Box licensing is the set of terms under which Box sells its cloud content management service: file storage and sharing, collaboration, e-signatures with Box Sign, Box AI, workflow tools and developer APIs. The online contract is the Box Terms of Service, effective 2026-08-17. US residents contract with Box, Inc., residents outside the US other than Japan with Box.com (UK) Ltd., and residents of Japan with K.K. Box Japan.[1] An organization agrees to these Terms when it uses the service “unless that organization has a separate paid contract in effect with us, in which event the terms of that contract will govern”.[1] The Fair Use Policy, effective 2026-06-26, adds limits on bandwidth, API calls, Box AI and user counting.[2] Catalog proof: A separate paid contract overrides the Terms of Service.
Box is sold as a service, so there are no perpetual licences. The only installed software is the optional desktop and mobile clients, such as Box Drive. Their licence is “personal, worldwide …, royalty-free, non-assignable and non-exclusive”, “for the sole purpose of enabling you to use and enjoy the benefit of the Service”.[1] The licensed unit is the user account, sold as monthly or annual subscriptions. Catalog proof: Box desktop and mobile software is licensed only to use the Service.
Editions
Box lists eight plans on its pricing pages. Business plans are priced per user per month, with a minimum of three users.[3][4]
| Plan | Users | Storage | Max file upload | Notable inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | Single user, free | 10 GB | 250 MB | 1 file version; 5 Box Sign requests per month |
| Personal Pro | Single user | 100 GB | 5 GB | 10 file versions |
| Business Starter | 3 to 10 | 100 GB | 2 GB | 25 file versions |
| Business | Minimum 3 | Unlimited | 5 GB | External collaborators paid per each; 50K API calls per month |
| Business Plus | Minimum 3 | Unlimited | 15 GB | Unlimited external collaborators; advanced admin controls |
| Enterprise | Minimum 3 | Unlimited | 50 GB | 1K AI Units per month; native classifications and threat detection; 100K API calls |
| Enterprise Plus | Minimum 3 | Unlimited | 150 GB | 2K AI Units per month; Box Agent; 24-hour enhanced support |
| Enterprise Advanced | Minimum 3 | Unlimited | 500 GB | 20K AI Units; Box Apps, AI Studio, Forms, Doc Gen, Box Archive; 200K API calls |
Sources: pricing pages and plan comparison.[3][4] Enterprise Advanced is sold through sales. Box launched it in January 2025 as “the full power of Intelligent Content Management in a comprehensive package”.[8] The plans and their limits are compared in Box plans, storage and file limits. Catalog proof: Business plans require at least three users.
Metrics
| Unit | Catalog row | How it is counted |
|---|---|---|
| User account | User account license | “a Box account for each user”; employees using individual-plan accounts for company content count[1] |
| External collaborator | External collaborator | Counts as a seat on Starter and Business; unlimited on Business Plus and higher[6] |
| AI Unit | AI Unit | Monthly entitlement for paid Box AI features; no rollover[5] |
| API Call | API Call | Monthly allotment per plan; every request counts[2] |
| Bandwidth | Account Bandwidth | 1 TB per purchased user licence per month, pooled[2] |
| Platform resources | Platform Monthly Active User, Platform Storage | Purchased for custom applications built on Box Platform[1] |
| Zones account | Box Zones account | “a Box Zones account for each user”[1] |
The user definition is broad. The Terms count as organization users both the accounts controlled by the organization’s administrator and anyone who can “access, store, retrieve or manage” the organization’s content and is employed by it or uses an email address it controls. “These categories include, for the avoidance of doubt, any such users with individual plan accounts.”[1] Catalog proof: Every user needs a Box account licence; Employees on individual plans count as organization users.
Counting / floors
Minimums. Every business plan has a minimum of three users and no maximum. Business Starter is for up to 10 users.[3][4]
One person, one account. “Each user must have a separate account. You may not share, loan or transfer your ID or password.”[1] The Fair Use Policy forbids lowering the user count artificially, for example with shared accounts, accounts on generic aliases, accounts deleted before a true-up and then re-created, or accounts set up on employees’ personal email addresses.[2] Catalog proof: Accounts may not be shared; Do not deflate the user count.
Excess Users. Box can send a report of users above the purchased accounts. The customer must then buy accounts or permanently delete the Excess Users within seven days. Twenty-one days after the report, Box bills the payment method on file for any Excess Users not yet deleted, on the same plan and coterminous with the existing licences. There is no refund for deleting them later.[1] See Box Terms of Service and Excess Users. Catalog proof: Excess Users must be bought or deleted within seven days of a report; Box bills remaining Excess Users 21 days after its report.
Consumables. API Calls and AI Units are enterprise-wide entitlements. Above them, Box may throttle, rate-limit or temporarily suspend use, or bill extra resources at an administrator’s direction.[1] Catalog proof: Consumables above entitlement can be throttled or billed.
Virtualization & partitioning
Not applicable. Box is a hosted service and is not counted on servers, processors or virtual machines. The nearest equivalents are the rules against using a user account as a “system account” or “service account” without Box’s authorization, and the Platform Service Accounts available for back-end integrations.[2][1] Catalog proof: User accounts may not be used as service accounts.
Cloud / BYOL
Box is itself the cloud service, so bring-your-own-licence does not arise. Content is stored in the United States by default. The paid Box Zones add-on stores content in other regions, “subject to … a purchase of a Box Zones account for each user”, and only for content created after Zones is purchased.[1] Catalog proof: Box Zones needs a Zones account for each user.
Programs
- Monthly Subscription Plan and Annual Subscription Plan. Both renew automatically unless cancelled at least three business days before the renewal date. On an annual plan the customer may not “cancel, reduce the number of seats, or downgrade” until the anniversary date.[1] The pricing pages show annual billing about 25% below monthly billing.[3]
- Excess Users true-up and Excess Consumption. Vendor-initiated billing for users and for consumable resources above the entitlement.[1]
- Box trial. A trial lasts 14 days unless another period is stated, and may convert to a paid subscription.[1]
- Box Platform Resources. Monthly Active Users, Platform API Calls, Platform Bandwidth and Platform Storage for custom applications.[2] Add-on AI Units and Core API volumes have a minimum of 1,000 per month on an annual commitment.[7]
- Add-ons. Box Shield, Shield Pro, Box Governance, Box Zones and Box Keysafe are sold on top of the plans.[3] See Box AI Units, Platform and add-ons.
Audits and compliance
Box has no audit clause in the usual sense. It measures usage in the service, sends reports of Excess Users or Excess Usage to the billing contact, and bills automatically after the stated periods.[1] Under the Fair Use Policy, breaches or exceeding purchased limits can lead to additional controls, suspension, or Box “declining your next service renewal”.[2] For a licence manager, the practical controls are the Admin Console user lists (managed and external users), the AI Units insight card and API usage reports.[5][6] See also true-up.
Out of scope
- Negotiated enterprise agreements and Order Forms, which override the Terms of Service and are not public.
- Prices in currencies other than the one Box displayed when the pages were retrieved, and any discounts.
- Box Sign, Box Hubs and Box Canvas feature details beyond what the plan comparison lists.