License compatibility

Licensing and application access

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Each Jira application you install must have a unique license. There are various license types available. Some of these license types are incompatible with each other. If you try to install incompatible license types, Jira will present you with an error. To resolve this, you should select compatible license types, obtain them and install them. You should make sure you remove the incompatible license type first.

You can manage your Jira licenses on the Versions & licenses page.

Commercial licenses

commercial license is a paid license that allows you to run a Jira application and add users.

  • All commercial licenses will work with each other if you have more than one Jira application installed.
  • You can mix commercial licenses with evaluation licenses.
  • You cannot mix commercial licenses with other license types (e.g. Data Center, Server, or Academic licenses).

Data Center licenses

Data Center is the enterprise edition of Jira.

  • If you have installed a Data Center license for an application and configured the application for Data Center, all subsequent licenses must be Data Center licenses.
  • If you have any other type of license and want to install a Data Center license, this can be done.
  • If you have more than one Jira application, and you want to set them up for Data Center, all the applications must have Data Center licenses. You cannot mix a Data Center license with any other type. For example, you can’t use a Jira Service Management Server license with a Jira Software Data Center license.

Moving from Server to Data Center


If you have Jira Service Management installed on your Jira Software instance, and you enter a Data Center license for one of the products, we prompt you to update your other license at the same time.

Evaluation licenses

An evaluation (or "trial") license lets you try the full functionality of a Jira application for a fixed period of time (typically 30 days). When the trial ends, the application stops functioning until you install a paid license.

Unpaid licenses

Unpaid licenses are available for evaluators, not-for-profit organizations, charities and students.

  • All unpaid licenses will work with each other if you have more than one Jira application installed.
  • You cannot mix unpaid licenses with commercial (paid) licenses when you have more than one Jira application installed.

Move from Server to a non-clustered Data Center deployment option

Your Data Center license must match the one you used for Server. For example, if your Server license included Jira Software and Jira Service Management, but the new one has Jira Software only, you won't be able to update it.

Data Center app licenses

Atlassian Data Center products require you to use Data Center apps, if a Data Center equivalent is offered by the app vendor.

If you’re upgrading your host product (for example, Jira Software or Jira Service Management) from a Server license to a Data Center license, you may also be required to upgrade any Server apps installed on your instance. This involves upgrading your license, and potentially updating to a newer version of the app.

Learn more about upgrading your Server apps after moving to Data Center

Last modified on Dec 1, 2023

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