License models
One API, every way developers sell software. Pick a model per product — or mix several across the same customer base.
These aren't mutually exclusive. Most products outgrow a single model — ForgeVIO lets you combine constraints on one license, or run different models for different tiers of the same product, without a rewrite.
Identity & Seat-Based
Restrict access based on verified human identities or counted slots.
Named User
One license, one verified identity.
The license is tied to a single user profile or email login. Every request is validated against that identity, so the license moves with the person rather than a device or session.
Best for: Collaboration and productivity tools where each person needs their own account.
Seat-Based (Fixed Allocation)
A fixed bucket of seats an admin assigns.
A customer purchases a set number of seats (e.g. 50). An administrator assigns and reassigns those seats to individual users at any time — the license enforces a hard cap on total assigned seats, not concurrent usage.
Best for: Team plans sold to a company where headcount changes over time.
Concurrent / Floating
Caps how many people can be active at once.
Any number of users can hold an account, but only a fixed number can be actively logged in at the same moment. When the cap is reached, the next login is denied until a slot frees up.
Best for: Shared or shift-based software where usage is spread across more people than seats.
Usage & Consumption
Pay-for-what-you-use pricing driven by metered activity.
Usage-Based / Metered
Billed by a measurable unit of activity.
Every action that consumes a resource — an API call, a GB stored, a compute-minute — increments a counter on the license. Access can be throttled or denied once a configured limit is reached.
Best for: APIs and infrastructure products where cost tracks resource consumption.
Feature-Tiered
Unlocks features based on subscription tier.
The license carries a tier (e.g. free, pro, enterprise) plus an explicit list of enabled feature flags. Your application checks the license for a flag before rendering or executing the gated feature.
Best for: Products with a good/better/best pricing ladder.
Token / Credit Pack
A prepaid balance that depletes with use.
The customer buys a bucket of credits upfront. Each billable action debits the balance. When it hits zero, the customer tops up — no recurring subscription required.
Best for: AI, media, or compute-heavy tools with variable per-action cost.
Deployment & Machine-Bound
Traditional restrictions for on-prem and hybrid deployments.
Node-Locked / Device-Bound
Locked to specific hardware.
The license binds to one or more hardware fingerprints, MAC addresses, or server instance IDs at activation. The application refuses to run if the fingerprint of the current machine isn't on the license's device list.
Best for: Desktop software and on-prem installs sold per machine.
IP / Domain Whitelisting
Access gated by network origin.
The license stores a set of allowed IP ranges or domains. Requests are validated against that allowlist at the edge, independent of any individual user identity.
Best for: Enterprise deployments restricted to a corporate network or approved domains.
Ownership-Based
A one-time purchase instead of a recurring subscription.
Perpetual
Pay once, own the license forever.
The license never expires — there is no expiresAt to enforce. Optionally, it carries an updates-until date: the software keeps running indefinitely, but access to new version updates and support lapses after that date unless renewed separately.
Best for: Desktop and on-prem software sold as a one-time purchase, with optional paid upgrade cycles.
Combine models on a single license
Constraints stack — pair an identity check with a device lock, or a usage cap with a feature tier, all enforced by the same signed license.
Seat + Node-Locked
Enterprise desktop software sold per team, installed only on approved machines.
Usage + Feature-Tier
An API product where higher subscription tiers unlock additional endpoints and higher rate limits.
Named-User + IP Whitelisting
A B2B SaaS tool restricted to a single verified user, only reachable from the customer's office network.
Which model fits your product?
A starting point — most teams land here first, then layer in a second model as pricing evolves.
Desktop / on-prem software
Node-Locked or Perpetual
Team collaboration SaaS
Named User or Seat-Based
API or infrastructure product
Usage-Based or Credit Pack
Freemium app with paid features
Feature-Tiered
Enterprise on-prem deployment
IP / Domain Whitelisting