Parallels licensing is the set of agreements and counting rules under which Parallels sells two families of software: Parallels Desktop for Mac, which runs Windows, Linux and macOS virtual machines on Apple computers, together with the Parallels Toolbox utilities; and a group of business products for application and desktop delivery, made up of Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS), Parallels DaaS, Parallels Browser Isolation (PBI) and Parallels Secure Workspace (PSW).[1] The two families have different contracts, different metrics and different compliance mechanisms, and a licence manager usually has to track both. Parallels’ leadership page states that the company’s chief executive led the separation and sale of Corel in May 2026; the licensing documents themselves are issued in the name of Parallels entities.[12][2]
Parallels publishes a scenario table that decides which contract governs a purchase. Business customers buying RAS, DaaS, PBI or PSW are covered by the Products Licensing Terms. Business customers buying Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition, Enterprise Edition or Parallels Toolbox Business Edition are covered by the Business User License Agreement (BULA). A single user, or a buyer who needs “no more than 5 licenses” of Parallels Desktop, Parallels Desktop Pro or Parallels Toolbox, is covered by the End User License Agreement (EULA).[1] Catalog proof: Governing agreement depends on product and licence count.
The EULA and the BULA are contracts with Parallels International GmbH and were both updated on 2026-04-01.[2][3] The Products Licensing Terms, updated on 2026-06-03, are made with Parallels Inc. for customers in the United States, Parallels Technology Canada Corporation for customers in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and Japan, and Parallels International GmbH elsewhere. They incorporate a separate Product Specific Terms document, updated on 2025-12-16, which prevails over them in a conflict.[4][5] The contract structure is covered in Parallels EULA, BULA and Products Licensing Terms.
Editions
| Product | How Parallels counts it | Governing terms | Deeper article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parallels Desktop Standard Edition | One licence per computing device; annual subscription or one-time purchase[6] | EULA (up to five licences) | Parallels Desktop licensing |
| Parallels Desktop Pro Edition | One licence per computing device; annual subscription only[6] | EULA (up to five licences) | same |
| Parallels Desktop Business Edition | Seats per computing device, managed with license keys and sublicenses[3] | BULA | same |
| Parallels Desktop Enterprise Edition | Per device or per user (SSO activation), or both[3][9] | BULA | same |
| Parallels Toolbox | One device at a time (EULA) or Permitted Devices per key (Business Edition)[2][3] | EULA or BULA | same |
| Parallels RAS | Concurrent users; one edition with all features[8] | Products Licensing Terms | Parallels RAS licensing |
| Parallels DaaS, Parallels Browser Isolation | Named users with persistent seats[10] | Products Licensing Terms | DaaS, Browser Isolation and Secure Workspace licensing |
| Parallels Secure Workspace | Concurrent users or Authorized Named Users; subscription, perpetual or cloud deployment[5] | Products Licensing Terms | same |
The Parallels Desktop editions differ in virtual machine limits and management features. Standard Edition allows 8 GB of virtual RAM and 4 virtual CPUs per virtual machine; Pro and Business allow 128 GB and 32 vCPUs. Business Edition adds centralized administration and license management, volume licensing and deployment through Mac management tools. Parallels asks organisations buying ten or more licences to contact it about volume and Enterprise options.[6]
Metrics
Parallels uses six kinds of unit across its products.
| Unit | Catalog row | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Single computing device | Parallels Desktop licence | Desktop Standard and Pro (EULA) |
| Computing device under a subscription | Business Edition computing device, Toolbox permitted device | Desktop Business and Enterprise; Toolbox Business |
| User (SSO activation) | Enterprise Edition user | Desktop Enterprise |
| Concurrent user | Authorized Concurrent User, Authorized Internal User, Authorized External User | Parallels RAS |
| Named user | DaaS named user, PBI named user, PSW named user | DaaS, Browser Isolation, Secure Workspace |
| Concurrent login | PSW Concurrent User | Secure Workspace |
The word “concurrent” means different things in RAS and PSW. In Parallels RAS one user with several devices and connections needs one licence.[7] In Parallels Secure Workspace, “a simultaneous login from two different devices for instance constitutes two Concurrent Users”.[5] The named-user products count registered users rather than active ones: a DaaS Authorized Named User counts “regardless of whether the individual is actively accessing” the service.[5] For the general concepts see concurrent and device licensing and named-user licensing.
Counting / floors
Five-licence ceiling for consumer editions. Each Standard or Pro Edition licence allows “one copy of the Software on a single computing device”, and a user “may have up to five licenses”. For an Entity the limit applies throughout the organisation, and more than five require the Business Edition.[2] The EULA grant is also limited to “private, personal, individual work-related and non-commercial purposes”.[2] Catalog proof: EULA caps Parallels Desktop Standard and Pro at five licences per organisation; One Parallels Desktop EULA licence per computing device; EULA grant limited to personal and non-commercial purposes.
Business and Enterprise seats. A Business Edition subscription allows one copy “on as many computing devices as the Subscription License permits”, and each copy may run several virtual machines. The Enterprise Edition can instead be enabled “for as many Devices or Users as the Subscription License permits”.[3] Under per-user activation one person with Parallels Desktop on three Macs “is counted as 1 seat”.[9] Catalog proof: Business Edition counts installed computing devices; Enterprise Edition may be licensed per device or per user; Enterprise SSO user counts as one seat on several Macs.
RAS concurrency and grace periods. A RAS farm may exceed its licensed concurrent users for a 7-day grace period. After that, any overuse deactivates the farm within one to two hours until usage falls back within the limit. A RAS subscription keeps working for 30 days after expiry.[7] Catalog proof: Parallels RAS counts concurrent users, not connections; RAS licence overuse is tolerated for 7 days.
Product floors. Parallels Secure Workspace Perpetual Licenses require “at least twenty (20) Concurrent Users” per licence, and SPLA Pay-As-You-Go fees are never less than the amount for 50 Authorized External Users a month.[5][4] Catalog proof: Secure Workspace perpetual licences need at least 20 concurrent users; SPLA Pay-As-You-Go minimum of 50 users per month.
Virtualization & partitioning
Parallels sells virtualization software but its own licences are not counted by processors or cores. Parallels Desktop is counted per Mac or per user, and each installed copy may run “multiple Parallels Desktop Virtual Machines”.[3] The RAS Internal License allows the server software on “any number of Customer Servers and/or any Data Center”, so licence cost follows concurrent users, not hosts.[5]
The operating systems and applications running inside those virtual machines or published through RAS are licensed separately. The EULA grants no licences for third-party operating systems, and the buy page notes that a Windows licence is not included with Parallels Desktop.[2][6] The RAS Licensing Guide lists the Microsoft licences still needed: Windows Server CALs, RDS CALs or SALs for remote sessions, and VDA rights or qualifying Microsoft 365 subscriptions for single-user Windows desktops.[11] Catalog proof: Third-party operating system licences are not included; Parallels RAS still requires Microsoft access licences. See virtualization and partitioning for the wider topic.
Cloud / BYOL
Parallels DaaS and Parallels Browser Isolation are Cloud Services hosted through cloud computing platform providers chosen by Parallels. Parallels RAS and the Secure Workspace server software run on the customer’s own servers or private cloud, including Data Centers operated by a third-party hosting provider, for which Parallels takes no responsibility.[4][5] Service providers can license RAS, DaaS and Browser Isolation under SPLA terms that bill on peak use each billing period; see Parallels RAS licensing.
Programs
- Parallels RAS SPLA License and Internal License. SPLA serves End Clients of service providers, with the provider’s own users capped at the lesser of 10% or 20; the Internal License serves the customer’s own staff.[5]
- Parallels RAS prepaid subscription. One, two or three years, with upgrades and Standard or Premium support included.[7]
- Parallels Desktop sublicense keys. Additional license keys that split Business and Enterprise seats between groups.
- Not-for-Resale License and evaluation software. Trials default to 30 days and may not be used in production.[4][3]
- Parallels Desktop lifecycle and RAS lifecycle. Desktop End of Life is the last date renewal and upgrade keys can be bought for a version; RAS LTS versions are supported for 36 months.[13][14]
Channel and resale
Only distributors, retailers and resellers authorized by Parallels may sell its products, and they may not knowingly sell products meant for another territory or “educational, trial, upgrade, OEM versions”.[15] The Products Licensing Terms govern a customer’s use “notwithstanding any agreement” with a reseller.[4] Subscription licences cannot be transferred. Under both the EULA and the BULA, perpetual licences obtained in the European Economic Area can be resold if the copy was put on the EEA market with Parallels’ consent, the seller makes all its own copies unusable and the buyer receives the information needed to determine proper use.[2][3] For the case law on used software see UsedSoft v Oracle. Catalog proof: Educational, trial, upgrade and OEM versions may not be resold; EEA users may resell perpetual licences.
Audits and compliance
Every Parallels contract combines technical verification with a contractual audit. The EULA and BULA let Parallels “remotely monitor the operation and usage of the Software” through a reporting function, and require customers to keep firewall ports open for it.[3] The BULA audit can take place during the subscription and for two years afterwards, no more than once a year unless unlicensed use is found. Customers have 30 days to supply deployment data. Unlicensed use above 5% of licensed quantities makes the customer pay the audit costs in addition to fees and 1.0% monthly interest.[3] The Products Licensing Terms have a similar audit right on 30 days’ notice, either on site or remote, which shifts costs when an underpayment reaches 5% of amounts due.[4] Catalog proof: BULA audit at most once a year with 5% cost shift; Product Licensing Terms audit with cost shift at 5% underpayment; Parallels may verify use through in-product reporting. For the general process see software license audit.
Out of scope
- Prices. The online store loads prices dynamically, and RAS, Enterprise and SPLA prices are quoted by Parallels or resellers.[6]
- Signed Order Forms, License Certificates and reseller agreements, which are not public.
- OEM bundles of Parallels Desktop, which the EULA mentions but whose terms are set by the Specific Terms of the bundled software.[2]