Epicor licensing is the set of terms under which Epicor Software Corporation and its Affiliates supply business software, mainly ERP for manufacturers, distributors, retailers and the automotive aftermarket. The product lines that Epicor runs customer education for include Epicor Kinetic, its ERP for manufacturing[3], and Prophet 21 and Eclipse, its distribution ERPs.[4][5] All of them are sold under one contract framework, the Master Customer Agreement (MCA). The current MCA is dated 2026-07-30.
The MCA states that it, “any Order(s) incorporating it, and Product Supplement specified in an Order” together form the Agreement that governs Products ordered from Epicor Software Corporation “or an Affiliate specified in the Order”.[1] The same terms therefore apply whether the customer runs Kinetic in Epicor’s cloud, runs Prophet 21 on its own servers, or buys data services for auto parts. The Order states the products and fees, and whether the products are licensed by named or concurrent user.
Editions
The MCA defines three ways of licensing a Product. The Order says which one applies.[1]
| Licensing form | MCA definition | Support |
|---|---|---|
| Perpetual Products / Software | Software licensed “on a perpetual, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and non-sublicensable basis”, installed on customer-controlled hardware at its premises or in a co-location facility | Annual Support subscription, renewing automatically |
| Subscription Products | “Products, other than SaaS Services, provided on a term limited basis” | Included during the License Term |
| SaaS Services | Products identified in an Order as Software as a Service or Data as a Service, with their Software Updates | Included during the License Term |
The License Term is “The period of time (perpetual or limited)” during which a Deliverable may be used.[1] Epicor also offers single-tenant cloud services. The BisTrack Services Specification describes Single Tenant SaaS, and Single Tenant Hosting, in which “Epicor is hosting your on-premise or perpetual Software license”.[2] Product-level editions and bundles are set out in Product Supplements and on Epicor’s website, which were not readable for this article.
Metrics
The MCA recognises two user metrics.[1]
- Named User. “User Product logins are for designated individual Users only”. A login may not be shared, but it “may be redeployed to another individual upon notice”.
- Concurrent User. “Customer will not allow more Users to access the Products than allowed under the Order.”
Both count Users: “Employees or contractors authorized by Customer and licensed to use Deliverables”.[1] In hosted single-tenant environments, the 2019 BisTrack specification adds per-user monthly charges for Active Directory users above the threshold in the sales Order, and for hosted Microsoft Office.[2] The product-specific licence types inside Kinetic, Prophet 21 and Eclipse are not described in any public Epicor document that could be retrieved.
Counting / floors
User quantities come from the Order, and the MCA sets no minimum. The customer “must monitor Products usage, including accurate assignment to named users”. Epicor “may remotely monitor Customer’s compliance”. If usage exceeds “the number of Users (Named or Concurrent) stated in the Order”, the customer pays the additional Fees “within 10 days of the invoice date”.[1] Notices about Users, User counts and adjustments go to Epicor’s sales address, not its legal notice address.[1] Details are in Epicor Master Customer Agreement: users and compliance. Catalog proof: Named user logins cannot be shared but can be redeployed on notice; Concurrent access may not exceed the Order quantity; Excess Named or Concurrent Users are paid within 10 days of invoice; User count changes are notified to Epicor sales.
Virtualization & partitioning
The MCA has no processor, core or virtual machine metric. It defines where perpetual Software may run: “on hardware owned or leased and controlled by Customer at Customer’s premises, or … within a third-party server co-location facility”.[1] Running perpetual Software in an infrastructure that the customer does not control, such as a public cloud tenancy managed by a third party, is not covered by that definition. It would need to be agreed with Epicor. Catalog proof: On-premises Software runs on customer-controlled hardware or co-location.
Cloud / BYOL
Epicor’s own cloud routes are SaaS Services and Epicor-run hosting. In the 2019 BisTrack specification, Single Tenant SaaS includes Application Support, while Single Tenant Hosting of a perpetual licence needs Application Support bought separately. The infrastructure element includes “Software licensing (e.g. operating system, Terminal Services, SQL Server)”.[2] At the end of a SaaS term, Customer Data is returned in machine-readable format if requested within 30 days.[1] See Epicor Support, SaaS and hosting terms. Catalog proof: Hosting includes Microsoft infrastructure licensing; Application Support is included in single tenant SaaS but separate for hosting; SaaS customer data is returned on request within 30 days.
Programs
- Support for Perpetual Products. Support is a subscription of 12 complete calendar months from delivery. It renews yearly unless either party gives notice at least 90 days before the end of the period, and fees are payable annually in advance.[1]
- Support for SaaS Services and Subscription Products. Provided during the License Term.[1]
- Customization Support and Microsoft Embedded Maintenance. Separate subscriptions for Epicor-built Customizations and for new versions of embedded Microsoft software.[1]
- Trial Services. SaaS Services offered as-is, for non-production use only.[1]
- Order Renewal Term. “Orders shall automatically renew”, and the MCA in effect at renewal governs the Renewal Term.[1]
- Consulting Services. Charged on a time and materials basis unless the Order or Statement of Work says otherwise.[1]
- Third-Party Applications Addendum and Resale Transactions. Third-party software is marked with ”*” on the Order. Purchases through a reseller follow the reseller’s payment terms.[1]
- Information Services and Connectivity Services. Automotive aftermarket data and network services, such as PartExpert and the Epicor Parts Network, each with its own supplement.[1]
Transfers. “Customer may not assign or transfer any rights or obligations under this Agreement without Epicor’s prior written consent, and Epicor may charge a reasonable license transfer fee.” Asset or stock sales, mergers and reorganizations count as transfers.[1] Catalog proof: Assignment and corporate transactions need Epicor consent and may incur a transfer fee.
Out of scope
This page does not cover Product Supplements (SaaS/DaaS, Software License, Software Subscription License, Customization and others), the current Service Level Agreement and Services Specifications, the Data Processing Addendum, or prices. These documents are published on epicor.com, which blocked automated reading when this page was written. Product-level licence types (for example module or device licences in Kinetic, Prophet 21 or Eclipse) are not covered for the same reason. Epicor has been party to court cases about its software. This wiki has no case article on them because no primary court record could be retrieved.