Updated October 28, 2026: Licensing changes
We have revised this article to reflect changes to the licensing model we originally announced on April 28, 2026. That announcement described perpetual licenses with one to three years of maintenance and stated that we would not introduce subscriptions.
Following further work on our EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) compliance preparations, we reassessed the ongoing engineering, security, and administrative commitments involved. When the new licensing model becomes available, we will offer annual subscriptions alongside perpetual licenses that include five years of maintenance.
Introducing subscriptions is our commercial decision in response to those ongoing costs; the CRA does not require subscription licensing. We understand that this changes our earlier commitment, and we’re sorry for the uncertainty this has caused.
The relevant sections below have been updated. Rights already acquired under existing licenses and current maintenance entitlements remain unchanged. Our October licensing update explains the background in more detail.
Introducing Our New Licensing and Versioning Model
We’re preparing to introduce a new licensing model and updated pricing for Royal TS, Royal TSX, Royal Server, and the upcoming Royal Connect product line.
Customers will be able to choose between an annual subscription and a perpetual license with five years of maintenance. We’re also simplifying our product licensing into Desktop and Server categories and moving to year-based version numbers.
Your existing license rights and current maintenance entitlements remain unchanged.
What’s Changing?
There are four main changes:
- Desktop and Server license categories
- License types for different usage scenarios
- A choice of annual subscriptions or perpetual licenses with five years of maintenance
- Year-based versioning starting with v26.x
New License Categories: Desktop and Server
Going forward, our paid products will be available in two main license categories.
Desktop License
The Desktop license covers our desktop products across all supported desktop platforms.
This includes:
- Royal TS on Windows
- Royal TSX on macOS
- Royal Connect Desktop on Windows, macOS, and Linux
Royal Connect Desktop is our new cross-platform Integrated Management Environment, built on Avalonia UI and designed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, including Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian.
The new Desktop license replaces the previous separate Royal TS, Royal TSX, and Royal TS/X Bundle licenses.
Server License
The Server license covers our server products across all supported server platforms.
This includes:
- Royal Server
- Royal Connect Server on Windows, macOS, and Linux
Royal Connect Server is also being rewritten for broader platform support and easier deployment. On macOS and Linux, it will also support running as a Docker container.
If you currently own a license with active maintenance that includes both desktop and server functionality, it will automatically be migrated into two separate licenses:
- One Desktop license
- One Server license
No action is required from you.
License Types
Desktop and Server licenses are available in Individual, Site, Global, and Group types, depending on how and where the software is used. A combined Desktop + Server Personal license is available for private, non-commercial use.
Both annual subscriptions and perpetual licenses will be available under the new model. The license type determines the permitted scope of use; the licensing model determines the duration of your usage rights.
| License Type | Number of Installations | Number of Users | Number of Sites | Number of Documents on Royal Server | Commercial Usage Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Individual | 10 | # of individual users licensed | Unlimited | Unlimited | ✓ |
| Site | Unlimited | Unlimited | # of sites licensed | Unlimited | ✓ |
| Global | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | ✓ |
| Group (parent company + subsidiaries included in the order) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | ✓ |
Choose Your Licensing Model
Annual Subscription
An annual subscription gives you the right to use the licensed software for the subscription term. Product updates, new features, improvements, bug fixes, major releases, and priority email support are included while your subscription is active.
If your subscription ends, your right to use the software ends. A subscription does not grant permanent usage rights to versions released during its term.
Perpetual License with Five Years of Maintenance
Under the new model, a newly purchased perpetual license will include five years of maintenance. During that period, you receive product updates, new features, improvements, bug fixes, major releases, and priority email support.
You receive permanent usage rights to the software provided at purchase and all releases published during your included maintenance period. Your maintenance end date will be stated in your purchase documentation.
The five-year period applies to the included maintenance. Your right to use covered releases continues indefinitely.
What Happens When My Subscription or Maintenance Ends?
For an annual subscription: Your right to use the software ends when the subscription ends.
For a perpetual license: You can continue using every release covered by your license indefinitely. The software is not deactivated solely because maintenance has expired.
A release is covered if it was published no later than the last day of your active maintenance period. You do not need to download or install it before that date.
New Year-Based Versioning
We’re also simplifying version numbers by aligning them with calendar years.
For example:
- Releases in 2026 will use
v26.x - Releases in 2027 will use
v27.x - Releases in 2028 will use
v28.x
This makes it easier to see how current a version is and helps with upgrade planning.
Version numbers identify the release year; they do not determine your license entitlement.
With a perpetual license, releases published during your active maintenance period are covered permanently.
With an annual subscription, you can use covered releases while your subscription remains active. Their release during your subscription does not grant permanent usage rights.
What About Royal Connect Mobile?
Royal Connect Mobile is part of the new Royal Connect product line and is being rebuilt as a native mobile app for:
- iOS
- iPadOS
- Android
It will support RDP, VNC, Web, and Terminal connections out of the box, including ad-hoc connections.
Royal Connect Mobile will be free of charge and does not require a Desktop or Server license.
What Happens to Existing Licenses?
Rights already acquired under existing license agreements remain unchanged, including permanent usage rights under existing perpetual licenses.
Your current license remains valid, and your existing maintenance period remains unchanged. The new licensing model does not apply retroactively to those rights or maintenance entitlements.
The upcoming v26.x release line will be the direct successor to:
- Royal TS V7
- Royal TSX V6
- Royal Server V5
The new license structure also prepares the way for the Royal Connect product line:
- Royal Connect Desktop will be covered by the Desktop license.
- Royal Connect Server will be covered by the Server license.
- Royal Connect Mobile will be free of charge.
If your maintenance is active when v26.x is released, you will be eligible to upgrade.
Because the licensing structure is changing, v26.x and later will require a new license key. Eligible customers will be able to get their new license key through the customer portal:
No additional purchase is required if your maintenance is active at the time of release.
FAQ
Do I Need to Buy a New License Immediately?
No.
Your current license remains valid.
If your maintenance is active, you are covered for all releases published during your maintenance period.
For v26.x and later, you will need a new license key because of the new license structure. If you are eligible, you can get the new key through the customer portal:
Is This a Subscription Model?
Under the upcoming licensing model, we will offer both annual subscriptions and perpetual licenses with five years of maintenance.
An annual subscription provides usage rights for its term. A perpetual license provides permanent usage rights to covered releases.
This changes our original announcement, which described an exclusively perpetual model. The update notice at the beginning of this article explains why we revised that plan.
Does My Perpetual License Expire After Five Years?
No. Under the new model, the five years will refer to the included maintenance period for a newly purchased perpetual license.
You can continue using releases covered by your perpetual license indefinitely. Later feature releases require a new license or another applicable entitlement.
Existing perpetual licenses retain the usage rights and maintenance entitlements acquired under their original terms.
Can I Use My Existing Maintenance-Extension Coupon?
When the new licensing model becomes available, customers who received a 50% discount coupon in a maintenance-extension email will be able to use it while it remains valid toward either:
- 50% off a perpetual license, including five years of maintenance; or
- 50% off the first year of an annual subscription. From the second year onward, the applicable list price applies.
Each coupon keeps its original expiry date, two months after it was issued. The introduction of the new model does not extend that period.
This will be a limited transition offer for customers with valid coupons. It will replace the maintenance-extension offer previously described in this article for purchases under the new model. Existing contractual entitlements remain unchanged.
How Is Version Eligibility Determined?
The release date and your licensing model determine your entitlement. The version number itself does not determine eligibility.
With a perpetual license: Releases published during your active maintenance period are covered permanently, regardless of when you download or install them.
With an annual subscription: Your right to use covered releases lasts for the subscription term. A release being published during your subscription does not grant permanent usage rights.
What Happens to My Royal TS/X Bundle License?
Under the new structure, Royal TS/X Bundle licenses will be covered by the Desktop license.
If your existing license also included Royal Server and your maintenance is active, it will be split into:
- One Desktop license
- One Server license
This migration will happen automatically.
What Is the Difference Between Global and Group?
A Global license covers the licensed legal entity and its employees at all of its own sites. It does not cover affiliated companies.
A Group license covers the customer and the affiliated companies included in the order at their respective sites. This license type was called Enterprise in the original version of this article.
The order and license certificate specify the permitted scope of use.
Why Switch to Year-Based Versioning?
Year-based versioning makes releases easier to understand.
It helps customers quickly see how current a version is, simplifies upgrade planning, and aligns better with maintenance periods.
Will Pricing Change?
Yes. The following list prices will apply when the new licensing model becomes available.
| License | Annual subscription EUR / USD |
Perpetual license EUR / USD |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop + Server Personal | €95.00 / $115.00 | €419.00 / $499.00 |
| Desktop Individual | €65.00 / $79.00 | €289.00 / $349.00 |
| Desktop Site | €1,049.00 / $1,349.00 | €5,799.00 / $6,999.00 |
| Desktop Global | €2,249.00 / $2,849.00 | €11,999.00 / $13,999.00 |
| Server Individual | €149.00 / $189.00 | €649.00 / $799.00 |
| Server Site | €1,499.00 / $1,879.00 | €7,999.00 / $9,999.00 |
| Server Global | €2,999.00 / $3,749.00 | €16,499.00 / $19,999.00 |
Subscription prices are per year. Perpetual prices are one-time payments and include five years of maintenance.
The Desktop + Server Personal license is strictly for private, non-commercial use and is not available through resellers.
Moving Forward
The new Desktop and Server structure and year-based versioning are intended to make our products easier to license and manage.
Annual subscriptions and perpetual licenses with five years of maintenance will give customers a choice while supporting our ongoing development, maintenance, and security commitments.
We recognize that this differs from our original announcement. Thank you for your understanding as we work through these changes.
If you have any questions, contact our support team. We’re happy to help.
Article History
- April 28, 2026: Original announcement.
- October 28, 2026: Revised the licensing options, maintenance periods, version-entitlement explanations, pricing, and transition-offer information following our CRA compliance preparations. Clarified the combined Personal license offering and aligned the Group license terminology with the EULA. The revised licensing model will take effect with its upcoming introduction.
