Atlassian Licenses (Jira, Confluence, JSM) - everything you need to know in 2026

Jira, Confluence, Jira Service Management, Cloud, Data Center, user tiers, subscriptions - Atlassian licensing can feel more complicated than it should be. This article explains the key concepts in plain language, so you can understand how Atlassian licenses work, what affects pricing, and what options are still available today.

Atlassian products and license types

The Atlassian product family of Cloud products includes several tools, each licensed separately:

You can purchase these products individually or as part of a collection:

• Teamwork Collection - Jira, Confluence, Loom, Rovo
  
• Strategy Collection - Focus, Talent, Align (available for more than 50 users only)
  
• Service Collection - Jira Service Management, Customer Service Management, Assets
  
• Software Collection - Rovo, DX, Pipelines, Bitbucket, Compass
  

If you buy a single product, you pay per user (or agent, in the case of JSM), based on how many users you need. 

Check Atlassian’s pricing calculator to estimate the costs:
https://www.atlassian.com/software/pricing-calculator

Cloud and Data Center - what’s the difference?

• Atlassian Cloud is a fully hosted solution managed by Atlassian. It’s subscription-based and does not require your own infrastructure.
  
• Atlassian Data Center is a self-managed option installed on your own servers or cloud infrastructure.

Important: Data Center licenses are going to expire soon ❗ March 28, 2029 is end of life for Data Center

Starting March 30, 2026, new customers will no longer be able to purchase new Data Center subscriptions or new Marketplace apps for Data Center. For most organizations, Cloud is now the only viable long-term option.

Dual licensing during Cloud migration

Many larger organizations migrate to Cloud in stages. During this transition, they often need to run Cloud and Data Center in parallel.

To support this, Atlassian offers Dual Licensing:

• Eligible customers can receive a free Data Center renewal for up to one year
  
• For Cloud Premium/Enterprise only
  
• Only products actively being migrated to Cloud are eligible
  

This helps reduce costs during longer, phased migrations.

Subscription duration and payments

Cloud subscriptions can be purchased as:

• Monthly subscriptions - flexible, charged based on the exact number of users each month
  
• Annual subscriptions - charged upfront, based on predefined user tiers and usually more cost-effective

Payments can be made using credit card, bank transfer, PayPal, or check (availability depends on billing setup and currency). Atlassian is gradually moving customers to a new billing experience, where all subscriptions, quotes, and invoices are managed from a single billing console.

Quotes and renewals

Quotes are commonly used for annual subscriptions and larger purchases. A few important rules to keep in mind:

• When buying Atlassian apps, you can create a quote, valid for 30 days. Quotes are only available for annual cloud subscriptions under Standard and Premium plans.
• Quotes must be accepted first, after which an invoice is issued
• Payments are always made against the invoice, not the quote

Billing admins can manage quotes and payments directly in the Atlassian billing console. For more information about payment methods, read this site.

Trials and refunds

Atlassian offers fully functional trials for Cloud products:

• Cloud Standard - 14 days
  
• Cloud Premium / Enterprise - 30 days
  

If you don’t add a payment method after the trial, the site is downgraded to the Free plan. If this is your initial purchase of an Atlassian Cloud or Data Center subscription, you can request a refund within 30 days of purchase (refunds are not available for renewals, upgrades, or requests made after 30 days).

Marketplace apps (Cloud and Data Center) can be trialed free for 30 days.

Users, agents, and pricing

A user is anyone who can log in to Jira or Confluence. In Jira Service Management, pricing is based on agents, not customers.

• Monthly subscriptions are charged based on the exact number of users
• Annual subscriptions are charged based on user tiers (for example: up to 50, 100, 500 users)
  

For larger teams, annual subscriptions typically offer better value.

Multi-year subscriptions

Although not publicly offered, multi-year Cloud subscriptions can be requested:

• Up to 2 years for most customers
  
• Up to 3 years for eligible Enterprise customers

Three-year subscriptions are typically available to:

• Organizations migrating to Cloud for the first time
• New Cloud customers purchasing at least 1,000 users (or 250+ JSM agents)

All multi-year deals require Atlassian review and approval and can be requested via Atlassian Partners. 

Discounts and special pricing

Atlassian offers discounted pricing for:

• Non-profit organizations and social enterprises
  
• Academic institutions, students, and teachers
  
• Open Source projects
  
• Certified Atlassian Partners
  

Details and eligibility rules are available on Atlassian’s website.

Why buy Atlassian licenses through a Solution Partner?

Working with an Atlassian Solution Partner often means more than just buying licenses:

• Access to partner-only pricing and special offers
  
• Help choosing the right products and plans for your needs
  
• Support with implementation, configuration, and integrations
  
• Ongoing advice on renewals, scaling, and license optimization
  
• A simpler purchasing process
  
  

For many organizations, this reduces both cost and risk - especially as Atlassian Cloud becomes the standard.

Looking for Atlassian Solution Partner?

Contact us

Sources:

• https://www.atlassian.com/licensing/purchase-licensing#trials ‍
• https://support.atlassian.com/subscriptions-and-billing/docs/manage-quotes/

The information presented here is from the perspective of an Atlassian partner, not Atlassian itself. We make every effort to ensure that the content is accurate, but if you find an error or have a suggestion for our blog, please email us at contact@peakforce.dev.

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