TOPdesk operator and caller licensing is the way TOPdesk decides which people in a TOPdesk environment must be paid for. TOPdesk records two kinds of user. A person is the caller that the service desk supports. Many callers can log in to the Self-Service Portal to register calls and requests. An operator is someone to whom calls or other tasks may be assigned, and who can log in to the Operator Section.[1] The licence charge attaches to operators, and within operators only to those with at least one paid permission.[2] TOPdesk’s price list uses the word agent for the same role, defined as anyone who can open and adjust tickets.[6] Callers are not priced in the public plans, which include unlimited end users.[6] The model is a role-based variant of named user licensing. What is counted is the operator card and its permissions, not a login session or a device.
Editions
The counting rules on this page apply in the same way to the three public SaaS plans, Essential, Engaged and Excellent. All three are priced per agent per month and all include unlimited light agents with view rights.[6] The Virtual Appliance documentation describes the same paid-licence logic for on-premises installations, with the same exceptions.[5] The plans differ in modules, not in how operators are counted. See TOPdesk SaaS plans and pricing.
Metrics
| Term | Catalog row | Charged? | Source statement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator with at least one paid permission | Operator (paid licence) | Yes | Charged for every operator assigned at least one paid permission.[2] |
| Agent | Agent | Yes | Anyone who can open and adjust tickets.[6] |
| Operator with only free permissions | Light agent (view rights) | No | Not charged. Free permissions mostly let operators see information.[2] |
| Dashboard viewer | Light agent (view rights) | No | Users who only view dashboards are free.[6] |
| API account | (rule) API accounts are free accounts but still need permissions | No | Always considered a free account.[4] |
| Caller (person) | Caller | No | Not priced. Unlimited end users in all plans.[6] |
| Licensed agent | Licensed agent | Contract term | A user who can have admin permissions and be assigned to tasks.[7] |
| Authorized User (TOPdesk USA) | Authorized User (TOPdesk USA SaaS) | Contract term | An employee approved by TOPdesk and given an Authorized User ID.[13] |
The contracts and the documentation use different words for the same thing. The 2021 General Terms speak of the number of users and of licensed agents.[7] The US SaaS terms speak of Authorized Users.[13] The product documentation speaks of paid operators.[3] Reading these as one count is commentary. The documents do not state the mapping.
Counting / floors
Paid and free permissions
Permissions are granted through permission groups. Each permission is either free or paid. Free permissions are mostly those that let an operator see information without adding or changing it. Paid permissions are mostly those that let an operator change data in the environment or change the environment itself.[2] In a permission group, a paid permission is shown with a money icon. The organisation is charged for every operator that has at least one paid permission.[2] A single paid permission therefore turns a read-only operator into a paid one. Catalog proof: An operator with at least one paid permission needs a paid licence; Operators with only free permissions are not charged.
Paid permission groups count whether they are linked to the operator directly or inherited from an operator group that has a paid permission group linked.[3] For inherited groups, the overview shows the name of the operator group they come from.[3]
Accounts that are never paid
Three kinds of operator card are not indicated as paid even when they hold paid permissions:[2]
- operator cards used by TOPdesk, such as the Consultancy and Support accounts in TOPdesk SaaS;
- operator cards for which Allowed to log in is disabled;
- API accounts.
The Virtual Appliance’s Active Operators Overview lists the same three exceptions and states that licence status depends on whether the operator has certain paid permissions.[5] The SaaS Operator licence overview adds that an operator linked to paid permission groups shows a free status when it is an API account or when its Has access setting is deselected.[3] Catalog proof: TOPdesk support accounts, login-disabled operators and API accounts are never paid; An operator with paid permission groups can show a free status.
API accounts
An API account is an operator card that cannot log in to the Operator Section. It is used for automations and integrations.[1] Once the API Account checkbox is ticked, the card can only be used for actions that do not need the interface, such as automations, integrations and OData reporting. It is always a free account.[4] API accounts still need permissions like any other operator, including the API Access permissions for the REST API and application passwords.[4] Since October 2025, new API accounts can be created without a linked person, and API accounts can no longer be linked. Converting an existing operator card into an API account was possible until the end of July 2026, when TOPdesk removed that temporary feature.[9] Catalog proof: API accounts are free accounts but still need permissions.
Callers
A person record represents the caller.[1] The Is caller box on the person card makes the person available in caller blocks and in related selection lists, including those of the Self-Service Portal. Leaving it unchecked hides persons such as contractors who are registered only for reference.[10] The Virtual Appliance gained the same Is caller role in 2026 Release 2, together with a new checkbox that grants access to the Self-Service Portal.[11] None of the retrieved price documents prices callers. The SaaS Fair Use Policy uses them only to set the storage limit, in bands from up to 2,500 callers to 50,000 callers.[12] Catalog proof: The Is caller role decides who can be selected as a caller; SaaS storage limits are set by caller and operator bands.
Floors
None of the retrieved documents sets a minimum number of paid operators. The public price calculator starts at 5 agents.[6] The contractual number is whatever the purchasing agreement states.[7]
Virtualization & partitioning
Not applicable. Operator licences are counted per operator card and do not depend on servers, processors or virtual machines. Hosting and infrastructure are covered in TOPdesk On-Premises and Virtual Appliance licensing.
Cloud / BYOL
Not applicable. The same operator count applies to TOPdesk SaaS and to the Virtual Appliance. Under the US SaaS terms, each Authorized User gets a unique user name and password, and access is limited to the number of Authorized Users on Exhibit 1.[13] Catalog proof: US SaaS access is limited to the Authorized Users on Exhibit 1.
Programs
Licence reporting in the product
The Operator licence overview in TOPdesk SaaS is opened from Modules > Supporting Files > Overview > Operator licences. It shows contractual and actual licence usage in a graph. The graph is red if paid operators in use exceed the number paid for in the contract.[3] The list shows each operator’s name, last activity and licence type (paid or free). It can be filtered by licence status, last activity, API account and application password, and exported to Excel.[3] Last active also updates when a person linked to the operator logs in to the Self-Service Portal, so it is not based only on logins to the Operator Section.[3] After a change in the contracted number of operators, the overview takes two working days to show it.[3] Catalog proof: The Operator licence overview flags paid operators above the contracted number.
The Virtual Appliance offers an Active Operators Overview. It shows each operator’s name, login name, online status, last activity and licence, with the total of paid licences in its summary.[5]
One TOPdesk user
TOPdesk is replacing the strict separation between operators and callers. Until now, they were completely separate entities, even when both represented the same individual.[8] In the new model, each user has a person card, and an operator card is linked to it.[8] Phase 1, linking cards, is complete. Since February 2026, links for existing operators can no longer be created or changed. In phase 2, the system creates person cards for operators that have none. These generated cards receive no extra permissions and no Self-Service Portal rights.[9] In the Virtual Appliance, 2026 Release 2 removed the linking features, so operators can no longer be created without a linked person through the Supporting Files import or API.[11] At present, one individual cannot be both a person and an operator.[1] The documents do not say whether the unified identity will change how licences are counted. Catalog proof: Operators receive linked person cards; API accounts stay unlinked.
Compliance
The 2021 General Terms tie the count to the contract. The right of use can be limited in number of users as set in the purchasing agreement, and the customer must tell TOPdesk of relevant changes in actual use.[7] If the agreed number of users is exceeded, TOPdesk contacts the customer and offers a reasonable time to expand the licence or reduce the users. If the excess continues, TOPdesk may unilaterally increase the number and invoice it at its usual rate.[7] Affiliates may use the software as licensed agents only when the purchasing agreement allows it. They then become parties to the agreement and are jointly and severally responsible with the customer for performance of the contract.[7] Catalog proof: The right of use is limited to the content and number of users in the purchasing agreement; Exceeding the agreed users leads to a cure period, then a unilateral increase; Affiliates may use TOPdesk as licensed agents only if the purchasing agreement says so.
For an effective license position, the documents above point to the following count. The entitlement is the contracted number of operators. The consumption is the number of operator cards with a paid licence status, after the three exceptions. Operators whose only paid permission comes from an inherited group still count. Removing a paid permission or disabling Allowed to log in reduces the count. Converting a non-human account into an API account also reduces it, where that is still possible. This paragraph is commentary on the cited documents.
Out of scope
- The prices per agent, which are covered in TOPdesk SaaS plans and pricing.
- Which individual permissions are paid. The documentation marks them in the product with a money icon but publishes no full list.
- Concurrent or floating operator licences. None of the retrieved documents describes them, so older contracts that use them are not covered.