Oracle VM VirtualBox is licensed as three vendor-named offers: an open-source base package, a separately licensed Extension Pack, and a commercial Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise / Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise Program. Commercial use of the Extension Pack is licensed by Named Workstation User or Socket under the Oracle License Definitions and Rules (effective 15 June 2024), not by Database Named User Plus or Database Processor.[1] List prices for Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise appear on the Oracle Linux Support and Oracle VM Support Global Price List dated 1 August 2026 (educational), not on the Oracle Technology Global Price List dated 3 August 2026.[2][3]
Editions
Oracle’s VirtualBox product page (retrieved 2026-08-30) names three licensing and support offers: the base package, the extension pack, and Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise.[4]
Base package. The VirtualBox Extension Pack Personal Use and Educational License (PUEL, license version 12, 22 July 2024) states that it does not apply to the VirtualBox base package and/or its source code, which are licensed under version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPL).[5] The Licensing FAQ (accurate for VirtualBox 7.1 and later; last updated 12 September 2024) repeats that the base package contains the full source code and platform binaries and is licensed under GPLv3, and that the VirtualBox Guest Additions are a subset of the base package also licensed under GPLv3.[6] The Oracle VM VirtualBox subscription-levels PDF (copyright 2023) likewise states the base package is licensed under the GPLv3.[7] Oracle’s VirtualBox product page, retrieved 2026-08-30, instead lists the base package as licensed under the GPL v2.[4] This page records that discrepancy; it does not choose a winner. Product-page features listed for the base package: cross-platform guests and hosts; live migration of virtual machines between hosts; up to 32 virtual CPUs; OVF format support.[4]
Extension Pack. The PUEL (version 12, 22 July 2024) governs the binary software package called “Oracle VirtualBox Extension Pack.” Oracle grants a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited license without fees to reproduce, install, execute, and use internally the Product on Host Computers for Personal Use or Educational Use.[5]
- Personal Use is noncommercial use solely by the person downloading the Product from Oracle on a single Host Computer, provided that no more than one client or remote computer is connected to that Host Computer and that client or remote computer is used solely to remotely view the Guest Computer(s).[5]
- Educational Use is any use by teachers or students in an academic institution (schools, colleges and universities) as part of the institution’s educational curriculum.[5]
- Personal Use and/or Educational Use expressly exclude any use of the Product for commercial purposes or to operate, run, or act on behalf of or for the benefit of a business, organization, governmental organization, or educational institution.[5]
The Licensing FAQ: the Extension Pack is freely available under the PUEL for personal and educational use; for a fee, it is also available for most commercial, non-distribution uses restricted by the PUEL. Neither the PUEL nor the Oracle VirtualBox Extension Pack Enterprise license allows redistribution of Extension Pack binaries without a separate license from Oracle.[6]
Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise. The License Definitions booklet names the Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise Program.[1] The ELS price list (1 August 2026, educational) lists Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise, footnote 7: it is for commercial use; “VirtualBox is free for personal use, academic use, and evaluation, under the terms of the PUEL.”[2] The product page: Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise includes commercial licenses and technical support, 24x7 support for the Base Package and Extension Pack, multiple remote desktop connections (VRDP), centralized tracking of Extension Pack downloads and installation compliance, and entitlement to latest releases and security patches.[4] The Licensing FAQ names the commercial SKU Oracle VirtualBox Extension Pack Enterprise License, which includes rights to use the Product for commercial purposes or to operate or run a business, organization, governmental organization, or educational institution, plus support covering both the base package and the Extension Pack.[6]
Evaluation vs PUEL. The PUEL text (22 July 2024) grants Personal Use and Educational Use only; it does not grant a trial. The Licensing FAQ: “in the past the VirtualBox PUEL provided for 30-day trial use of the VirtualBox Extension Pack software. Trial use has been discontinued with this license.” The same FAQ: the Extension Pack can be evaluated for 30 days for business and commercial use by downloading it from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud.[6] The ELS price-list footnote still says “evaluation” under the PUEL; that PDF is educational, not the PUEL text.[2]
| Offer (ELS name) | Metric | License price | Software Update License & Support | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise | Named Workstation User | $50 | $11.00 | 100 |
| Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise | Socket | $1,000 | $220.00 | 1 |
Metrics
Definitions are on the linked catalog rows.
- Named Workstation User is the user metric for the Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise Program. It is not Named User Plus.[1]
- Socket is the socket metric for that same Program. It is not Processor (core-factor) and not Standard Edition 2 Processor (occupied-socket Processor for Database SE2).[1]
The ELS price list (1 August 2026, educational) sells Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise on those two metrics only.[2]
Counting
Named Workstation User (License Definitions, effective 15 June 2024). An individual authorized by You to use the Programs which are installed on a single server or multiple servers, regardless of whether the individual is actively using the Programs at any given time. For the Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise Program, Named Workstation User licensing may only be applied to single-socket devices where only one named user is using Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise or is connecting to the virtual machines on Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise. A non human operated device will be counted as a named workstation user in addition to all individuals authorized to use the Programs, if such devices can access the Programs. If multiplexing hardware or software (e.g., a TP monitor or a web server product) is used, this number must be measured at the multiplexing front end. Automated batching of data from computer to computer is permitted.[1]
Named Workstation User floor. The License Definitions booklet does not publish a Named Workstation User minimum. The ELS price list Minimum column is 100 (1 August 2026, educational).[2] The Licensing FAQ (updated 12 September 2024): Oracle VirtualBox Extension Pack Enterprise Named Workstation User Perpetual licenses must be purchased in an initial quantity of at least 100.[6]
Socket (License Definitions, effective 15 June 2024). A slot that houses a chip (or a multi-chip module) which contains a collection of one or more cores. Regardless of the number of cores, each chip (or multi-chip module) shall count as a single socket. All occupied sockets on which the Oracle Program is installed and/or running must be licensed. For the Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise Program, Socket licensing must be applied to devices (a) with more than one sockets and/or (b) where more than one Named Workstation User is using Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise or is connecting to the virtual machines on Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise.[1]
Socket floor. The License Definitions booklet does not publish a Socket minimum for VirtualBox. The ELS price list Minimum column is 1 (1 August 2026, educational).[2] Do not apply the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table to this metric.
Virtualization
The VirtualBox license documents retrieved for this page (PUEL, Licensing FAQ, ELS price list, License Definitions) do not publish a hard-partition or soft-partition method for counting VirtualBox itself. Named Workstation User vs Socket is decided by host sockets and how many named users use Enterprise or connect to its virtual machines, as quoted under Counting.[1]
The Oracle Partitioning Policy (14 February 2022) is educational, not contractual, and names Oracle VM among examples of soft partitioning for counting Oracle programs. It does not name VirtualBox and is not a VirtualBox Enterprise counting rule.[8] Do not import Database Processor or SE2 occupied-socket math onto VirtualBox SKUs from that policy.
Cloud
The product page lists Oracle Cloud Infrastructure integration (export, import, network, remote management) as an Extension Pack feature, not as a BYOL metric map.[4] The Licensing FAQ (updated 12 September 2024): the Extension Pack can be evaluated for 30 days for business and commercial use by downloading it from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud.[6] Retrieved documents do not publish an Authorized Cloud Environment vCPU-to-Socket or vCPU-to-Named-Workstation-User mapping for VirtualBox Enterprise. Do not apply the Database ACE vCPU table here.
Programs
- Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise Program is the name in the License Definitions booklet (effective 15 June 2024).[1]
- Oracle VirtualBox Enterprise is the ELS price-list SKU (1 August 2026, educational). Footnote 4 designates it an Oracle 1-Click Ordering Program.[2]
- Oracle VirtualBox Extension Pack Enterprise License is the commercial-use name in the Licensing FAQ (updated 12 September 2024), including Named Workstation User Perpetual with an initial quantity of at least 100.[6]
ULA / PULA certification math for VirtualBox is not defined in the documents retrieved for this page — treat as contract-specific.
Out of scope
- Oracle Database and its metrics Named User Plus, Processor, and Standard Edition 2 Processor. See Oracle Database licensing. VirtualBox Socket is not SE2 Processor.
- Java SE and Employee. See Oracle Java SE licensing.
- Oracle VM Server support SKUs on the same ELS price list (Oracle VM Premier Limited / Oracle VM Premier, licensed by System) are not VirtualBox Enterprise.
- Guest operating-system licenses inside VirtualBox VMs are not granted by VirtualBox’s PUEL, GPLv3, or Enterprise SKU.
- Archive white papers titled “Oracle VirtualBox Licensing Guide” are not this encyclopedia page and are not overwritten here.