The Sketch Mac-only licence is the older of Sketch’s two licence forms. It gives the buyer a licence key for the Sketch Mac App, which works without a Workspace and can be used offline, and which includes one year of updates. Sketch describes it for customers who do not need collaboration tools and who can work offline with the native Mac app.[1] It remains on sale next to the subscription, but it is a separate plan with a separate account.[2] This article records how it is counted, renewed and transferred.
What the licence includes and excludes
The pricing page lists the Mac-only licence at USD 120 per seat including one year of updates. It includes the native Mac app, design, prototyping and illustration, private offline work and saving documents locally. It does not include collaborative features, sharing documents online or previewing on an iOS device.[1] The License Manager page adds that licence keys are now Mac-only and no longer include uploads to a Personal Workspace or real-time collaboration; a Workspace, the web app and collaboration need a subscription.[3]
This is a change from the earlier model. Customers who bought licence keys before 5 May 2021 were granted a Personal Workspace with some collaboration tools, and those legacy Personal Workspaces are marked for deletion if the key expires or no paid subscription exists.[4] A licence manager who finds old keys should therefore check whether a legacy Personal Workspace exists and what it holds.
The licence grant
The EULA is the contract for the Mac App under a licence key. By purchasing a key or downloading and using the Mac App the user enters into it.[5] It grants a “non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, limited, revocable license” to use the Mac App on the EULA’s terms, and reserves all other rights.[5] The EULA text refers to the “Sketch Mac License” as the licence for the term specified on the store webpage where it was bought.[5]
One computer per licence
The EULA states that the Mac App shall be used on one computer only, unless a volume licence was purchased. For a volume licence, the number of computers must not exceed the number of Sketch Mac Licences purchased.[5] The unit of count is therefore the Mac-only licence seat. In the License Manager each seat is tied to registered devices, and the page shows the status, seats used, expiry date and date until which updates are available.[3] A device is registered by entering the key in the Mac app, with different menu locations in different Sketch versions, and a device used with a subscription or trial must first be signed out.[6]
Restrictions
The key and the licence may not be rented, leased, lent, sold, redistributed, sublicensed or otherwise commercially exploited, and the key or licence may not be assigned without Sketch’s prior written approval. Decompiling, reverse engineering, modifying and creating derivative works are barred except as law permits.[5] If the customer exceeds the computer limit or shares the key, Sketch may block the key.[5] Sketch may also block the key during the term with immediate effect for breach, non-payment or when required by law or a court order.[5]
Licence key and account
A Mac-only licence key starts with SK3 and is emailed once the purchase is complete. The licence account has a single Admin email address, the one entered at purchase, and the Admin can see the full key by opening the License Manager with that address; changing the Admin address requires Sketch support.[7] For asset management this is the ownership record: if the buyer left the company, the key may be tied to a personal address. The key cannot register the Mac App Store version of the app, which must be activated through a subscription, so a customer with keys must download from sketch.com.[6][8]
To tell which model a Mac is using, Sketch tells users to open Sketch > Settings > Account in the Mac app: a licence-key user registers by entering the key starting SK3, while a subscription uses an email and password to sign in.[9]
Updates, renewal and expiry
The EULA entitles the licensee to updates free of charge for twelve months from purchase. After that period the licensee must renew the licence or enter a subscription arrangement, and upgrades may cost an additional fee.[5] The License Manager says that renewal gives a year of updates for the Mac app, after which the customer can renew again or continue using the last version they updated to.[3]
The support documentation describes the options after expiry as switching to a subscription, renewing for another year of updates, or keeping the last supported version indefinitely without updates.[10] The EULA text is stricter: it says the licence terminates automatically at the end of the applicable term unless renewed and that on termination the licensee shall cease all use of the Mac App.[5] A cautious licence position records both, and treats continued use of an expired version as dependent on Sketch’s published support position rather than on the contract wording.
Renewing with a different number of seats
When renewing, the customer chooses the total number of seats. If the renewal has fewer seats than the customer currently has, any devices not renewed no longer have access to the Mac app, immediately and irreversibly. Seats can be added during the term, and Sketch charges only for the time remaining until the licence expires.[3] This makes true-down a one-way operation, so the number of registered devices should be checked before renewing.
Moving to a subscription
A Mac-only licence and a subscription operate independently. A customer who switches to a subscription does not need to renew the licence, but needs a new account for the subscription even if the same email is used.[2] If the key is still active, support helps with the switch, and a device registered with a licence must be unlinked from the Mac app account settings or through the License Manager before signing in as an Editor.[11] The EULA also allows Sketch to end the Mac licence in order to give a pro-rated credit towards a subscription.[5]
A Mac-only licence can still be useful alongside a subscription. A holder of a valid Mac-only licence and Sketch Account can be invited as a Guest with edit access to someone else’s Workspace.[12]
Refunds and discounts
Mac-only licences are fully refundable within 30 days of the initial purchase; renewals and added seats are not. The request must come with the invoice number and the last four digits of the card, and identity as the original purchaser must be shown within 30 days.[13] A recognised non-profit organisation can receive 50% off a Mac-only licence purchase.[1] Payment is by credit or debit card for the Standard subscription and the Mac-only licence.[1]
Data and support
The EULA says Sketch may periodically collect technical data on the installed version and the system, to maintain and support the app and to improve its products. Support and updates are provided “as is” without warranty, subject to availability of personnel.[5] Sketch’s liability is capped at the amounts paid in the preceding twelve months, with the usual exceptions for physical injury, intent and gross negligence.[5]
Practical checks
- List each SK3 key with its Admin email, seats, registered devices, expiry and the “updates until” date.
- Compare registered devices with seats and confirm that no key is shared between people.
- Decide for each expired key whether to renew, move to a subscription or leave the last version in place.
- Check for legacy Personal Workspaces tied to keys bought before 2021-05-05.
- Do not transfer keys between companies without Sketch’s written approval.
Out of scope
- Mac App Store subscriptions, which are covered in the subscriptions article.
- Prices in other currencies and partner prices.
- Open source components of the Mac app and plugins, which have their own licences.