Dynatrace licensing is the set of terms under which Dynatrace sells its observability and application security platform. The platform can be run as Dynatrace SaaS or as Dynatrace Managed, a cluster the customer hosts. Since the introduction of the Dynatrace Platform Subscription (DPS), Dynatrace describes its licensing as consumption-based. The customer signs an agreement, typically for one to three years, with a minimum annual commitment. Usage accrues against that commitment at the price per unit set on a rate card.[1] Older contracts use the classic model, which counts host units, Davis data units (DDUs), Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM) units and Application Security units (ASUs). Dynatrace now calls the classic model legacy and says all new contracts are signed on DPS.[8] The contract is the Dynatrace Subscription Agreement. It covers acquisition and use of Dynatrace offerings, including trial or free use and access obtained through an authorized partner.[4] For the general model, see consumption credits and prepaid capacity.
Editions
DPS does not have editions. A DPS contract gives access to every platform capability that is generally available when the order form is signed, and any capability can be used in any quantity at any time.[2] What the customer chooses instead is a monitoring mode per host and per data type. The rate card groups capabilities into categories:[3]
| Category | Capabilities (catalog SKU) | List price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Application and Infrastructure Observability | Full-Stack Monitoring, Infrastructure Monitoring, Foundation & Discovery, Database Monitoring, Mainframe Monitoring | 0.01 per memory-GiB-hour; 0.04 and 0.01 per hour for any size host; 0.11 per database-instance-hour; 0.10 per MSU hour |
| Container Observability | Kubernetes Platform Monitoring, Code Monitoring | 0.002 per pod-hour; 0.005 per container-hour |
| Log Analytics | Ingest & Process, Retain, Query, Retain with Included Queries | 0.20 per GiB; 0.0007 per GiB-day; 0.0035 per GiB scanned; 0.02 per GiB-day |
| Telemetry | Metrics - Ingest & Process, Traces, Events | 0.15 per 100k data points; traces and events 0.20 per GiB |
| Real User and Synthetic Monitoring | Real User Monitoring, Browser Monitor or Clickpath, HTTP Monitor | 0.00225 per session; 0.0045 per synthetic action; 0.001 per synthetic request |
| Application Security | Runtime Vulnerability Analytics, Runtime Application Protection, Security Posture Management | 0.00225 per memory-GiB-hour each; 0.007 per host-hour |
On the pricing page, these hourly rates are shown as monthly equivalents: Foundation & Discovery at USD 7 per host, Infrastructure Monitoring at USD 29 per host, and Full-Stack Monitoring at USD 58 per 8 GiB host.[2] Monitoring modes and their units are explained in Dynatrace host and Kubernetes monitoring consumption.
Metrics
| Unit | Catalog row | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Memory-GiB-hour | Memory-GiB-hour | Full-Stack Monitoring; Runtime Vulnerability Analytics and Runtime Application Protection[3] |
| Host-hour | Host-hour | Infrastructure Monitoring; Foundation & Discovery[3] |
| Pod-hour | Pod-hour | Kubernetes Platform Monitoring[3] |
| GiB; GiB-day; GiB scanned | GiB ingested; GiB-day; GiB scanned | Ingest, retention and query of logs, traces and events[3] |
| Session | RUM session | Real User Monitoring[3] |
| Host unit; DDU; DEM unit; ASU | Host unit; Davis data unit; DEM unit; Application Security Unit | Classic licences only[5] |
Under DPS, cost is the usage of a capability multiplied by its price on the customer’s rate card. The rate card is part of the purchase order and can be viewed in Account Management.[6]
Counting / floors
Hourly, not high-water mark. Dynatrace meters each capability as it is used.[6] Use for part of an hour is rounded up to the nearest 15 minutes, so one minute is billed as 15 minutes and an hour and three minutes as 1.25 hours.[7] Usage is metered in UTC.[7] The rate card contrasts this hourly model with high-water-mark pricing.[3] Catalog: Usage under an hour is rounded up to the nearest 15 minutes.
Memory as the size measure. Full-Stack Monitoring is charged on host memory. RAM is rounded up to the next 0.25 GiB, and every physical or virtual host counts as at least 4 GiB.[9] Infrastructure Monitoring and Foundation & Discovery charge one host-hour per host, whatever the host’s size.[3] Catalog: Full-Stack hosts are measured by RAM rounded up to 0.25 GiB with a 4 GiB minimum.
Floors. The floor is the minimum annual commitment in the agreement.[6] Multi-year agreements are split into annual subscription periods, and Dynatrace may adjust the first period, for example to six months.[7] Above the commitment, Dynatrace says it “never charges penalty-style overages”. Further use is billed monthly on demand at the same rates as pre-paid consumption.[6] See Dynatrace Platform Subscription and rate card.
Virtualization & partitioning
Dynatrace has no processor or partition metric. A VM counts like a physical host, measured by its physical or virtual RAM.[9] The number of JVMs or microservices on a host does not affect consumption.[9] Oracle Solaris Zones, and containers that Dynatrace does not detect as containers, are each counted as hosts.[9] For IBM z/OS mainframes, the classic terms use peak rolling 4-hour average MSUs per logical partition (LPAR) instead of host units.[5] See virtualization and partitioning.
Cloud / BYOL
Dynatrace SaaS runs in Dynatrace-operated cloud regions. Dynatrace Managed runs on infrastructure the customer provides. A Managed cluster needs outbound internet access for licence validation and update downloads.[5] With DPS for Hybrid, one DPS commitment can be shared by any combination of Managed and SaaS accounts owned by the same customer. DPS licences bought through the Microsoft, AWS or Google Cloud marketplaces cannot be combined this way.[10] Purchases through a partner or marketplace are governed by the Resale End User Terms in section 3.2 of the Subscription Agreement.[4]
Programs
- Dynatrace Platform Subscription and on-demand consumption. This is the current model. Larger commitments get lower unit prices.[2]
- Classic licensing. Host units, host unit hours, DDUs, DEM units and ASUs. Their weights are set by the Platform Usage Supplement. See Dynatrace classic licensing: host units, DDUs and DEM units.
- Free trial. The pricing page offers a 15-day free trial.[2] Trial Use may only be used to evaluate a purchase, not in business processes.[4]
- Partner resale. An End User who buys through a Partner gets the access set by the Order Form between that Partner and Dynatrace.[4]
Contract terms
The Subscription Agreement grants a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence for the customer’s internal business purposes. The licence is subject to the territory, scope, type of use and deployment limits in the Order Form.[4] Unless an Order Form says otherwise, fees are invoiced in advance and are due within 30 days.[4] Order Forms cannot be cancelled or reduced during the Term, and fees are non-refundable.[4] Subscriptions renew automatically for the expiring term or one year, whichever is longer, unless either party gives notice at least 60 days before expiry.[4] The renewal price increase is capped at 8%, 9% or 10% for one-, two- or three-year renewals. A renewal that reduces units, volume, term or commitment is re-priced without the cap.[4] The customer may not use the offerings for third parties, including as a managed service, without a separate executed agreement.[4] Dynatrace may update the Subscription Agreement, but updates do not apply to Order Forms already executed.[4] The English PDF is dated April 2023, while the Trust Center page listing the language versions shows “Updated 1 April 2024”.[11] Catalog: Renewal price increases are capped at 8%, 9% or 10% by renewal length; Order Forms cannot be cancelled or reduced and renew unless 60 days' notice is given.
Audits and compliance
The Subscription Agreement has no separate audit clause. Dynatrace may terminate an Order Form immediately if the customer uses an offering other than as the Agreement authorizes.[4] Usage Data covers the features consumed and the configuration of the offering.[4] Under DPS, compliance is mainly cost control: Account Management shows forecasts, budget alerts and cost breakdowns.[7] Classic mainframe licences carry a reporting duty. The customer must notify Dynatrace if peak MSUs exceed the licensed MSUs.[5] On termination or expiry, the customer must stop use, uninstall all Dynatrace software and certify this on request.[4] See software license audit.
Out of scope
- Negotiated Order Forms, customer rate cards and discounts, which override list prices and were not retrievable.
- Dynatrace for Government and FedRAMP-specific terms.
- The Capability Specific Terms, Data Processing Agreement, AI terms and Professional Services Terms, beyond their references here.
- Archived versions of the Subscription Agreement and the Platform Usage Supplement.