use. One example is ANSYS, Inc. v. Actox Corporation in the Western District of Pennsylvania, filed 2020-11-05 and terminated 2021-01-29.[12] Ansys has also brought a series of copyright suits against unnamed “Doe” defendants in the Western District of Texas. In one of them (filed 2022-10-20), Ansys moved for leave to serve a third-party subpoena before the Rule 26(f) conference. Another was filed on 2026-03-17.[13][14] No published decision in these cases has been found. See software licensing litigation.
Out of scope
- Signed enterprise agreements, channel partner terms and government contract vehicles.
- Additional Terms for cloud services, quality services and training, and product codes for SaaS (ACP, ASI, GSI).
- Synopsys’s own licence agreements, which govern Synopsys (non-Ansys) products.