Buying guide: Agisoft Metashape licenses
What Agisoft Metashape is
Agisoft Metashape is a photogrammetry software. It turns aerial or ground photos into point clouds, textured 3D models and georeferenced orthomosaics.
The Professional edition adds georeferencing with ground control points (GCP) and flight logs, DSM and DTM generation, coordinate, distance, area and volume measurements, multispectral and thermal image processing, NDVI calculation, LiDAR data support and Python scripting.
Drone Parts Center only sells the Professional edition. The Standard edition stops at the textured 3D model and does not cover these professional use cases.
The software runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Current version as of 1 August 2026: 2.3.1, released on 28 April 2026.
Node-Locked license or Floating license
A Node-Locked license activates the software on one computer at a time. It can be transferred to another computer through a deactivation and reactivation process, with no practical limit for normal manual use.
A Floating license can be installed on as many computers as needed, but only a limited number of machines can run it at the same time: that number matches the licenses purchased. A license server (Agisoft FLS) must be installed on the network to distribute licenses to client machines.
A Floating license suits a team that shares machines or works in shifts. A Node-Locked license suits a machine dedicated to a single user.
Both license types are perpetual and allow commercial use.
Commercial license or Educational license
Both versions are technically identical. Only the legal status of the license holder differs.
The Educational license is reserved for accredited educational institutions: universities, colleges, technical and vocational schools, correspondence schools. It is also open to their students and to their officially employed teaching or research staff.
Government bodies, research institutes and museums are not eligible for the Educational license under Agisoft’s reading of the policy, even when they carry out teaching activities. A well-documented case can overturn an initial refusal: affiliation with a recognised education system, an education-sector NACE code, certifying training programmes, no commercial use.
Agisoft can request written proof of eligibility at any time after purchase. Without proof, the price difference up to the commercial rate is charged.
The number of licenses to buy matches the number of seats used at the same time, including the teacher. For 5 students and 1 teacher working simultaneously, 6 licenses are needed.
How an order is processed
Drone Parts Center forwards the order to Agisoft with the customer’s details, listed below. Agisoft replies with a secure payment link, operated by its billing partner FastSpring.
Payment can be made by bank transfer, card or SEPA direct debit.
Delivery is electronic: license keys are sent by email once Agisoft receives the payment.
Typical processing time: 4 to 5 business days for a bank transfer, 5 to 7 business days for a SEPA direct debit. Reporting the payment as soon as it is sent often speeds up processing.
Instant delivery is not possible: the delay depends on the banking channel, not on Drone Parts Center.
Information required to place an order
| Information | Note |
|---|---|
| Full legal name of the end user | As it will appear on the license |
| Full address of the end user | |
| Contact name at the end user | |
| Contact email | Corporate or academic domain required; no gmail, hotmail or similar address |
| VAT number | For any business customer |
| Edition, license type and number of seats | Professional, Node-Locked or Floating, Commercial or Educational |
| Proof of institution status | For an Educational license, on Agisoft’s request |
Activation
Activation is done inside Metashape, via the Help menu then Activate product, by entering the key received by email. No Agisoft account is needed.
Once activated, the license works offline. Only activation and deactivation require an internet connection.
On a computer that previously held an Agisoft license, an activation failure with an otherwise valid key almost always comes from an old licensing folder left in place. It must be removed before activating the new key.
| System | Folder to remove |
|---|---|
| Windows | C:\ProgramData\Agisoft\Licensing |
| macOS | /Library/Application Support/Agisoft/Licensing |
| Linux | /var/tmp/agisoft/licensing |
An offline activation procedure exists for machines without internet access, using a file exchange between a connected machine and the offline one. It is detailed in the delivery email and on Agisoft’s website.
A Floating license requires installing a license server (Agisoft FLS) on the network, with a web administration interface.
Before changing computers, reinstalling the operating system or replacing major hardware components, always deactivate the license first.
An Agisoft Metashape license cannot be resold or transferred to a third party.
System requirements
| Configuration | Processor | RAM | Graphics card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 4 to 12 cores, 2.0 GHz and up | 16 to 32 GB | NVIDIA or AMD, 1024 unified shaders and up |
| Advanced | 6 to 32 cores, 3.0 GHz and up | 32 to 128 GB | 1 to 2 GPUs, 1920 unified shaders and up |
| Extreme | Dual-socket Xeon or EPYC servers, 3.0 GHz and up | 128 GB and up | Quadro, Tesla, Radeon Pro or Instinct |
GPU acceleration works through OpenCL or CUDA: AMD cards are supported, not only NVIDIA.
The maximum project size mostly depends on the amount of RAM available, not on a photo count limit.
Support and updates
The license includes 12 months of email-based technical support from Agisoft (support@agisoft.com), starting from the first activation.
It also includes free updates to all 2.x.x versions, with no time limit. These are two separate benefits: support ends after 12 months, while 2.x.x updates stay free beyond that point.
A future move to a 3.x.x version would be a separate, paid upgrade.
Frequently asked questions
Is the license perpetual, or does it need to be renewed?
Perpetual, with no renewal. Only the email-based technical support is limited to 12 months.
Is software installation included in the license price?
No. The price covers the license and its activation key. Installing the software on the machine remains the customer’s responsibility; Drone Parts Center can be contacted to arrange assistance.
Can I move my Node-Locked license to another computer?
Yes. Deactivate the license on the old machine before activating it on the new one.
How many licenses do I need for my team?
One license per seat used at the same time. For a Floating license, what matters is the maximum number of simultaneous users, not the total number of equipped machines.
What happens if my institution is not recognised as eligible for the Educational license?
A well-documented case can get the decision reviewed. Without confirmed eligibility, the commercial license applies.
Useful links
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