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ServiceNow user and subscription-unit licensing

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This article covers ServiceNow subscription types and the meters Subscription Management actually names (Fulfiller User, Business Stakeholder User, Unrestricted User, Creator User, Subscription Units, Transactions, Devices, Custom Tables, Assist credits, Workflow Data Fabric tokens, Portal visits). It is not legal advice. Product-doc articles retrieved 31 August 2026 are the quoted sources. Binding legal PDFs (Ordering Agreement effective 6 February 2026, Product-Specific Terms, Custom Table Guide, Integration Hub Overview, current Subscription Unit Overviews) were identified on official DAM paths but not retrieved for this article. Do not treat this page as a substitute for those schedules.

On This Page

ServiceNow user and subscription-unit licensing is how ServiceNow sells Now Platform / ServiceNow AI Platform subscriptions: Per-User meters (Fulfiller User, Business Stakeholder User, Creator User), instance-wide Unrestricted User, Unlimited (no measurement limit), Capacity meters (Devices, Subscription Units, Transactions), and Display Only (not measured).[1] HAM publishes assets-to-Subscription-Unit ratios on product docs; ITOM Subscription Unit ratios are the customer contract.[14][11] Requester is not a meter type on Types of subscriptions.[1] ServiceNow publishes no conversion between Users and Subscription Units.

Subscription types

Types of subscriptions (last updated 12 March 2026): “Each type of product subscription is measured according to a meter.”[1] Product subscriptions overview names five types: per-user, capacity, unrestricted user, unlimited, and display only.[3] Capacity, unrestricted user, and unlimited are allocated automatically.[3] Display-only subscriptions are not measured.[3] Per-user subscriptions are automatically allocated by role unless an administrator has previously allocated them manually.[3][5]

Subscription type (ServiceNow name) Associated meter types Allocation 
Per-User Rights-based user: Fulfiller Users and Business Stakeholder Users. Application user: users with any level of access, including Creator Users Manually allocated (or automatic by role if never allocated manually)[1][5] 
Unrestricted User Unrestricted user: instance-wide measure of all active users Automatically allocated. Not consolidated into a single product subscription[1][2] 
Capacity Devices; Subscription Units; Transactions Automatically calculated. Table query or scripted Capacity Definition[1][9] 
Unlimited Unlimited: no measurement limit Automatically allocated[1] 
Display Only None Allocation is not measured[1] 

Per-product meter mapping for every SKU is deferred to Values for Subscription-Based Products [KB0727967] (Now Support; body not retrieved) and the Order Form.[9] Product Code on the Subscription form is “the product SKU shown on your subscription order form.”[6]

Foundation / Advanced / Prime are AI-native product tiers, not countable seats.[18] Product tiers: “Contact your ServiceNow account team for information about availability and entitlement details.”[18] Workflow Data Fabric Foundation (including Integration Hub, RPA Hub, Automation Center, and Data Catalog) is embedded in every tier edition; Workflow Data Fabric Advanced is a paid upgrade.[18] Tiers are not user metrics.

Metrics

The catalog has eleven rows for ServiceNow, each under ServiceNow’s own name. HAM resource-category ratios are counting rules on Subscription Unit, not separate rows. Unlimited and Display Only are commentary (subscription types), not separate metrics. Now Assist usage entitlements now have their own row, Assists, described in ServiceNow Now Assist licensing, and Workflow Data Fabric Credits are a separate row, Workflow Data Fabric Credits.

# ServiceNow name Catalog row Unit What ServiceNow says 
1 Fulfiller User Fulfiller User User Entitlements for users with fulfiller-type access are tracked through a per-user subscription with a Fulfiller User meter type. Measured roles; allocate via groups; daily job. Bare user role is counted as licensed fulfillers. In-product approval needs no extra entitlement; cross-product approval needs additional approval entitlement.[2][4][5][7] 
2 Business Stakeholder User Business Stakeholder User User Entitlements for users who have fewer access rights than fulfiller users. Same Per-User active-user filter. Not equated here to approver_user (KB0727967 not retrieved).[2] 
3 Unrestricted User Unrestricted User User Instance-wide measure of all active users regardless of role assignments. Active user = User ID populated and Active=true on sys_user. The Per-User 365-day last-login filter does not apply. Not pooled.[1][2] 
4 Subscription Unit Subscription Unit Subscription License usage is measured using subscription units, which may cover a different number of resources depending on the resource CI category. HAM publishes assets:SU ratios. ITOM SU ratios = customer contract.[11][12][14] 
5 Transactions Transactions Other Capacity associated meter. Qualifying Integration Hub subscriptions with the same capacity definition combine into one Integration Hub Pool. Pack size is Order Form / Integration Hub Overview PDF (not retrieved). No conversion to Workflow Data Fabric tokens is published.[1][2] 
6 Custom Table Custom Table Other Creation and retention of custom tables tracked through a Capacity meter. Grandfathered tables do not count against new entitlements (one-time, immutable). Exempted tables do not count; complete list is the Custom Table Guide PDF (not retrieved).[2][8] 
7 Creator User Creator User User Entitlements for users with the now.assist.creator role are tracked through a per-user subscription with a Creator User meter type. Creator Plus allocations are account-level and apply only to Creator Plus products. No conversion of Creator User to assist credits is published.[2][3] 
8 Devices Devices Device Capacity associated meter type. Capacity subscriptions automatically track measured units, and counts of transactions, records created, or resources managed such as devices, software, or nodes. Not a HAM named-user license.[1] 
9 Assist credits Assist credits Other Process Mining Now Assist intent and activity analysis charges 250 assist credits per node or improvement opportunity. Five subsequent analyses included. Failed job = 0. The 250 figure applies to Process Mining only, not to all Now Assist skills.[17] 
10 Workflow Data Fabric tokens Workflow Data Fabric tokens Other WDF subscriptions include tokens expended per license terms. Official example: capability_id API_ACCESS expends 8 tokens. No conversion to Integration Hub Transactions is published, and 8 is an example, not a universal floor.[10] 
11 Portal visits Portal visits Other Named as a product subscription add-on alongside custom tables and transactions on the Bundled Items tab. Pack size is the Order Form. No visit pack size on Subscription details.[2] 

Roles that are not separate catalog rows

  • Measured role. “Roles that require a subscription are considered measured roles.” Categorized by access level. Role catalog is instance / KB.[4]
  • Approver users [approver_user]. “There’s a fee associated with this role.” They have “all the capabilities of requesters.” That sentence does not create a Requester meter type.[7]
  • User [user]. “The user role has no functionality and doesn’t grant access to any assets on your instance. Users with this role are counted as licensed fulfillers.”[7]
  • Requester. Not a meter type on Types of subscriptions. ServiceNow publishes no free Requester SKU.[1]

Counting / floors

Per-User vs Unrestricted User vs Capacity vs Unlimited. Types of subscriptions: each product subscription is measured according to a meter. Per-User covers rights-based Fulfiller / Business Stakeholder and application Creator Users (manually allocated). Unrestricted User is an instance-wide measure of all active users (User ID set and Active=true). Capacity auto-tracks Devices / Subscription Units / Transactions. Unlimited has no measurement limit. Display Only is not measured.[1] Catalog proof: Per-User vs Unrestricted User vs Capacity vs Unlimited types (backs Per-User vs Unrestricted User vs Capacity vs Unlimited types).

Two separate active-user predicates. Per-User allocation totals exclude users who have not logged in in the last 365 days, users assigned Web service access only, or users with an empty User ID.[2][5] Unrestricted User counts any sys_user with User ID set and Active=true, regardless of roles, with no 365-day filter on Types of subscriptions.[1] Catalog proof: Active-user allocation filters (365-day / not web service / User ID present) (backs Active-user allocation filters — 365-day login, not web service only, User ID present).

Unrestricted User subscriptions are not consolidated. “Unrestricted User subscriptions aren’t consolidated into a single product subscription.”[2] Catalog proof: Unrestricted User subscriptions aren't consolidated (backs Unrestricted User subscriptions are not consolidated into one pool).

Matching capacity definitions consolidate into one pool. Qualifying Integration Hub (and like) capacity subscriptions with a common capacity definition combine into one pool; usage deducts from the common pool.[2] Transaction pack sizes are set in the Order Form / Integration Hub Overview PDF. Catalog proof: Matching capacity definitions consolidate into one pool (backs Matching capacity definitions (e.g. Integration Hub) consolidate into one pool).

Fulfiller in-product approval; bare user counts as fulfiller. Fulfillers may approve within the product to which they are subscribed with no extra entitlement; cross-product approval needs additional approval entitlement.[7] Users with the bare user role “are counted as licensed fulfillers.”[7] Catalog proof: Fulfiller in-product approval; bare user role counts as fulfiller (backs Fulfiller in-product approval needs no extra entitlement; cross-product approval does; bare user role counts as fulfiller).

Groups, not user sets. Quebec and later: all user sets are converted to groups.[21] Adding a group to a subscription gives every user in the group entitlement.[5] Subscribed users are updated during a daily scheduled job.[5] Over-allocation = more users with entitlement than purchased subscriptions.[3][4] Allocation details for user-based subscriptions are hidden from the overview “to help prevent inaccuracy when allocations are incomplete.”[3] Contact the account executive for complete user-based allocation details.[3]

HAM assets : Subscription Unit (keep this direction). “4 assets require a single unit of license” for End User Computers.[14] Published Help ratios: End User Computers 4:1, Servers 1:1, Network Gear 5:1, Mobile Device 10:1, Telecom Network Inventory 1:1, Unclassified hardware 1:1, Monitors 15:1, Storage 3:1, Printers 10:1.[14] Count alm_asset rows that are opted in and not Disposed or Retired.[14] Assignment to a user is not required.[14] No CMDB CI-class dependency.[14] Unclassified hardware, Monitors, Storage, and Printers need HAM 10.1.0+ and HAM license version 5.0.[14] When more than one HAM solution is activated, an opted-in category is licensed only under one solution.[15] Catalog proof: HAM Subscription Units — opted-in active assets; Help category ratios (backs HAM Subscription Units — opted-in active assets; Help category ratios).

ITOM Subscription Units — ratios = customer contract. CI categories named on product docs (page updated 10 September 2026): Containers; PaaS; FaaS; Servers; Unresolved Monitored Object; Unclassed category; End User Devices; IoT; Customer Prem Devices.[11] Container Images, APIs, AI Agents, GPUs and Service Instances, listed here earlier, are not named on the current page. “The customer contract for your organization determines the CI categories from the available options, and also the ratios of CI allocation for subscription units in each CI category.”[11] License Report: Total Count is the average of 90 daily counts when Aggregated=true.[12] Ratios such as 1:1 Server / 1:3 PaaS are not published as current contractual facts. Bundle consumption is deducted from the bundle first, then a la carte.[28] The worked figures in that document (500 bundle, 250 a la carte, 860 consumed for ITOM AIOps) are illustrations, not floors.[28] Bundle and counting rules are detailed in ServiceNow ITOM subscription units. Health Log Analytics consumption is also reflected in ITOM AIOps; “you need the ITOM AIOps subscription in addition to the Health Log Analytics subscription.”[11] Catalog proof: ITOM Subscription Units — CI categories; ratios = customer contract (backs ITOM Subscription Units — CI categories; ratios set by customer contract).

Custom tables — grandfathered one-time immutable; exempt do not consume. Grandfathered entitlements are a one-time migration allotment; tables cannot be transferred, reused, or reclassified; delete does not free a grandfather slot.[8] Exempted tables do not count toward entitlements; the complete exempt list is the Custom Table Guide PDF (not retrieved, so the list is not reproduced here).[8] Example 55 App Engine Starter + 25 grandfathered = 80 is a scenario, not a pack size.[8] Catalog proof: Custom tables — grandfathered one-time immutable; exempt do not consume (backs Custom tables — grandfathered one-time immutable; exempt tables do not consume).

Process Mining assist credits (that product only). Initial Intent and agent activity analysis charges 250 assist credits per node or improvement opportunity.[17] Up to five subsequent analyses included.[17] Failed job = 0.[17] The 250 figure applies to Process Mining only, not to all Now Assist skills. Account-level Now Assist usage entitlements are named without a unit of measure on Product subscriptions overview.[3]

Workflow Data Fabric tokens — example API_ACCESS = 8. Tokens expended per license terms via the Token ratio tab (capability_id, exchange_value).[10] Official example: capability_id API_ACCESS expends 8 tokens.[10] Full token-ratio card is instance/contract-specific. No conversion to Integration Hub Transactions is published, and 8 is an example, not a universal floor. Catalog proof: WDF tokens — Token ratio tab (example API_ACCESS = 8) (backs WDF tokens — Token ratio tab (example API_ACCESS = 8)).

Portal visits. Named as a bundled add-on alongside custom tables and transaction entitlements.[2] No visit pack size on product docs.[2]

App Engine Studio. “An App Engine Studio subscription is required to install on a production or non-production instance” (article last updated 28 April 2026).[20] Not a user metric.

No published User or SU purchase floor on Types of subscriptions.[1] Quantities live on the Order Form.[6] ServiceNow publishes no User↔Subscription-Unit or Fulfiller↔Requester commercial conversions.

Virtualization

The Now Platform is SaaS. There is no hypervisor, socket, or core-factor metric for Fulfiller User.[1] ITOM counts CIs (including Containers and Container Images as named CI categories) into Subscription Units at contract ratios.[11] HAM counts physical asset records in alm_asset, not CMDB CI classes.[14] Users do not convert to Subscription Units, and a Process Mining “node” is not a named-user license.

Cloud / BYOL

Subscriptions are cloud Subscription Service under the Ordering Agreement (PDF not retrieved).[24] ITOM Cloud Accelerate counts CIs managed by Cloud Migration Assessment, Cloud Configuration Governance, or Cloud Action Library, with duplication removed when the same CIs are reported.[11] It requires additional Integration Hub Enterprise bundle entitlement, and additional Workflow Data Fabric Enterprise bundle entitlement for Cloud Action Library uses outside ITOM Cloud Accelerate applications.[13] Cloud Account Management requires the Cloud Governance Suite SKU.[13] No public BYOL hypervisor metric was found.

Programs

The catalog lists no ServiceNow programs. ELA, Now Buying, and private price books are not catalog programs.

  • Order Form / Product Code. Subscription form: start and end of the subscription period as agreed in the service contract.[6] Quantities and SKUs are not public list prices.
  • Customer Agreements and Terms. schedules.html lists the Direct and Indirect Customer Agreement effective 6 February 2026 and archived prior versions.[22]
  • Entitlement supplements. From 3 August 2023, Custom Table Guide, Integration Hub and Automation Engine Overview, and Subscription Unit Overviews live on entitlements-packages.html.[23]
  • Subscription Management. Status values ServiceNow names: Compliant; Near capacity; Even; Over-allocated; Account-level only (Creator Plus).[3]
  • Integration Hub plugin. “Integration Hub plugins require a separate subscription and must be activated by ServiceNow personnel.”[19] Catalog proof for capacity pooling: Matching capacity definitions consolidate into one pool.

Buying programs and private price books are not catalog units.

Out of scope

  • Requester as a paid or free license type (not a meter on Types of subscriptions).[1]
  • Worker, Concurrent User (not found as published ServiceNow software metrics).
  • Fulfiller-to-Requester, User-to-Subscription-Unit, and ITOM 1:1 / 1:3 as current contractual ratios.
  • Custom Table Guide exempt list (PDF not retrieved).
  • List prices / SKU price book.
  • Legal PDF body text (Ordering Agreement, Product-Specific Terms, Custom Table Guide, IH Overview, current ITOM/SAM/EAM/DEX/OT/TNI/TSOM/CCM SU Overviews) — URLs identified, bytes not saved.
  • KB0727967 Values for Subscription-Based Products (Now Support SPA not retrieved).
  • Now Assist credit packs beyond the quoted Process Mining 250 rule; unnamed “Now Assist usage entitlements” unit.
  • HRSD / CSM / ITSM which meter (Fulfiller vs Unrestricted) — instance meter type + Order Form. Community commentary not copied.
  • c_SAMLicenseMetrics — metrics ServiceNow SAM uses to reconcile other publishers, not ServiceNow’s own SKU catalog.
  • Affiliate seats. Lightstep / Cloud Observability SU Overview is named (effective 13 May 2024, PDF not retrieved).[citation needed] Moveworks / EmployeeWorks is named as a bundled capability in product tiers with no seat metric.[18] Tanium ITOM SU Overview effective 9 April 2026 (PDF not retrieved).[citation needed] No Salesforce-style affiliate-user family.
  • ELA / Now Buying as catalog programs.

Catalog rows

Sample catalog rows for this article, grouped by table.

References

  1. Types of subscriptions in Subscription Managementlast updated 12 March 2026. Per-User, Capacity, Unrestricted User, Unlimited, Display Only; associated meters.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  2. Viewing product subscription details in Subscription Managementlast updated 12 March 2026. Fulfiller / Business Stakeholder / Creator User meters; 365-day active-user filter; Integration Hub Pool; Unrestricted User not consolidated.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  3. Product subscriptions overviewlast updated 12 March 2026. Allocation behavior; Now Assist usage entitlements; Creator Plus account-level.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  4. Managing per-user subscriptions in Subscription Managementlast updated 12 March 2026. Measured roles; groups.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  5. Allocate subscriptions in Subscription Managementlast updated 12 March 2026. Active user group; daily job.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  6. Subscription formlast updated 12 March 2026. Type values; Product Code = Order Form SKU.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  7. Base system roleslast updated 12 March 2026. Fulfiller in-product vs cross-product approval; approver_user fee; user counted as licensed fulfillers.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  8. Grandfathered and exempted tableslast updated 12 March 2026. Points to Custom Table Guide.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  9. Monitoring capacity subscriptionslast updated 12 March 2026. Table query / scripted definition; KB0727967 pointer.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  10. Monitoring Workflow Data Fabric capability usagelast updated 12 March 2026. API_ACCESS example expends 8 tokens.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  11. Subscriptions for IT Operations ManagementUpdated 10 September 2026 (Brazil) on re-check; first retrieved 2026-08-31 at the 12 March 2026 version. Subscription Units; nine CI categories; ratios = customer contract.Retrieved 2026-09-26.
  12. License Report formlast updated 12 March 2026. 90-day average; SU ratio = contract.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  13. ITOM licensing subscription typeslast updated 12 March 2026. Bundle Integration Hub / WDF entitlement notes.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  14. Hardware Asset Management licensinglast updated 12 March 2026. Published assets:SU ratios; alm_asset counting rules.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  15. Licensing HAM solutionslast updated 12 March 2026. One solution per opted-in category.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  16. Subscriptions for Operational Technology Managementlast updated 12 March 2026.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  17. Configure intent and activity analysislast updated 12 March 2026. 250 assist credits; five follow-ups.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  18. ServiceNow product tierslast updated 12 March 2026. Foundation / Advanced / Prime.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  19. Request an Integration Hub pluginlast updated 12 March 2026. Separate subscription required.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  20. Get entitlement for AES appslast updated 28 April 2026.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  21. User sets and groups in Subscription Managementlast updated 12 March 2026. Quebec+ user sets converted to groups.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  22. Customer Agreements and TermsOrdering Agreement effective 6 February 2026 (PDF identified, bytes not saved).Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  23. Entitlement supplementsCustom Table Guide, Integration Hub Overview, Subscription Unit Overviews (PDFs identified, bytes not saved).Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  24. Ordering Agreement (Direct and Indirect Customer Agreement)listed Effective 6 February 2026; PDF bytes not retrieved.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  25. Custom Table Guideofficial DAM path; PDF bytes not retrieved.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  26. ITOM Subscription Unit Overviewlisted Effective 9 April 2026; PDF bytes not retrieved.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  27. HAM Subscription Unit Overviewlisted Effective 9 July 2026; PDF bytes not retrieved.Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  28. ITOM/OT SU Licensing Bundle and Individual (a la carte) subscriptionslast updated 10 September 2026. Bundle deducted first, then a la carte; AIOps example 500 bundle / 250 a la carte / 860 consumed.Retrieved 2026-09-26.

See also

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