Nutanix licensing covers how Nutanix, Inc. grants rights to the software of the Nutanix Cloud Platform: the hyperconverged infrastructure stack (Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure, or NCI), the management layer (Nutanix Cloud Manager, or NCM), storage (Nutanix Unified Storage, or NUS), database automation (Nutanix Database Service, or NDB), Kubernetes (Nutanix Kubernetes Platform, or NKP) and AI inference (Nutanix Enterprise AI, or NAI). All of it is governed by one contract, the Nutanix License and Services Agreement (LSA). Customers in the Americas contract with Nutanix Inc. and customers elsewhere with Nutanix Netherlands B.V.[1]
Current Nutanix software is sold as term licences that are not tied to hardware, and most of it is metered per physical CPU core across the whole cluster. Specialised variants are metered differently: per usable TiB, per powered-on VM, per concurrent user, per vCPU or per GB of GPU memory. Older node-bound licences still exist in many estates. This article summarises the whole landscape and links to the deeper guides listed under Guides.
Product families and metrics
Nutanix publishes its packaging on a single Software Options page, which lists editions, add-ons and the licence metric for each product.[2]
| Product family | Editions | Metric | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) | Starter, Pro, Ultimate | Core | All cores of the licensed cluster |
| NCI-D (data services only) | Starter, Pro, Ultimate | Core | No Nutanix compute and networking; AHV included but not supported |
| NCI-C (compute with partner storage) | Starter, Pro, Ultimate | Core | Runs with qualified external storage |
| NCI-Edge | Starter, Pro, Ultimate | Powered-on VM | Small edge clusters only |
| NCI-VDI | Starter, Pro, Ultimate | Concurrent user | Dedicated VDI clusters only |
| Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM) | Starter, Pro, Ultimate | Core | NCM-Edge variant limited to 25 VMs |
| Nutanix Cloud Platform (NCP) | Starter, Pro, Ultimate | Core | Bundles of NCI and NCM |
| Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) | Starter, Pro | Usable TiB | Mixed or dedicated mode |
| Nutanix Database Service (NDB) | One offer, two modes | Core (per cluster) or vCPU (per VM) | Requires NCI Pro or higher |
| Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) | Starter, Pro, Ultimate; Full Stack; Cloud Kubernetes | Core or vCPU of worker nodes | Starter is bundled with NCI Pro and Ultimate |
| Nutanix Enterprise AI (NAI) | Three packages | GPU RAM GB or vCPU | vCPU applies where no GPUs are installed |
NCI is the core product. It “is priced on a per core basis and licensing must cover the entire number of cores for full capacity of the cluster being licensed”.[3] The Software Options page states that NCI licences “are purchased and applied on the number of physical CPU cores capacity in your deployment” and are portable across hardware platforms.[2] Editions are set per cluster, and a cluster with mixed licences defaults to the lowest tier.[3]
NCI variants. NCI-D delivers data and storage services without Nutanix compute and networking. It includes AHV, but “support for AHV is not included”. A cluster that mixes NCI and NCI-D licences defaults to NCI-D capabilities.[5] NCI-C is an enterprise virtualization platform for use with qualified storage partners. Its term licences run only on the platforms listed on the Nutanix hardware platforms page.[12] NCI-Edge is priced per VM, “as measured by the maximum number of concurrently powered-on VMs”, on dedicated clusters of up to 5 nodes and 25 VMs.[6] NCI-VDI is priced “as measured by the peak number of concurrent user sessions” and must run on a dedicated VDI cluster.[7]
NCM and NCP. NCM is also licensed on physical cores, with 1 to 5 year terms. NCI and NCM can be bought together in three NCP bundles. As published, NCP Starter combines NCI Pro and NCM Pro, NCP Pro combines NCI Ultimate and NCM Pro, and NCP Ultimate combines NCI Ultimate and NCM Ultimate.[2]
Storage and databases. NUS runs in mixed mode, alongside applications on an NCI cluster, where NCI or NCP licences are needed as well, or in dedicated mode as a storage-only cluster that allows at most one user VM per node. NDB “is purchased and licensed on a per core basis”. It can be licensed per physical cluster, covering all cores, or per VM, covering all vCPUs of the database VMs it manages. NDB can be added only to NCI Pro or higher, while NUS can be added to any NCI edition.[2]
Kubernetes and AI. NKP is licensed on the physical cores (bare metal) or vCPUs (VMs) of all worker nodes. Control plane nodes need no licence. NAI is metered by aggregate GPU RAM, or by vCPU on clusters without GPUs.[2][4] Both are covered in Nutanix Kubernetes Platform and Enterprise AI licensing.
Licence types and terms
The LSA grants a “limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide license” for internal business purposes. The software is licensed in one of two ways:[1]
- A Term Based License is licensed “independently of hardware nodes, portable between hardware nodes and for a fixed Subscription Term”. It expires when the Subscription Term ends. Catalog: Term Based License.
- A Life of Device License is for use “solely on the hardware node on which it was initially installed and supplied” and expires when that node is decommissioned. It may not be transferred to another node.
Both are limited by the Usage Capacity, which the LSA defines broadly. Its list of metrics includes raw CPU cores, flash capacity in tebibytes, named or concurrent users, VMs, vCPU of each managed database server, GB RAM and per edge instance.[1]
The datasheets set the term lengths. NCI, NCM, NCI-Edge and NCI-VDI SKUs “are configurable for any duration between 6-60 months”.[3] NCI-D, NCI-C and NKP SKUs run from 12 to 60 months.[5][4] Licences “must be renewed for continued access to software and support”.[3]
Part numbers follow a published pattern: SW-<PRODUCT>-<EDITION>-<SUPPORTLEVEL> for new licences, SWA- for add-ons, RSW- for renewals and USW- for upgrades. The support level codes are PR (Production), MC (Mission Critical), FP (Federal Production) and FM (Federal Mission-Critical).[3][12] Examples in the catalog include SW-NCI-PRO-PR, SW-NKP-FS-ULT-PR, SW-NCI-E-PRO-PR and SW-EUC-PRO-PR, which is the NCI-VDI prefix.
Legacy licences. Clusters on the older portfolio (AOS tiers, Prism Pro and Ultimate, Calm) used node-based licences. According to the License Manager Guide, conversion to capacity-based licences “is based on the core-to-node ratio in your environment”. For example, 96 cores across three nodes convert each node licence to 32 cores.[9] NCI licences cannot be mixed with legacy AOS licences in one cluster. They can be mixed within one Prism Central, as long as each cluster is wholly on one model.[3]
Evaluation. Previews, meaning trial, beta and evaluation software, may be used only in non-production environments. Apart from No-Charge Products, they may be used for up to thirty days.[1] A proof-of-concept licence lasts 30 days by default and can be extended once by 30 days.[9] Catalog: Previews: 30-day evaluation, non-production only.
Purchasing programs
Most customers buy term licences through Nutanix partners. The LSA states that the terms agreed between a customer and a partner apply only between those two parties.[1] Nutanix describes the NCI, NCI-D, NCI-Edge and NCI-VDI offers as part of its “‘PnP 2.0’ product portfolio”, priced “according to a low list, low discount regime”.[3][6]
Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) runs NCI on bare-metal instances in AWS and Azure. It can be licensed pay-as-you-go (“Monthly billing based on the physical cores and storage capacity consumed”) or by bringing existing on-premises term licences. Cloud infrastructure costs are paid directly to the cloud provider.[8] Catalog: NC2 Multi-Year License Portability.
Service providers. The LSA forbids use “in a service bureau, commercial hosting service or any similar capacity unless as agreed with Nutanix in Your capacity as a Service Provider”.[1] Partners in the Nutanix Elevate Service Provider Partner (NESPP) program can use a consumption model. Its licences “are paid for on a recurring basis, such as monthly, and not tied to a specific SKU”, under terms of 12 to 60 months with a monthly minimum commitment.[11] Catalog: Nutanix Elevate Service Provider Partner (NESPP) consumption model.
Support and maintenance
Depending on the licence type, Support Services “are either included in the subscription or available separately for a fee”. They cover portal access, 24x7 telephone and web support, and access to Updates and Upgrades.[1] Nutanix has no obligation to support software that is not registered and validly licensed, or that is installed on hardware other than Certified Hardware.[1]
Two support rules affect cost directly:
- Mixed Support Level. “If a Nutanix cluster has a Mixed Support Level, the Software support provided by Nutanix will be at the lowest support level and will apply to the entire cluster.”[10] Catalog: Mixed Support Level: lowest software support level applies to the whole cluster.
- Reinstatement. To reinstate lapsed support on Life of Device Licenses, the customer pays pro rata fees for the lapsed period at the then-current annual rate, plus fees for the future period.[1] Catalog: Life of Device support reinstatement: pay the lapsed period pro rata.
Under the End of Support Life (EOSL) policy, support for a product ends on its EOSL date “unless entitled by an active Extended Support contract”. Extended Support Services are a separately purchased, non-standard service.[10]
Renewal, expiry and compliance
Subscriptions for software, support and cloud services “will automatically renew for a term equal to the previous Subscription Term” unless cancelled with ninety days’ written notice. If a renewal is late, “backdated fees will be due for the continued use of the same”, calculated from the end of the previous term.[1] Using the products after a Subscription Term has expired is a licence breach.[1]
The software itself enforces some of this. The License Manager Guide describes usage restrictions on unlicensed clusters running AOS 7.6 or later: “A set of restrictions takes effect on day 60, and an additional set takes effect on day 90.”[9] Catalog: Expired licenses: support loss at day 0, lock-out at day 60.
Audit. The customer must not exceed the Usage Capacity. Nutanix “may require, not more than once per year, that You certify to us in writing as to Your then current use\deployment”, and reserves “the right to conduct reasonable audits, with notice”.[1] Other restrictions in the same clause cover benchmark disclosure, use on grey-market hardware, and moving Life of Device Licenses to another node. Catalog: Do not exceed Usage Capacity; annual certification and audits.
Virtualization, hardware and cloud rules
- Hardware. The software may be used only on “Certified Hardware and Nutanix authorized public cloud-based service offerings”.[1]
- Whole-cluster counting. Core-based products must cover every core in the licensed cluster. There is no sub-cluster partitioning.[3]
- Disaster recovery. For NCI, “Disaster Recovery sites require separate licensing.”[3] NCI-VDI is the exception. A DR site needs no separate licence if both sites are owned and operated by the same party and the primary is fully licensed.[7] Catalog: NCI-VDI: DR site free when same owner; up to 16 infrastructure VMs per cluster.
- Public cloud. Core-based NCI needs at least Pro edition in a public cloud.[3] NCI-VDI needs Ultimate.[7] Catalog: NCI-VDI: public cloud deployment requires Ultimate edition.
- Edge system VMs. On NCI-Edge, Nutanix system VMs (CVMs, PCVMs, FSVMs) are not counted, but “non-Nutanix system VMs (e.g., vSphere vCLS) must be licensed”.[6] Catalog: NCI-Edge: Nutanix system VMs not counted; other system VMs (e.g. vCLS) are.
- Third-party hypervisors. NCI-D exists for customers who run a third-party hypervisor. It delivers data and storage services but not Nutanix compute and networking.[2]
Recent licensing changes
- From nodes to cores. Nutanix has moved from node-based AOS, Prism and Calm licences to capacity-based Cloud Platform packages, with the core-to-node conversion described above.[9][2]
- Encryption in Pro. Starting with NCI 7.3, data-at-rest encryption and native key management are included in NCI Pro.[2]
- NKP packaging. NKP Starter is “not available to purchase separately” and comes with NCI Pro and Ultimate. NKP Full Stack and NKP Cloud Kubernetes SKUs were added.[4]
- AI. NAI introduced a GPU-memory metric, sold in 1 GB increments across all GPUs in a cluster.[2]
Guides
- Nutanix Cloud Platform licensing: NCI, NCM, NUS, NDB, NCI-Edge and NCI-VDI editions, metrics, whole-cluster counting, NC2 BYOL and the service provider model.
- Nutanix Kubernetes Platform and Enterprise AI licensing: NKP editions, Full Stack and Cloud Kubernetes SKUs, worker-node counting, and NAI GPU RAM metering.
Out of scope
- Hardware support for NX-branded appliances, which is governed by a hardware support appendix to the LSA.[1]
- List prices, which Nutanix publishes only for NC2 in USD.[8]
- Nutanix Community Edition and other No-Charge Products beyond the LSA definitions.
- Cloud Services Service Levels for Nutanix-hosted SaaS offerings.