Project-based Licensing

What Is Project-Based Licensing?

In the project-based licensing model, access is given to software for the duration of a specific project – not per user, but for a defined scope such as a project, team, or deliverable. Once the project ends, access can be revoked or renewed.

This model is especially useful when multiple people (even across different companies) need shared access under one master license.

How It Works

The vendor issues a “project license” that covers all team members working on a project.
Each participant accesses the software under that license, regardless of their organisation.
When the project closes, the license expires or can be extended – no extra per-user admin needed.
With a modern licensing platform, entitlements are created, updated and retired automatically, so access aligns with each project’s timeline without manual work.

Why Offer Project-Based Licensing

For ISVs:

Sell licenses per project – aligns cost with project value.
Simplifies licensing across complex, multi-company project teams.
Avoids per-user licensing overhead and simplifies management.

For Customers:

Easy shared access for whole teams - no need to license each individual.
Cost control – pay only for the project duration.
Flexible collaboration across organisations without licensing friction.

When Project-Based Licensing Makes Sense

Choose project-based licensing when:

Your software is used for defined projects or engagements.
Multiple users need shared, temporary access (e.g. contractors, external teams, consultants).
You want predictable licensing fees tied to project scope, not headcount.

It works especially well for engineering, design, analytics, consulting, and other project-driven workflows.

If project-based licensing is something your business would like to offer, feel free to book a demo and learn how 10Duke can support you.

Key Summary

1What makes project-based licensing different from other software licensing models?

Instead of licensing individual users or devices, project-based licensing grants access to everyone working on a specific project for a defined period, even if they are from different organizations.

2How long does a project-based licence typically last?

License duration is tied to the project timeline – weeks, months, or years. Vendors can offer flexible terms based on project scope and customer needs. When the project ends, the license naturally expires or can be renewed.

3Can multiple organisations collaborate under one project-based license?

Yes, if the licensing engine is capable of such granular, cross-organisation access control. This model supports cross-company collaboration, allowing contractors, partners, and clients to access the same tools under a single entitlement.

4How does 10Duke support project-based licensing?

Enabled by its customer identity management capabilities,10Duke delivers automated entitlement management, usage tracking, and secure access control, making it easy to configure, issue, and manage project-based licenses at scale.

Unlock 15-35% more license revenue from existing customers

10Duke is the best-in-class cloud-based software licensing platform designed for fast-growing software businesses.

Improve how you license and monetize your software products.

Learn more

We’re excited to let you know that 10Duke Enterprise can be used to support project-based licensing, the licensing of your applications to end customers on a project basis, rather than licensing them per device, per company or per end user.