ALLPLAN licensing covers the BIM and CAD software sold by ALLPLAN, a Nemetschek Group brand.[4] ALLPLAN uses three sets of conditions, each last updated on 2021-07-01:
| Document | Governs |
|---|---|
| General Subscription Conditions | Software subscription contracts (“General”, “Internship” or “Start-up/Apprenticeship”)[1] |
| General Terms and Conditions and Licence Conditions (GTC) | Purchased software, delivered with a digitised authorisation certificate (Softlock)[2] |
| Serviceplus Conditions | Maintenance of purchased software, and Serviceplus concluded with a subscription[3] |
The documents are drafted under German law; ALLPLAN’s headquarters is the exclusive place of jurisdiction where the customer is an entrepreneur.[1]
Editions
ALLPLAN sells configurations rather than separately priced modules. ALLPLAN Basic, ALLPLAN Architecture and ALLPLAN Engineering were sold as new perpetual licences until 2024-09-30. “This means from 1st October 2024 the only perpetual license available for purchase is an ALLPLAN AEC configuration.”[6] All configurations are available as subscriptions. A subscription includes ALLPLAN Cloud services for the length of the term, among them Bimplus by ALLPLAN, ALLPLAN Share, ALLPLAN Exchange and ALLPLAN Workgroup Manager. It also includes technical support, online training and new versions.[4] ALLPLAN Cloud storage included with a subscription is 10 GB, and more can be bought in the ALLPLAN Shop.[4]
A perpetual licence without Serviceplus gives “only … the version of the software at the time it was purchased (with bug-fixes for only one year after purchase)”, with no new versions or support.[4]
Metrics
Single user licence
The default unit in both the subscription and the purchase conditions is the single user licence. Under the Subscription Conditions, ALLPLAN grants “a single, non-transferable licence limited to the contract term”. The customer “shall be entitled to install the Software on multiple computers. However, its use shall only be permitted on a single computer, i.e., on one workstation at one location at any one time (single user licence).”[1] The GTC grants a non-exclusive licence on the same single-user basis for purchased software, “upon acquisition of the Software and payment of the agreed remuneration”.[2]
Two further rules apply. Network, multi-station or remote use is permitted only if it “does not create the possibility of simultaneous multiple use of individual single user licences”, or if matching licences were bought. A computer that is permanently taken out of use must have the Software deleted.[1]
Multi-user licence
Where a multi-user application has been agreed, “by means of an ALLPLAN licence server”, the customer may use the Software on more than one computer. The agreed maximum number of stations (users) using it at the same time must not be exceeded.[2] The Subscription Conditions contain the same multi-user rule.[1] The Allplan License Server data sheet describes how this works in practice. “When a user starts the program in the network, the license server is queried for a free license”, and the licence is checked back in when the user finishes. Licences can be imported to a client for offline work outside the office, and the server logs who used which licence, when, and whether online or offline. It can also run on terminal servers.[7]
Counting / floors
ALLPLAN publishes no minimum quantity. For a single user licence the count is workstations in simultaneous use, not installations. For a multi-user licence the count is the peak number of stations in simultaneous use, compared with the contractual maximum. Licences checked out from a licence server for offline use stay in use until they are returned, so they count against that maximum.[7]
The customer may make the reproductions needed for contractual use, meaning installation and loading into memory, plus one backup copy. Copyright notices and serial numbers must not be removed.[1] Decompilation is allowed only within section 69e of the German Copyright Act.[1]
Cloud licensing from Allplan 2025
Allplan 2025 changed licence enforcement. Licensing “will be carried out via Connect 2.0 as of Allplan 2025”. Required licences are created when Allplan starts. “When closing an Allplan 2025 application, the license is automatically returned. You no longer need a product key to activate Allplan, an active Allplan ID and login is sufficient to work with Allplan.”[5] This links licence use to individual Allplan IDs. The contractual unit is still the single user or multi-user licence in the customer’s contract.
Virtualization & partitioning
The conditions do not price by processor or virtual machine. Remote data transmission between computers is permitted only within the single-user or multi-user limits.[1] The Allplan License Server can be used on terminal servers.[7] Hosting for others is excluded. The customer may not rent, lease or temporarily make the Software available to third parties: “the subleasing, the transfer of the Software by way of Application Service Providing (ASP) or within the framework of cloud computing applications for third parties shall not be permitted.”[1]
Programs
Subscription Contract
ALLPLAN Subscription Contracts are offered monthly (through the ALLPLAN Shop only), for one year or for three years.[4] The main terms:
- Start. The contract is concluded when ALLPLAN confirms or provides the Software, but “the actual contract term shall only start on the first day of the calendar month following the conclusion of the contract”.[1]
- Payment. The user fee is invoiced in advance for the agreed term. It is due within 30 days with a SEPA direct debit mandate and within 14 days otherwise.[1]
- Price changes. ALLPLAN may raise the fee once per calendar year, by at most 3%, on three months’ prior written notice.[1]
- Renewal. The “General” contract extends automatically by the agreed term unless terminated with the contractual notice.[1] The FAQ gives the notice periods: 1 month for a monthly subscription and 3 months for one-year and three-year terms.[4]
- End of term. The customer must stop using the Software and delete all copies, manuals and backups, and confirm this in writing on request.[1] Ending the subscription also ends the linked Serviceplus contract.[1]
- Termination for cause. ALLPLAN may terminate without notice if the Software is used contrary to the contract and the use continues after a warning. It may then claim compensation for the remaining term.[1]
Serviceplus
ALLPLAN Serviceplus covers maintenance of purchased software modules and other services.[3] It includes new main versions and updates, technical support, access to the ALLPLAN Connect portal, and training at special rates. After a new main version is released, support is limited to the current main version and the last two previous main versions.[3] Serviceplus Software may be used to the same extent as the underlying Software, including network use.[3]
The contract extends automatically by 12 months unless terminated with the agreed notice. Concluded with a subscription, it follows the subscription’s term instead. The same 3% annual cap on fee increases applies.[3] ALLPLAN may terminate for cause if the customer falls behind on Serviceplus fees for two consecutive payment dates, or violates the licence conditions.[3]
Re-entry is now closed. After 2024-09-30, old perpetual licences can no longer be updated through a new Serviceplus contract. “If you cancel your Serviceplus contract at any point after 30th September 2024 you will not be able to update your software and will only have access to the version you have at the time of cancellation.” The customer also cannot buy Serviceplus again later.[6] For licence managers, cancelling Serviceplus on any perpetual ALLPLAN licence is a one-way decision.
Transfers
The subscription contract, and the rights and obligations under it, may not be assigned to third parties without ALLPLAN’s prior written consent, which it may not unreasonably withhold. This does not apply where section 354a of the German Commercial Code applies.[1]
Audits and compliance
The ALLPLAN conditions contain no audit clause. They require the customer to give ALLPLAN access to the hardware and programs where the Software runs, directly or remotely, where ALLPLAN needs that to provide its services.[1] Enforcement relies on the Softlock, the licence server and, from Allplan 2025, Allplan ID sign-in.[2][5]
Out of scope
- Terms of the ALLPLAN cloud services (Bimplus, ALLPLAN Share and ALLPLAN Exchange), which have their own terms of use.
- National ALLPLAN companies’ conditions outside Germany, and partner terms.
- Prices and the ALLPLAN product lifecycle (EOL) policy.