Hyland licensing is the set of terms under which Hyland sells its content services software: document and records management, capture, process automation and digital asset management. The current portfolio includes OnBase, Perceptive Content, Brainware, Saperion, Hyland RPA, the Pacsgear and Acuo healthcare imaging products, Alfresco, Nuxeo and the Content Innovation Cloud.[2] Several lines came from acquisitions: the Perceptive portfolio (Perceptive Content, formerly ImageNow; Perceptive Capture, formerly Brainware; Acuo VNA; PACSGEAR; Saperion and others) in 2017, Alfresco in 2020 and Nuxeo in 2021.[13] Each line kept its own licensing mechanics, so one Hyland customer can hold OnBase workstation licences, Perceptive per-seat tokens and an Alfresco licence file at the same time.
One contract covers all of them. The Hyland Master Agreement, version 2.0 effective 2026-09-01, governs the Products (Software, Cloud Service and Pacsgear Equipment), Professional Services and Premier Care bought through an Order Form or other Incorporating Document.[1] Product-level rules sit in Product Specific Terms, one page per product and deployment. Products may be provided as Software on premise, as a Cloud Service, or as a combination that Hyland calls a “Hybrid”.[2]
The grant is a subscription right. During the term of the applicable Product Subscription, Hyland grants “a revocable, non-exclusive, non-assignable (except as expressly provided in this Agreement), limited license to use the Product”, solely for the customer’s and its Users’ internal business operations.[1] Catalog proof: Licence is limited to the Product Subscription term and internal use; Product Subscription.
Editions
Hyland publishes no price list. The Product Specific Terms and product documentation show how each line is counted.
| Product line | Deployments with own terms | How use is counted | Deeper article |
|---|---|---|---|
| OnBase | On premise; Cloud Service[2] | Legacy Concurrent, Workstation, Named User, Database/Institution and Citrix licences, or simplified Essential, Standard and Premier User packages[9][10] | OnBase licensing |
| Perceptive Content | On premise; Cloud Service[2] | Server hardware node licences plus concurrent, per seat, named, transaction package and feature licences[11] | Perceptive Content licensing |
| Alfresco | On premise; Cloud Service[2] | Service Limits such as Users, content objects, Inbound Application Requests and storage[5][12] | Alfresco and Nuxeo licensing |
| Nuxeo | On premise; Cloud Service[2] | Nuxeo Instances or Users on premise; Inbound Application Requests, Documents and storage in the cloud[6] | same |
| Content Innovation Cloud | Cloud Service[7] | Per Licensed Application, with Dependent Applications included for dependent use[7] | this article |
| Brainware, Saperion, RPA, Pacsgear | On premise (Brainware also Cloud Service)[2] | Shared on-premise terms with OnBase and Perceptive Content[3] | Out of scope |
Metrics
The Master Agreement names the families rather than the units. Products “are licensed for a specific type of use, such as concurrently, on a specified workstation, by a specified individual, or by volume or usage metrics”, and the right to use is limited by that scope.[1] The concrete units are defined per product.
| Unit | Catalog row | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Concurrent session with a five-minute minimum lease | OnBase Concurrent License | OnBase legacy licensing |
| Designated computer or cluster | OnBase Workstation License | OnBase legacy licensing |
| Named user | OnBase Named User License, simplified base package user | OnBase |
| Database | OnBase Database/Institution License | OnBase |
| Server computer; simultaneous user; computer; user name; transactions | hardware node, concurrent use, per seat, named, transaction package | Perceptive Content |
| Authorized user; content object | Alfresco user, content object | Alfresco Content Services |
| Java Virtual Machine; Document | Nuxeo Instance, Nuxeo Document | Nuxeo |
| External HTTP request | Inbound Application Request | Alfresco and Nuxeo Cloud Service |
| Licensed bed, provider, procedure room | Community Connect | Healthcare customers of OnBase and Perceptive Content |
Counting / floors
Usage limits (Master Agreement, 2026-09-01). The customer “shall not permit direct or indirect access to or use of the Product in a way that circumvents or attempts to circumvent any such usage limit”.[1] The on-premise Product Specific Terms add that only Product client licences or a Product API may access the Product or its database, other than for utilisation reports, unless Hyland consents and fees are paid.[3] Catalog proof: Products are licensed for a specific type of use and limits may not be circumvented; Only client licences or a Product API may access the Product or its database.
Volume and overage. Products licensed by volume may stop working when limits are exceeded, may require additional fees, and may monitor and report usage.[1] Overage (including storage) and consumption fees are invoiced monthly in arrears unless an Order Form says otherwise.[1] Alfresco and Nuxeo customers must report overage themselves and are invoiced pro rata.[5][6] Catalog proof: Volume-licensed Products may stop working, charge for volume and report usage; Recurring Fees billed annually in advance and overages monthly in arrears; Alfresco on-premise overage must be self-reported and is invoiced pro rata.
Environments. Unless more are bought, an on-premise customer may use one production copy and one copy for customary remote disaster recovery. The recovery copy may not run in production at the same time as another production copy. Further non-production environments for testing, integration development and training need additional fees.[3] Catalog proof: One production copy and one disaster-recovery copy are included on premise; Non-production environments require additional fees and are limited to test, integration and training.
Entitlement records. OnBase entitlements are delivered as a licence certificate. Hyland describes it as a “tamper-proof, human-readable XML file” listing every licensed module, and each new certificate carries the full set.[14] Perceptive Content licences are bound by a License Group ID. Alfresco Content Services reads a .lic file that sets the maximum users and content objects.[11][12] Catalog proof: OnBase licence certificates carry the full entitlement and install once.
Virtualization & partitioning
Hyland’s documents count users, sessions, workstations, servers and volumes, not processor cores. The retrieved documents contain no core or partitioning rule of the kind described in virtualization and partitioning. Two rules touch remote and virtual desktops. An OnBase Workstation User License does not support remote sessions, and a separate Citrix licence covers a module on one designated Citrix machine.[9] Perceptive Content counts each terminal services client as a separate machine under per-seat licensing.[11] Nuxeo counts each Java Virtual Machine running the Nuxeo Platform as a Nuxeo Instance.[6] Catalog proof: OnBase Workstation Licenses include two extra installations for DR, integration or testing; In Citrix each terminal client consumes its own Perceptive per-seat licence.
Cloud / BYOL
Software licensed for on-premise deployment “may be hosted on computer servers owned and controlled by a third party”. The hosting provider is treated as a contractor, subject to the contractor use restrictions.[1] This is the closest Hyland comes to a bring-your-own-licence rule: no named cloud providers, no vCPU mapping.
Hyland also runs its products as a Cloud Service. In the Hyland Cloud, OnBase, Perceptive Content and Brainware are delivered under a purchased Service Class. Development Sandbox and Pre-Production environments are bought separately, with caps on concurrent users and storage.[4] The Service Classes are Silver, Gold, Platinum and Double Platinum, with monthly uptime commitments of 99% to 99.90%.[15] After a Cloud Service subscription ends, the data stays available for export for 30 days.[1] Products with AI features also fall under the Artificial Intelligence Terms. Third-party AI models in them are governed by their own licence terms and usage policies.[16] Catalog proof: On-premise Software may be hosted by a third party acting as contractor; Hyland Cloud Development Sandbox and Pre-Production environments carry user and storage caps; Hyland Cloud Service Class; Cloud Service data remains available for export for 30 days after expiry.
Programs
- Product Subscription. The Initial Term is set on the Order Form. Subscriptions renew automatically for the same length unless either party gives notice at least 30 days before the end of the term. Add-on licences run coterminous. Hyland may raise Recurring Fees by up to 10% a year.[1]
- Premier Care and Service Credits. Support and maintenance come in three tiers: Standard, Advanced and Signature. Advanced and Signature include Service Credits for professional services.[8]
- OnBase simplified licensing. New OnBase customers from Foundation EP5 buy Essential, Standard or Premier User base packages instead of module licences.[10]
- Trial Services. Trials, betas and previews are provided “AS IS” with no service levels or refunds.[1]
The contract terms are covered in Hyland Master Agreement and Premier Care.
Audits and compliance
During the agreement and for one year after it, Hyland may audit the customer’s use of the Products and Premier Care “solely in order to determine Customer’s compliance”. This includes measuring volume usage, with access to systems, facilities and records on reasonable notice. Customers with volume-licensed Products must provide usage reports on request.[1] The Master Agreement states no cost-shifting threshold. The Nuxeo on-premise terms add one: if an audit shows underreporting by more than one Nuxeo Instance, the customer pays the reasonable audit costs.[6] Healthcare customers that extend OnBase or Perceptive Content to affiliated hospitals, practices or surgery centres must report beds, providers and procedure rooms at least once a year.[3] Catalog proof: Hyland may audit use during the term and for one year after; Nuxeo underreporting by more than one instance shifts audit costs; Community Connect fees scale with beds, providers and procedure rooms and are reported annually. For the general discipline see software license audit.
Out of scope
- Signed Order Forms, partner terms and negotiated pricing, which are not public. Purchases through a Hyland authorized channel partner may route reporting and services through that Partner.[3]
- Brainware, Saperion, Hyland RPA, Pacsgear Equipment, Acuo, Nilread and the GRaaS Services, which have separate terms or no licensing documentation retrieved here.[1][2]
- Older Hyland licence agreements that predate the current Master Agreement. The legal hub lists earlier versions 1.0 to 1.6, which still govern some existing contracts.[1]
- Prices. Hyland publishes no list prices; other services are invoiced at “Hyland’s then current list prices” or agreed pricing.[1]