NetSupport licensing is the set of terms under which NetSupport Ltd, a software company based in Peterborough, United Kingdom, licenses its remote control, classroom management, IT asset management and alerting software.[14] The on-premises portfolio consists of NetSupport Manager (remote control), NetSupport School (classroom management), NetSupport DNA (IT asset management, with corporate and education editions) and NetSupport Notify (desktop alerting). Two cloud services sit alongside them: classroom.cloud for schools and 247connect for remote support. NetSupport ServiceDesk, an IT service management product, reached end of sale on 2025-03-31 and end of support on 2026-03-31.[8] Catalog proof: NetSupport ServiceDesk end of life.
The on-premises products share one short End User License Agreement (EULA), governed by the laws of England. It grants a perpetual, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use “one copy of the specified version of the software which you have acquired”, extended by volume use terms in the order acknowledgement, product invoice, licence certificate or packaging to a stated number of devices.[1] NetSupport also offers subscription licensing for NetSupport Manager, NetSupport DNA and NetSupport Notify, but it publishes no separate subscription contract.[2][4][5] The cloud services have their own Terms of Service.[14][15] Catalog proof: EULA licence is perpetual; Grant covers one copy of the specified version.
Editions
NetSupport publishes list prices only for 247connect. For the other products, its pricing pages ask the customer to request a quote based on the number of licences needed.[2][4][7]
| Product | Delivery | How NetSupport documents counting | Deeper article |
|---|---|---|---|
| NetSupport Manager | On-premises; perpetual or subscription | Licensed Clients per device, held in an NSM.LIC licence file; Chrome OS only Client licences available[11] | Licence keys and activation |
| NetSupport School | On-premises; perpetual | Each machine running a Student or Tutor, not concurrent use; separate licences for Chrome and tablet Students[3] | same |
| NetSupport DNA | On-premises; one-time purchase or subscription | DNA Agent devices held in the DNA database[10] | DNA, classroom.cloud and 247connect |
| NetSupport Notify | On-premises; perpetual or subscription | Quote “based on the number of licences you need”; extra Notification Servers carry no licence cost[4] | same |
| classroom.cloud | Cloud; annual subscription | Student devices enrolled; optional Safeguarding toolkit[6] | same |
| 247connect | Cloud; 12-month subscription | Managed devices and on-demand technician licences in Lite, Standard and Advanced packages[7] | same |
Metrics
The EULA has one general unit, the device. The customer may install copies “on the number of devices as the terms specify” (Licensed device). Where the order documents allow use on a server in a networked environment, a licence is needed for each device or “seat” that may connect (Device or seat (Server Use)).[1]
Product documentation names the concrete units:
| Unit | Catalog row | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Machine running a Student or Tutor | NetSupport School Student licence | NetSupport School (NSM.LIC) |
| Google Chrome, macOS, Android or iOS Student | NetSupport School non-Windows Student licence | NetSupport School (NSW.LIC) |
| Client | NetSupport Manager Client licence | NetSupport Manager |
| Agent device in the database | NetSupport DNA Agent client licence | NetSupport DNA |
| Enrolled Student device | classroom.cloud Student device | classroom.cloud |
| Managed device; on-demand technician | 247connect managed device licence, 247connect on-demand licence | 247connect |
Counting / floors
Devices, not concurrency (EULA, undated). Server Use requires a licence for each device or seat that may connect “regardless of whether such licensed devices or seats are connected to the software concurrently”. Multiplexing or pooling does not reduce the count.[1] NetSupport School documentation says the same in its own words: it “is not licensed by concurrent usage”, and 100 machines running a Student or Tutor need a 100-user licence “even if the software is loaded from a Server”.[3] Catalog proof: Server Use needs a licence for every device or seat that may connect; Multiplexing or pooling does not reduce licences; NetSupport School licensed per machine, not concurrent use.
Self-policing. The EULA puts the compliance duty on the customer, who “must have a reasonable mechanism in place” to keep installations within the licences obtained.[1] The products also enforce counts themselves. The licence file sets a maximum number of Clients or Students. A NetSupport Connectivity Server rejects Clients beyond the licensed number. The DNA Console shows a Licence Exceeded message when more Agent devices are held in its database than the licence allows.[11][10] Catalog proof: Customer must keep a mechanism to stay within licence counts; DNA licence exceeded when database Agents outnumber licences.
Platform-specific licences. NetSupport School Chrome and tablet Students can be licensed with a separate NSW.LIC file. Without one, they draw on the NSM.LIC count.[16] NetSupport Manager Clients on Chrome OS may use unused existing licences or “Chrome OS only Client licences”.[11] Catalog proof: Chrome Students consume NSM.LIC count without an NSW.LIC; Chrome OS Clients use existing or Chrome-only licences.
No published floors. None of the retrieved documents sets a minimum quantity for the on-premises products. classroom.cloud states that “There are no minimum spend or minimum licensing requirements.”[6] 247connect is sold in packages of 100, 500 or 1,000 managed devices, and managed or on-demand licences can also be bought separately.[7] Catalog proof: classroom.cloud subscription per enrolled Student device with no minimum.
Virtualization & partitioning
NetSupport does not license by processor, core or host. The Server Use clause counts devices or seats that connect to software running on a server, and the multiplexing sentence means that terminal-server or pooled front ends are counted by their distinct inputs.[1] Product activation is tied to hardware values. Disk imaging or Sysprep can change them and force reactivation, so NetSupport offers a pre-activation key for imaged computers.[9] The general principle is described in concurrent and device licensing. Catalog proof: Disk imaging can invalidate activation.
Cloud / BYOL
There is no bring-your-own-licence route between the on-premises products and the cloud services. classroom.cloud is “cloud-hosted” and licensed as an annual subscription per enrolled Student device. It can be installed on the same devices as NetSupport School, NetSupport DNA or NetSupport Manager, but nothing in the FAQ suggests that either licence counts toward the other.[6] 247connect is a separate software-as-a-service product with Commercial and Free subscriptions.[15] The NetSupport Manager Connectivity Server, which brokers internet connections between Controls and Clients, is installed and run by the customer. Its licences are activated online or with an activation code in its Licenses tab.[11]
Programs
- Support and maintenance. Sold separately from the perpetual licence. Under the EULA it “will also cover the supply of enhancements and upgrades”.[1] NetSupport’s partner programme describes it as an “annual maintenance contract” that customers renew.[13]
- Subscription licensing option. Offered for NetSupport Manager, NetSupport DNA and NetSupport Notify, by quote.[2][5]
- Evaluations and trials. The NetSupport Manager Evaluation kit, NetSupport School 30-day evaluation, NetSupport DNA evaluation licence, classroom.cloud 30-day trial, 247connect 14-day trial and 247connect Free.
- My Support portal. Customers with a full licence or subscription key register the serial number and authorisation code there to download licence files and installers.[12]
- Pre-activation key. Issued for imaged computers that cannot activate online.[9]
The contract terms are covered in NetSupport EULA and perpetual licences.
Transfers and audits
The EULA prohibits renting, leasing or otherwise transferring the right to use the software. The one exception is that “you may sell or give away your original copy, as long as you do not keep any copies”.[1] The EULA contains no audit or inspection clause. Its compliance mechanism is the customer’s own duty to control installations, backed by NetSupport’s right to terminate for a serious breach that is not remedied within 30 days of a written request.[1] Catalog proof: No rental or transfer except outright sale of the original copy; Termination for unremedied breach requires destroying all copies. For the general discipline see software license audit.
Out of scope
- Reseller quotations, order acknowledgements and licence certificates. These set the actual quantities and are not public.
- Prices for NetSupport Manager, NetSupport School, NetSupport DNA, NetSupport Notify and classroom.cloud, which are quote-based.[2][6]
- Procurement framework terms such as G-Cloud and US state data privacy agreements, which classroom.cloud says are available on request.[14]
- NetSupport ServiceDesk licensing beyond its end-of-life dates.[8]