ManageEngine licensing is the set of terms under which ManageEngine, the enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corporation, sells its IT service management, endpoint management, network monitoring, identity and security products. On-premises products are governed by one End User License Agreement (EULA). The contracting party is Zoho Corporation Private Limited or the applicable Zoho contracting entity, and ManageEngine software is sold from www.manageengine.com under the Terms of Sale at the top of the same page.[1] After a 30-day evaluation, a customer can take a commercial licence under the annual subscription, perpetual or, where one exists, free edition models.[1] Cloud editions are covered instead by the ManageEngine terms of service for on-demand solutions.[2] The EULA sets no single metric. Each product’s licence file and price list counts its own unit, such as technician logins and IT assets in ServiceDesk Plus,[3] managed endpoints in Endpoint Central,[4] or monitored devices in OpManager.[6] For the general models behind these units, see concurrent and device licensing and subscription and consumption licensing.
Editions
ManageEngine sells many separately licensed products. Each has its own editions, and several are also sold as cloud services or in versions for managed service providers. The products covered in depth in this wiki are summarised below.
| Product line | Editions named by the vendor | Licensed on | Deeper article |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceDesk Plus | Standard, Professional, Enterprise; on-premises and cloud[15] | Technician logins and IT assets (nodes)[3] | ServiceDesk Plus licensing |
| Endpoint Central | Free, Professional, Enterprise, UEM, Security; on-premises and cloud[5] | Endpoints, split into workstations and servers, plus technicians[4] | Endpoint Central licensing |
| OpManager and OpManager Nexus | Standard, Professional, Enterprise; Nexus bundles[6] | Monitored devices[7] | OpManager licensing |
| ADManager Plus | Free, Evaluation, Standard, Professional[8] | Domains and help desk technicians[8] | Active Directory and Log360 licensing |
| ADAudit Plus | Free, Trial, Standard, Professional[9] | Domain controllers plus server and workstation add-ons[9] | as above |
| Log360 and EventLog Analyzer | Single Professional edition[10] | Log sources, domain controllers, file servers, endpoints and cloud accounts[10] | as above |
Metrics
The metric that matters is the one in the product licence, not a family-wide unit. The main catalog rows are listed below.
| ManageEngine term | Catalog row | Product | What ManageEngine says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician login | Technician (ServiceDesk Plus) | ServiceDesk Plus | Licensing is based on the number of nodes and the number of technician logins.[3] |
| Node / IT asset | IT asset (node) | ServiceDesk Plus | Any asset whose product type is an IT asset is a node.[3] |
| Endpoint | Endpoint (Endpoint Central) | Endpoint Central | One UEM licence manages one endpoint, desktop or mobile.[4] |
| Workstation / Server | Workstation, Server | Endpoint Central | Servers and workstations are licensed separately.[4] |
| Device | Device (OpManager) | OpManager | Licensed on the number of monitored devices.[6] |
| Domain; help desk technician | Domain, Help desk technician | ADManager Plus | Licensed on domains, technicians and edition.[8] |
| Domain controller | Domain controller | ADAudit Plus, Log360 | ADAudit Plus is licensed on the number of domain controllers.[9] |
| Log source | Log source | Log360, EventLog Analyzer | Based on the number of devices added as log sources, with a minimum of 10.[11] |
Counting / floors
Per installation (EULA, as retrieved 2026-09-27). Annual and perpetual licences are both granted subject to the Single Installation License. Under that licence the key may not be used for more than one concurrent Use of the software. “Use” covers storing, locating, installing, executing or displaying it.[1] The restrictions also forbid installing one copy on more than one server.[1] Product documentation says the same thing in its own words. An OpManager licence covers a single installation, not a consolidated licence for the enterprise,[6] and ManageEngine products are licensed through a registered XML licence file.[6] Catalog proof: Single Installation License: one concurrent Use per licence key.
Backup copies. The EULA permits one back-up or archival copy for temporary emergency purposes and no other copies.[1] The EULA text grants no separate standby or failover right. Catalog proof: One back-up or archival copy for temporary emergency purpose.
Floors. The EULA sets no minimum quantity. Minimums appear in product price lists and licensing documents. Examples are 10 log sources and 2 domain controllers for Log360,[11] and entry tiers of 50 endpoints and 10 servers for Endpoint Central.[5] Free editions set ceilings instead of floors: Endpoint Central’s covers 25 endpoints,[4] and the ServiceDesk Plus free Standard edition covers up to 5 technicians.[15]
Virtualization & partitioning
The EULA contains no processor, core or partitioning rules, because no ManageEngine product described here is priced on server capacity. Virtual machines count as managed or monitored objects in the same way as physical ones. In OpManager, every virtual instance is a separate device for monitoring and licensing.[6] Endpoint Central treats a virtual machine running a server operating system as a server.[4] The one-server rule of the EULA applies to the ManageEngine application server itself, whether it runs on physical hardware or in a virtual machine.[1] See virtualization and partitioning for the cross-vendor background.
Cloud / BYOL
Cloud editions such as ServiceDesk Plus Cloud and Endpoint Central Cloud are subscriptions under the on-demand Terms of Service, not under the on-premises EULA. The Terms were last updated on 2 March 2022.[2] Paid subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each period unless the customer informs Zoho at least seven days before the renewal date. Payments are not refundable.[2] Zoho may set usage limits for each plan. User licences may not be shared by more than one individual, other than by reassigning the licence to a new user.[2] Catalog proof: Cloud subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled seven days before renewal; Cloud user licences may not be shared by more than one individual.
The retrieved documents describe no bring-your-own-license mapping between on-premises licences and cloud editions. Running an on-premises edition on an IaaS virtual machine is governed by the same Single Installation License as any other server.[1]
Programs
- Annual Subscription License. A licence for a one-year subscription period. The customer must renew at least 10 days before expiry to keep using the software. If it does not renew, it must stop using the software and remove it.[1] Updates, upgrades and email support are included for the subscription period.[1] Catalog proof: Annual subscription must be renewed at least 10 days before expiry.
- Perpetual License. A fee-bearing, non-exclusive, non-transferable perpetual licence.[1] Technical support, updates, upgrades and service packs are not included. The customer buys them by paying the then-current maintenance and support fee.[1] Catalog proof: Perpetual licences exclude support and updates unless maintenance is bought.
- Annual Maintenance and Support (AMS). The yearly maintenance fee for perpetual licences. Endpoint Central sets it at 20% of the invoice total,[5] and OpManager at 20% of the licence cost.[7] ADManager Plus includes the first year of AMS in the perpetual licence fee.[8] Without current AMS, Mobile Device Manager Plus cannot be upgraded to a later version,[13] and after an OpManager version reaches end of support its AMS can no longer be renewed.[12] See software maintenance and support. Catalog proof: An expired AMS licence blocks upgrades to later versions; AMS cannot be renewed for OpManager versions past end of support.
- Free Edition. Where a product has one, the free edition may be used at no cost in perpetuity after the evaluation period.[1] Its limits are set for each product.
- Evaluation License. An evaluation licence for 30 days from download or installation. After it ends, the customer uses the free or a paid edition or deletes all installed copies.[1] Catalog proof: Evaluation licence lasts 30 days from download or installation.
- OpManager IPF / ASF licence model. OpManager adopted this model in July 2017. Under it, the annual support fee must be paid after the support period for OpManager to keep working.[16]
- ManageEngine cloud subscription and OpManager Nexus bundled licensing are described in the product articles.
Contract terms
Use restrictions (as retrieved 2026-09-27). The customer may not rent, lease, sublicense or distribute the software, modify it, or reverse engineer it.[1] The customer may not use it in a computer-based services business or for the benefit of any other person or entity. Third parties may access it only as employees, contractors, consultants or others engaged by the customer to act on its behalf.[1] ManageEngine sells separate editions for managed service providers, which are outside this article. Catalog proof: No use in a computer-based services business or for the benefit of others.
Termination. The EULA runs until either party terminates it. Zoho may terminate for any reason, including breach. On termination the customer must destroy or return all copies and certify in writing that it has done so.[1] Catalog proof: On termination all copies must be destroyed or returned and certified.
Security updates. The EULA makes the customer responsible for installing updates and security patches promptly. After a version’s announced End of Support date, no further updates or patches are provided.[1]
Audits and compliance
EULA §9 gives Zoho the right to audit the customer’s Use of the Licensed Software. It must give at least seven days’ prior written notice, and the audit takes place at the customer’s facilities during normal business hours.[1] The product-specific Log360 EULA repeats the clause.[14] It also states that Zoho collects usage details, including licence details and feature usage, by default unless the customer disables this in the product.[14] Catalog proof: Zoho may audit Use on seven days written notice; Log360 collects licence and usage details by default.
In practice, the licence file enforces most limits. ServiceDesk Plus reports “License maxed out” when a scan would exceed the purchased number of IT assets.[3] OpManager licences on the IPF / ASF model stop working when the support fee lapses.[16] The general discipline is covered in software license audit and license compliance.
Out of scope
- ManageEngine MSP editions (ServiceDesk Plus MSP, Endpoint Central MSP, OpManager MSP, RMM Central and others), which have their own licensing.
- Products not covered in the deeper articles, such as PAM360, Password Manager Pro, ADSelfService Plus, Applications Manager, NetFlow Analyzer as a standalone product, and Analytics Plus.
- Zoho applications outside the ManageEngine division, which are sold under Zoho’s own terms.
- Reseller and distributor pricing, non-US currency prices, and signed enterprise agreements, which were not retrievable.