The Power of a Usage-Based License

For years, software companies have relied on traditional licensing models to deliver applications to their users. Most commonly, these licenses are sold per named user or per concurrent user. While both have served their purpose, each comes with limitations that can create inefficiencies for both software vendors and their customers.

Traditional Licensing Models

Per Named User Licensing
A named user license assigns a specific license to a specific individual. Whether or not that person logs in frequently—or at all—the license remains tied to them. This model ensures predictable revenue for the vendor but can lead to wasted capacity for customers who pay for inactive users or seasonal staff who only occasionally access the software.

Per Concurrent User Licensing
Concurrent user licensing allows a fixed number of users to access the application simultaneously, regardless of who they are. This model is more flexible, as it supports shared access across teams, but it still requires forecasting. Customers must estimate their peak usage in advance and prepay for enough licenses to avoid login denials—often resulting in over-purchasing.

Introducing the Usage-Based License

Enter the Usage-Based License—a modern, flexible approach designed for today’s dynamic software environments. Instead of prepaying for a set number of licenses, customers are billed monthly in arrears based on their actual usage. This means you pay only for what you use, when you use it.

With a usage-based model, there’s no need to assign seats to individual users or constantly add and remove seats as usage changes. You no longer have to guess at how many concurrent sessions you’ll need. The system automatically tracks your actual high point of concurrency each month and invoices accordingly.

Advantages of a Usage-Based License

GO-Global’s New Usage-Based License for ISVs

At GraphOn, we’re excited to announce that GO-Global now offers Usage-Based Licensing for our Independent Software Vendor (ISV) clients. This model is purpose-built for ISVs who publish Windows applications to their customers and want to align costs more closely with real-world usage.

Rather than purchasing a fixed number of concurrent seats upfront, ISVs can now deploy their applications and simply pay for the maximum number of users who connected during the billing period. It’s a smarter, more efficient way to license GO-Global—especially for ISVs whose customer bases fluctuate month to month.

Why It Matters

The usage-based license puts flexibility, fairness, and scalability back in your control. It eliminates administrative overhead, reduces upfront costs, and ensures your licensing always reflects your actual business activity. For ISVs, it’s a more accurate and transparent way to serve clients while aligning licensing costs with growth.

If you’re ready to explore how a Usage-Based License can simplify your application delivery and streamline your costs, reach out to GO-Global today to learn more.