perseat

Per-seat is a software licensing model in which a license is allocated to a seat in a computing environment. A seat typically represents either a single user session or a single device that can run the software. In practice, vendors may implement per-seat licensing as per-device (one license covers one machine) or per-user (one license covers an individual user, who may use the software from multiple devices). Some licenses are configured as concurrent seats, allowing a limited number of active sessions at the same time from a pool of seats.

How seats are counted can vary by vendor. Some define a seat as a named installation on a specific computer, while others count seats by active users or by concurrent connections. This variability means that two products labeled as “per-seat” licenses can have different rules about who can use the software and how many parallel users are permitted. It is important for buyers to review the vendor’s licensing terms to understand what constitutes a seat and how usage is measured.

Per-seat licensing is often favored by organizations with a known number of devices or users that will run the software. It can provide predictable budgeting and straightforward enforcement when device-based usage is stable. However, it may be less flexible for organizations with changing numbers of users or devices, remote work, or bring-your-own-device policies, and can incur either under-licensing or over-licensing if not tracked carefully.

Common considerations include virtualization and cloning, remote access, license portability, maintenance and renewals, and audit rights. Related terms include per-user licensing, per-device licensing, concurrent licensing, and perpetual versus subscription models.