COMSOL Price and COMSOL Licensing 2026 Guide

The COMSOL price is quoted based on your cost because it is a configuration outcome, not a sticker. Once you lock the license boundary, peak simultaneous use, deployment path, and module list up front, you avoid the two expensive failures: buying the wrong license type first, then rebuying when access and concurrency become real.

Price Envelope

These are budget bands, not a list price. Use them as a procurement placeholder, then convert them into a real quote using the framework below.

A publicly posted COMSOL Multiphysics price list from Oct 2014 and May 2015 shows module-style line items such as LiveLink and add-ons in the $595 to $1,495 range. And it repeats the standard framing of 12 months included with renewal priced at 20%. (techfee.fau.edu)

A Purdue University internal guidance page (dated context) states a “base COMSOL license” around $4,000, with modules varying from $600 to $4,000, and mentions yearly licenses at ~50% of perpetual in that context. (Purdue University).

This is not “today’s quote,” it is a starting envelope.

Quick IT Readiness

This is the minimum “do we have the plumbing?” check before shared licensing.

• Default TCP ports: 1718 (lmgrd) and 1719 (vendor daemon).

• Ports can be changed, but your license file, firewall rules, and clients must match, and you restart the license manager for changes to take effect. (COMSOL)

• Use the recommended client pattern port@hostname, and confirm DNS and routing are consistent from every subnet (and over VPN if you expect remote use).

Faster Decisions

License Choice Tree (Boundary → Then Deployment)

Start: Where does it run, and who shares it?

├─ One designated workstation, one session at a time → CPU-Locked

├─ One named engineer, multiple installs allowed → NSL

└─ Shared pool across a team → FNL (concurrent seats)

   ├─ Mostly model builders → size FNL seats by measured peak concurrency

   └─ Few builders + many runners → add CSL (COMSOL Server) and/or Compiler

Quote Driver Matrix 

Why Price Feels Nonlinear

When people say “COMSOL is expensive,” they usually mean the quote moved after the requirement changed. COMSOL licensing behaves like an engineering constraint, so small shifts in access, concurrency, or deployment can multiply cost.

Four knobs dominate most quotes: license boundary, concurrency, deployment, and modules.

1) License Boundary
Where is the software allowed to run, and how do users connect to it?

2) Concurrency
How many people need it at the same time during peak hours?

3) Deployment
Whether you are buying seats for model builders, or scaling access via apps and executables.

4) Modules and add-ons
Once the boundary is right, modules typically drive the spread.

In real engineering teams, licensing mistakes are rarely solved. They are access mistakes. A single seat works until someone needs secure remote access. Another engineer needs the same seat during peak hours. Then a cluster sweep becomes urgent, and suddenly the license server is a production dependency.

Term vs Perpetual

Make these lines “snippet-safe” and keep them tied to COMSOL’s own wording:

• Perpetual: license does not expire; updates and technical support are included for the first 12 months after purchase; subscription renewal is 20% of the then-current price for the following 12-month period. (COMSOL)

• Term: license expires after the term; 12-month minimum; updates and technical support included for the duration of the term. (COMSOL)

Pick The Boundary First

Think of this as selecting the correct fixture before machining. When the fixture is wrong, nothing else matters.

CPU-Locked License

Locked to a single workstation. Multiple people can use that machine, but only one session runs at a time, and network or remote sharing is not the intent. Shift-based, one-desk usage fits well. Hybrid teams hit access limits fast.

NSL Named Single User License

Assigned to one named user. Best for a single owner who needs multiple installs and controlled concurrency across personal machines. Typical setup allows up to four installs, with up to two running simultaneously. Remote use is allowed, but only through one approved encrypted method, like VPN or an encrypted remote desktop. If the license must rotate between people, do not choose this boundary.

FNL Floating Network License

Sized by peak concurrent users, not total headcount. Install it across as many machines as needed within the allowed territory, then share seats via a license server. Infrastructure becomes the risk surface: server reachability, firewall rules, ports, monitoring, and backups now decide uptime.

CSL COMSOL Server License

Use it to scale execution, not to add modeling seats. It hosts Application Builder apps, controls access, and lets many users run approved workflows without full model-building licenses. Typical behavior allows up to four concurrent app runs per user, with centralized admin control across locations.

CKL and ASL

These are academic scaling boundaries. CKL typically supports up to 30 concurrent users per class, while ASL typically supports up to 300 users, with up to four apps per user concurrently. Focus on the intent: wide learner access without distributing full modeling capability.

Size Concurrency 

Concurrency is a measured peak, not a forecasted wish. Teams overspend when they match licenses to headcount instead of busy-hour overlap.

A defensible number looks like: Peak simultaneous users between 10:30 and 16:30 on Tue–Thu over 4 weeks.

Micro-Procedure: Measure Peak and Prove Reachability

1. Pick the window: Tue–Thu, core hours, 4 consecutive weeks, then buy the plateau peak, not a one-off spike.

2. Clean false peaks: stale checkouts, sleep mode, remote disconnects that held seats hostage.

3. Prove network reachability to the license manager (before rollout):

   • Windows (PowerShell): Test-NetConnection <license-host> -Port 1718 and -Port 1719

   • Linux/macOS: nc -vz <license-host> 1718 and nc -vz <license-host> 1719

4. Verify ports match the license file lines (the SERVER and VENDOR entries define the running ports. COMSOL explicitly says you can change ports, but you must restart the license manager for changes to take effect. (COMSOL)

Deployment: The Lever That Reduces Seat Buying

If you only buy modeling seats, you will stay purchasing modeling seats all the time. Deployment lets you scale validated workflows without turning everyone into a model builder.

COMSOL Server: Scale access to validated apps

If your real demand is “many people run the same approved workflow,” you do not need many model builders. You need distribution. Server-hosted apps are the cleanest way to give non-experts repeatable simulations with guardrails.

A critical operational benefit is cluster scaling. With the right deployment boundary, you can run large compute jobs without treating “number of nodes” as a licensing limiter.

Compiler: Distribute Standalone executables

If one specialist builds a validated workflow and many people just need to run it, compiling can eliminate the “seat per runner” trap. This is how you keep expertise centralized while scaling output.

The engineering rule here is simple:
If users only need to execute, do not buy them the build capability.

Quote Checklist

You do not chase a quote. You want a configuration that still holds after rollout.

Quote Request Template

Subject: COMSOL Quote Request (Boundary + Concurrency + Deployment + Modules)

1) License boundary (pick all that apply)

- CPU / NSL / FNL / CSL (COMSOL Server) / CKL / ASL:

- Where will COMSOL run: single workstation, multiple workstations, VDI, cluster

- User access pattern: local only, VPN, encrypted remote desktop, mixed sites

- Countries/territories involved (if relevant)

2) Users and concurrency (measured, not headcount)

- Total users who may need access:

- Measured peak concurrency target:

- Measurement window used: Tue–Thu, core hours, 4 weeks

- False-peak cleanup performed: stale checkouts, sleep mode, remote disconnects

3) Deployment intent (how you will scale)

- Model builders count (people who author/modify models):

- Runners count (people who only execute):

- Need COMSOL Server (apps) and/or COMSOL Compiler (executables): yes/no and why

- Apps vs full model-builder seats: what will be distributed

4) Modules and add-ons

- Minimum module shortlist (must-have physics):

- LiveLink needs (if any):

- Expected module growth over 12 months:

5) IT and networking constraints (so rollout does not fail)

- License server OS and ownership (who monitors/backs up/patches):

- DNS/VPN constraints (split tunnel, routing between sites):

- Firewall policy constraints:

- Default ports allowed: TCP 1718 and 1719 (or your approved custom ports):

- Preferred client format: port@hostname

6) Commercial preference

- Term vs perpetual preference:

- Support/maintenance renewal preference:

- Required quote validity window and approval timeline:

Failure Modes

Licensing incidents look like “software is down,” but the root cause is usually reachability or concurrency control.

Reality check: ports can be changed, but the running ports must match the license file and what clients are reaching, and COMSOL notes you must restart the license manager for port changes to take effect. (COMSOL)

Conclusion

You get predictable COMSOL price outcomes when the license boundary matches how your team actually works. Lock access rules and peak simultaneous use first, because that is what drives most rebuy cycles.

Next, choose CPU, NSL, or FNL based on where the software runs and how people connect. Then choose deployment, because the Server and Compiler can scale usage without buying more modeling seats. Finally, size modules and compute, because those become multipliers once the boundary is set.

FAQ

1. Is there a public list price for COMSOL price searches?
   Treat pricing as configuration output. Until the license boundary, concurrency, deployment, and modules are fixed, any number you hear will be wrong in practice.

2. What is the difference between NSL and FNL in COMSOL licensing?
   NSL is one named user with controlled installs and a defined secure remote method. FNL is shared concurrency across a network, sized by peak simultaneous users.

3. What is the most common reason floating deployments fail?
   Reachability is the usual root cause. When clients cannot reliably reach the license manager through the required ports, users see “license unavailable” errors that look like a software issue. (COMSOL)

4. What is the cleanest way to scale usage without buying more modeling seats?
   Use deployment when the work can be packaged as validated apps or executables. Scale runners instead of model builders.

5. What version baseline is this guide aligned to?
   This guide is aligned to COMSOL 6.4.0.293 (Nov 18, 2025). Always validate the terms against your current quote set.