Ansys Elastic and web licensing covers the ways Ansys delivers and meters its licences other than through fixed product licences. Ansys offers Shared Web, Named User and Elastic licensing as web-based options that can be accessed from on-premises and cloud resources. Shared Web delivers concurrent licensing, while Named User licensing is for dedicated users of specific products.[1] Fixed licences, by contrast, are served by the customer’s own Ansys License Manager. Ansys uses FlexNet for all its licensed products.[2] Elastic Licensing is Ansys’s “pay-per-use” licensing system. The customer buys a pool of elastic currency, and each Ansys product consumes a number of units per hour.[6] For the general model, see subscription and consumption licensing.
Editions
| Delivery | Who runs the server | Counting | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| FlexNet (Ansys License Manager) | Customer: lmgrd plus the ansyslmd vendor daemon, single server or three-server triad[2] | Simultaneous tasks per licence file | Simultaneous task |
| Shared Web | Ansys (“Cloud License Service”)[5] | Pools shared by multiple users[4] | Shared Web Licensing |
| Named User (web) | Ansys | Each licence assigned to an individual[4] | Named User |
| Elastic (AEC; AEU legacy) | Ansys (Cloud License Server)[7] | Currency per product-hour[9] | Ansys Elastic Currency |
The Ansys Licensing Portal shows entitlements and lets administrators activate them against a host ID, mark activations as borrowable, and download license files.[15] For Ansys Semiconductor products, licence files have come from Synopsys SmartKeys since 2025-12-08.[13]
Metrics
Elastic Currency. Under the Additional Terms, a licensee that buys Ansys Elastic Currency “has not procured fixed licenses of Program(s)”. It has bought the right to access the Programs and Ansys-operated hardware in the consumption rate table on an incremental basis.[7] The applicable table is the latest version posted at the time of purchase. Each month the Elastic Use is decremented against the remaining balance.[7] Catalog: Elastic Currency is decremented monthly at the purchase-time rate table.
Sample rates from table v9, effective 2026-01-01:[9]
| Product | AEC per hour |
|---|---|
| Ansys Mechanical Enterprise Solver; Ansys CFD Enterprise Solver; Ansys HFSS Solver; Ansys LS-DYNA | 29.0 |
| Ansys Mechanical Enterprise PrepPost; Ansys CFD PrepPost; Ansys SpaceClaim | 14.5 |
| Ansys Discovery Enterprise | 19.4 |
| Ansys Speos Enterprise Solver | 48.1 |
| Ansys optiSLang Enterprise | 39.5 |
| Ansys medini analyze Enterprise | 118.0 |
| Ansys HPC | int(7.3*n^0.57) |
Table v9 says its rates apply to Ansys Elastic Currency entitlements created on or after its effective date.[9] The Elastic Licensing Terms page still says that rate table v7 applies to AEC bought on or after 2024-01-01.[10] A licence manager should record which table each entitlement carries. The Licensing Portal links each entitlement to its rate table and explains the versioning. A major version (3.0 to 4.0) may add or remove products and raise or lower rates; a minor version (3.0 to 3.1) generally only adds products or lowers rates. The major version stays fixed for the purchase contract.[11]
Elastic Units (legacy). Before Elastic Currency, Ansys sold Ansys Elastic Units (AEU) under terms effective 2019-08-22. The number of Elastic Unit Licenses is the prepaid Elastic Use Amount.[12] Use above that amount is invoiced against any Overage Fees on the purchase order. Otherwise the licensee must issue a purchase order for the excess within ten business days.[12] Catalog: Ansys Elastic Unit; Elastic Units overage must be covered by purchase order within ten business days.
Counting / floors
FlexNet task counts. Each licence file states the tasks a server may grant. Ansys Common Licensing shares one checkout across a parent and child process tree, and across instances for one user tied to a host and display.[3] The License Management Guide notes that existing customers may not get new licences for each release; they get them when current licences or TECS expire.[2] Usage history and peak usage can be viewed in the license manager. The ansyslm_report tool builds usage, history and denial reports from the FlexNet debug log.[2]
Elastic balance. The customer is solely responsible for tracking its elastic use, and Ansys need not warn when the balance runs out. Any Elastic Currency left at the end of the License Term is forfeited without refund.[8] Errors in a monthly usage report must be disputed within ten business days.[8] In practice the portal does warn. Its entitlement view turns yellow at 80% used and red above 95%, and it sends emails at 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% and 100% of the prepaid allowance and 30 days before expiry.[11] Catalog: Unused Elastic Currency is forfeited; customer must track its own use.
Web licensing. Web licensing, both Shared and Named User, does not support queueing.[4] Administrators assign Shared Web licences to groups and Named User licences to users in the Licensing Portal.[4] Catalog: Web licensing (Shared Web and Named User) does not support queueing.
Virtualization & partitioning
A FlexNet SERVER line carries the server’s host name, host ID and lmgrd port; 1055 is the Ansys default.[2] The ansyslmd daemon uses any free port unless one is set on the VENDOR line.[2] In a three-server (triad) setup the license file must be on all three servers.[2] Ansys does not recommend or support running its license manager with license files combined with other vendors’ files.[2] Products from release 2025 R1 need at least Ansys License Manager 2024 R1.03.[3] The License Terms allow three free replacement licence keys per TECS period when the Designated Network changes.[14] Catalog: Do not combine Ansys licence files with other vendors' FlexNet files; Three free replacement licence keys per TECS period for network changes. Compare PTC license server and FlexNet licensing.
Cloud / BYOL
Elastic and web licences need an internet connection. The Elastic Currency service level terms say that access “shall require Customer to be connected to the internet”. Ansys commits to commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Cloud License Server available 99% of each month, with hour-for-hour credits beyond that.[8] The legacy Elastic Units terms promised 90%.[12] The 2023 Shared Web terms target 99.9% monthly availability for the Cloud License Service. Credits are counted in days, and the customer must request them within 30 days.[5] Clients find the Elastic server through a Cloud License Server ID and PIN in the ansyslmd.ini file.[3] In the portal, administrators can change the six-digit PIN and restrict the Elastic server to listed IP addresses. Without IP rules, Elastic Licensing accepts traffic from any address.[17]
Mobility
FlexNet licences can be borrowed from the Licensing Settings utility, with a return date per increment.[3] The License Terms limit borrowing to 30 continuous days and 90 days a year.[14] Shared Web licences can be “roamed” offline in a similar way, choosing the number of licences and a return date.[3] Catalog: Borrowing is limited to 30 continuous days and 90 days a year.
Programs
Ansys Elastic Licensing and Shared Web Licensing are the two catalogued programmes on this page. Both bind the customer to Ansys data processing terms: the Ansys Product Codes for AEC and SWL refer to a Data Processing Agreement and to service level or data security terms.[16]
Audits and compliance
Elastic Currency has its own audit clause. On reasonable notice, at its own cost and no more than once a year, Ansys may have an independent auditing firm examine licence usage. The firm may access the licensee’s premises, data, files and information, but needs consent for physical access to computing devices.[7] Usage reports not sent automatically must be provided within five business days of a request.[7] Catalog: Elastic Currency: independent audit once a year. For FlexNet licences, the License Terms audit clause applies; see Ansys agreements and product codes.
Out of scope
- Ansys Cloud Direct and Ansys Hardware Currency rates, set in a separate hardware consumption table.
- The full Elastic product list, which is in the rate table PDFs.
- SaaS offerings (Ansys Cloud Platform, SimAI), which have their own cloud services descriptions.