PTC Creo and Windchill licensing is how PTC licenses its CAD, PLM and engineering calculation software on premises. The contract is a Quote plus the PTC End User License Agreement (the PTC Customer Agreement), the Licensing Basis document for each product family, the Support terms and the third-party terms schedule.[1] Each product is licensed on a named licensing basis. Creo and Mathcad are mostly Concurrent User (floating, served by a FlexNet license server). Windchill is mostly Registered User, and some Windchill Navigate products are Active Daily User.[2][3][4] Since 1 January 2018, new licenses for PTC core solutions have been sold only by subscription in the Americas and Western Europe.[10] Creo+ is the SaaS form of Creo, and it uses named and shared licenses administered in the PTC Portal.[6]
Editions
PTC does not publish edition price lists. Instead, the Licensing Basis tables give a basis for each product family. When a Licensing Basis document and the Quote disagree, the Quote governs. Each purchase follows the Licensing Basis version in effect at the time of that purchase.[2][3] Earlier Licensing Basis Table versions (2009 to 2016) stay published for reference on prior purchases.[11]
| Product family | Licensing basis (vendor wording) | Document |
|---|---|---|
| Creo family, Creo Elements/Direct, Creo CADDS | Concurrent User (except as noted) | Creo Licensing Basis, Eng. rev. March 2023[3] |
| Creo Extensions | Concurrent User or Designated Computer (per part number) | Creo Licensing Basis[3] |
| Creo View | Registered User or Concurrent User; adapters Designated Server or Registered User; toolkits Per Instance | Creo Licensing Basis[3] |
| PTC Mathcad | Concurrent User or Designated Computer, based on product name and/or Quote | Mathcad Licensing Basis, Eng. rev. October 2023[4] |
| Windchill family | Registered User (except as noted) | Windchill Licensing Basis, Eng. rev. September 2026[2] |
| Windchill Navigate View and Acknowledge, Enterprise Collaboration, Supplier Collaboration; Windchill Platform Structures | Active Daily User (unless the product name references Registered User) | Windchill Licensing Basis[2] |
| Windchill Navigate Shop Floor | Kiosk User | Windchill Licensing Basis[2] |
| Windchill Enterprise Systems Integration; Windchill Navigate Base | Designated Server; adapters Per Instance | Windchill Licensing Basis[2] |
| Creo+ | License to Run: Named License or Shared License; Floating License via PTC Portal | Creo+ success path[6] |
Windchill user types
Windchill enforces entitlement through license groups and license profiles. The out-of-box groups fall into three sets. The Active Daily User set covers PTC Navigate Contributor, PTC Navigate View and PTC Platform Structures. The role-based set includes PTC Author, PTC Contributor, PTC View and Print Only, PTC Manufacturing and others. The module-based set includes PDMLink, ProjectLink, MPMLink and others. PTC Author License is a prerequisite to every role-based license except PTC Contributor License and PTC View and Print Only License.[7] Catalog rule: Windchill license groups: PTC Author License is a prerequisite for role-based licenses except Contributor and View and Print Only.
Metrics
Nine catalog rows use PTC’s own names. Definitions live on the rows, so this section does not restate them.
| PTC name | Catalog row | Unit | Where PTC uses it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered User (RU) | Registered User | User | Windchill family, FlexPLM, Creo toolkit; one individual per license[2] |
| Concurrent User (CU) | Concurrent User | User | Creo, Creo Elements/Direct, Mathcad; generally floating[3] |
| Designated Computer (DC) | Designated Computer | Device | Products named “fixed”, “locked” or “node locked”[3] |
| Designated Server (DS) | Designated Server | Other | Integration and server components; per-CPU variant[2] |
| Active Daily User (ADU) | Active Daily User | User | Windchill Navigate, Platform Structures[2] |
| Kiosk User | Kiosk User | Device | Windchill Navigate Shop Floor[2] |
| Per Instance (PI) | Per Instance | Other | Adapters, Creo View Toolkits[2] |
| Named License (Creo+) | Named License (Creo+) | User | Creo+ License to Run[6] |
| AI Credit | AI Credit | Other | Windchill AI and FlexPLM AI (AI SaaS)[2] |
The Manage Licensing FAQ uses “Named User” for Windchill and ThingWorx user licensing. The Licensing Basis documents name no separate Named User basis for Windchill, so this catalog does not add a Named User row for it.[5] For the general model, see named user licensing and concurrent and device licensing.
Counting / floors
Registered User, Licensing Basis Eng. rev. September 2026. Each license covers one individual, however often that person uses it. A license is needed whether the person uses the product directly or through an intermediate application, and shared passwords are not allowed. Registered Users may be added or swapped as long as the total never exceeds the licenses in effect. A former Registered User who comes back needs a new license fee.[2] Rule: Registered User: one individual per license; substitution within count; returning user pays again.
Batching and indirect access, Eng. rev. September 2026. Every individual who uses the product, its data or its output needs a license, including access through a portal or batching. Generic log-ins that bypass the licensing basis are not allowed. Service accounts may only automate tasks that licensed humans start.[2] Customer Agreement 2.3 also bars anyone who is not a Permitted User from direct or indirect access.[1] Rule: Batching and indirect access require a license per individual; no generic log-ins.
Concurrent User, Eng. rev. March 2023. Each license serves one person at a time. One person running two instances at once usually consumes two licenses.[3] Rule: Concurrent User: multiple simultaneous instances consume multiple licenses.
Concurrent User location and check-out, Customer Agreement Rev. May 2026. Global and Restricted Global licenses are exempt from this rule. For all other Concurrent User products, users must be physically in the country of installation, and the client code and license server must be installed there too. A user who normally works in that country can check out a license while traveling, for a limited period (two weeks for most products). Non-employees may use these products only while at a Customer site.[1][3] Rule: Concurrent User: users in the country of installation; traveling users may check out a license (most products two weeks).
License borrowing (FlexNet). A license can be borrowed only if its feature line in the license file carries the BORROW keyword. The license server must run FlexNet Publisher 10.8.x or later.[9] Creo View help states that a borrowed license expires after 14 days.[8] Since the Manage Licensing release of 9 June 2025, borrowed license files are no longer issued by default. Customers must opt in for each licensing host.[5] Rule: FlexNet license borrowing: BORROW keyword required; borrowed license files opt-in per host since 9 June 2025.
Active Daily User, Eng. rev. September 2026. ADU counts the unique users who access the application during a 24-hour calendar day, in the server’s time zone. Overages are payable, and committed quantities must be trued up.[2] Rule: Active Daily User: unique users per 24-hour server day; overages payable and true-up required.
Per Instance and Kiosk User. Per Instance adapters need one license for each connected system, and non-production instances count too. A Kiosk User license makes one non-networked computer or tablet count as one Registered User.[2]
Windchill AI, Eng. rev. September 2026. The number of Windchill AI licenses caps how many Registered Users can be in the AI entitlement group. AI SaaS includes 12,000 AI Credits per Registered User per year. Credits are pooled across users within the aggregate allowance and expire at the end of each contract year.[2] Rule: Windchill AI: entitlement group capped at AI licenses; 12,000 AI Credits per Registered User per year, pooled, no rollover.
Creo+ named licenses. Only the assigned user can use a Named License, and assigned named licenses cannot exceed the number purchased. A Shared License can be assigned to several named users and used concurrently, up to the number of shared licenses purchased.[6] Rule: Creo+ Named License: only the assigned user; assignments cannot exceed purchased licenses.
Windchill Named User across environments. In the Manage Licensing app, the “Disable License Control” host setting lets customers install the full quantity of Windchill or ThingWorx products on several hosts, so the same named users can reach production and sandbox systems. The entitled quantity still applies.[5]
Designated Country, Customer Agreement Rev. May 2026. Global and Restricted Global licenses are exempt. All other products may only be installed in the Designated Country. Moving them requires notice to PTC and Uplift Fees where list prices are higher.[1] Rule: Installation limited to the Designated Country unless Global or Restricted Global; moving requires notice and Uplift Fees.
Compliance. PTC may run usage assessments. On written request, the Customer must deliver a certified installation or usage report within ten business days. For Registered User products, the report lists every individual issued a password. Excess use is payable.[1]
Virtualization & partitioning
PTC’s rule is that using virtualization to get around license controls, or the intent of a licensing basis, violates the License Agreement. Designated Computer (node locked) licenses may not be installed on or accessed through virtualization technologies.[3] Rule: Virtualization may not circumvent license controls; no node-locked licenses on virtualization. For Designated Server products, a partitioned server counts each partition as a separate server, and the product may run on only one partition. The “Designated Server (per CPU)” variant needs one license for each CPU.[1][2] Rule: Designated Server: each partition counts as a server; per-CPU variant needs a license per CPU. PTC publishes no core-factor or vCPU metric for Creo or Windchill. See processor and core licensing for vendors that do.
Cloud / BYOL
The retrieved documents contain no bring-your-own-license terms for public clouds. Creo+ and Windchill AI SaaS are PTC-hosted. The Windchill AI on-premises option runs in the customer’s own or a third-party Azure environment, and AI token consumption there is as negotiated with that provider.[2][6] Creo+ needs no customer license server: the PTC Portal tracks floating licenses.[6]
Programs
Subscription (Subscription). A Subscription is an on-premise license for a term, and it includes Support Services during that term at no additional fee. PTC does not offer perpetual licenses for most products.[3] The news release of 19 April 2017 announced that from 1 January 2018, new licenses for core solutions and ThingWorx would be sold only by subscription in the Americas and Western Europe. Existing perpetual licenses stay usable and their support can be renewed. Kepware remains available both ways.[10] Rule: New licenses subscription-only in the Americas and Western Europe from 1 January 2018. If support on a perpetual license is dropped, it cannot be reactivated. Support also cannot be bought for only some licenses of a product.[1] Rule: Perpetual licenses: lapsed Support cannot be reactivated; no partial Support on a product. For the wider transition pattern, see subscription and consumption licensing and the comparable Autodesk Single User and Flex move away from multi-user licensing.
Out of scope
- Onshape. Plans and terms are published on onshape.com, not on ptc.com, so they were not used as sources here.
- List prices and SKU part numbers (not published by PTC).
- Creo+ and Windchill+ SaaS contract terms beyond the success-path guide (the PTC SaaS terms were not retrieved for this article).
- Home Use / Portable License Enabler details beyond the Licensing Basis wording.
- Perpetual-to-subscription conversion incentives. PTC mentions them but publishes no terms.
- ThingWorx, Kepware, Codebeamer, Arbortext, Servigistics and Vuforia licensing bases.
- Blogs, resellers, PTC Community forum posts and SAM-tool vendor material.
Catalog rows
- Metrics
- Programs
- Rules
- Registered User: one individual per license; substitution within count; returning user pays again
- Batching and indirect access require a license per individual; no generic log-ins
- Concurrent User: multiple simultaneous instances consume multiple licenses
- Concurrent User: users in the country of installation; traveling users may check out a license (most products two weeks)
- FlexNet license borrowing: BORROW keyword required; borrowed license files opt-in per host since 9 June 2025
- Virtualization may not circumvent license controls; no node-locked licenses on virtualization
- Designated Server: each partition counts as a server; per-CPU variant needs a license per CPU
- Active Daily User: unique users per 24-hour server day; overages payable and true-up required
- Installation limited to the Designated Country unless Global or Restricted Global; moving requires notice and Uplift Fees
- New licenses subscription-only in the Americas and Western Europe from 1 January 2018
- Perpetual licenses: lapsed Support cannot be reactivated; no partial Support on a product
- Windchill AI: entitlement group capped at AI licenses; 12,000 AI Credits per Registered User per year, pooled, no rollover
- Windchill license groups: PTC Author License is a prerequisite for role-based licenses except Contributor and View and Print Only
- Creo+ Named License: only the assigned user; assignments cannot exceed purchased licenses
- Evidence
- Registered User: one individual per license; substitution within count; returning user pays again
- Batching and indirect access require a license per individual; no generic log-ins
- Concurrent User: multiple simultaneous instances consume multiple licenses
- Concurrent User: users in the country of installation; traveling users may check out a license (most products two weeks)
- FlexNet license borrowing: BORROW keyword required; borrowed license files opt-in per host since 9 June 2025
- Virtualization may not circumvent license controls; no node-locked licenses on virtualization
- Designated Server: each partition counts as a server; per-CPU variant needs a license per CPU
- Active Daily User: unique users per 24-hour server day; overages payable and true-up required
- Installation limited to the Designated Country unless Global or Restricted Global; moving requires notice and Uplift Fees
- New licenses subscription-only in the Americas and Western Europe from 1 January 2018
- Perpetual licenses: lapsed Support cannot be reactivated; no partial Support on a product
- Windchill AI: entitlement group capped at AI licenses; 12,000 AI Credits per Registered User per year, pooled, no rollover
- Windchill license groups: PTC Author License is a prerequisite for role-based licenses except Contributor and View and Print Only
- Creo+ Named License: only the assigned user; assignments cannot exceed purchased licenses
- Sources
- PTC Customer Agreement (Clickwrap)
- Licensing Basis for Windchill and FlexPLM Products
- Licensing Basis for Creo and other CAD Licensed Products
- Licensing Basis for Mathcad Products
- Manage Licensing FAQ
- Get Started with Creo+: License Entitlement and User Assignment
- Windchill Help Center: Out-of-box License Groups
- Creo View 12.1: Obtaining and Configuring Licenses
- Creo Schematics 9.0: License Borrowing
- PTC Accelerates Subscription Business Model in Select Regions
- Licensing Basis (archive of prior versions)