Options to Limit Marketplace App Licensing to Only 500 Users (Cost Control)

[shaily_mehta]

Hi Community,

I’m looking for guidance on how to manage Marketplace app licensing costs in Confluence Cloud.

Our organization has around 10,000 Confluence users, but only 500 users actually need access to a specific Marketplace app. Since Atlassian’s licensing model requires apps to match the full Confluence user tier, it appears we would be billed for all 10,000 users even though only a small group would use/need the app.

I’m trying to understand whether there are supported options to limit licensing or access so we can avoid paying for all users. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

Apps cannot be installed for only a subset of users; once installed, they are available site‑wide. And Vendors may offer in‑app permission restrictions, but this does not reduce licensing.

Given all this, I’m wondering whether there are any best practices or recommended approaches for organizations wanting to provide an app only to a smaller group without incurring full‑site licensing costs.

For example:

Is it possible or advisable to create a separate Confluence Cloud site within the same organization and license the app only for that site’s 500 users?
I understand apps can be installed per site, and sites can be managed under the same Atlassian organization.
Are there any new billing features, app license scoping options, or upcoming changes that would help in scenarios like this?
Are other customers using any effective workarounds or architectural patterns to manage cost when only a subset needs a Marketplace app?

I’d really appreciate any guidance, recommended approaches, or confirmation of whether the separate‑site approach is the only viable option for cost reduction.

Thanks in advance!

Shaily

[Prasanna Ravichandran]

Hi,

Confluence Cloud Marketplace apps are licensed based on the **total user tier of the site**, not actual usage. There’s currently no way to license an app for only a subset of users on the same site.

The only practical cost-saving approach is to create a **separate Confluence Cloud site** with just the users who need the app, install the app there, and keep the main site app-free.

Many large organizations use this multi-site setup to control licensing costs.

If a separate site isn’t feasible, you can restrict app access via permissions — but billing will still apply to all users.

[Kris Klima _K15t_]

Hi @shaily_mehta 

As @Prasanna Ravichandran , you can create a new site under the same organization but not under the same license. That new Confluence site will have it's own license, address, and it's own pool of users. Of course, one user can have a seat on both. On the other hand, a user on the 10K site will not be able to access to the 500 site ... unless they have a seat. The same applies to 

Having said that...

You say that you have 10K users in your org. That's a lot for the Standard tier.

Did you consider move to the Enterprise tier? The thing is that if one Confluence site is on Enterprise, the rules for accessing secondary sites change and integration becomes tighter, and comes with other advantages.

I'd definitely talk to Atlassian (or you Billing/Solution partner) about pricing and possible advantages pertaining to your specific use case, especially if you're considering a multi-site setup. It may not be 'out there'. 

BTW, working with a Billing partner may offer additional discounts. 

[shaily_mehta]

Thanks so much @Kris Klima _K15t_  and @Prasanna Ravichandran  for your response — really appreciate the guidance!

Just to clarify, I’m not the site admin, so I don’t have full visibility into our exact user numbers or which Confluence tier we’re currently on. My role is more on the functional/usage side rather than managing licensing or the platform itself, so I mainly see the needs of the teams who actually use the tools.

Our main challenge is that only about 500 people need the Marketplace app, but the total user base is much larger. So I’m trying to understand what options we have from a usage perspective,

The idea of using a multi‑site setup under the same organisation sounds promising, especially if it helps control licensing costs by installing the app only on a smaller site. I’d really like to explore that option further. 

Can i please get the some guidance on How a multi‑site setup is usually implemented ?

[Kris Klima _K15t_]

@shaily_mehta 

If you're not an admin and act as a 'business owner', I would definitely open an internal discussion with your stakeholders (sorry for sounding like a corporate bot :) ) 

I would just sit down first and do the math - license cost, app costs, non-monetary benefits and savings (ideally if you could a figure on it anyway...), try to find out what's your company's current setup, gather support from non IT/DevOps folks you work with - not for the technical solution, just for the options and benefits, and then talk to IT and/or whoever would make the decision from the technical/licensing standpoint. 

Ultimately, using another site might not be the best option - for example the cost of an extra Confluence license might be in the ballpark of the cost of apps, extra effort associated with two sites and user management. You also need to consider the billing cycle, length of contract you might be in.

And do bring up the Enterprise option - it's worth exploring if the user count is as you indicate. It would change the landscape for management, some Atlassian apps are included - for example, Atlassian Guard Standard (which gives you SSO, etc.) is included on Enterprise. It costs $174K for 10K users annually). You see where this is going... :) 

Also, if your company uses a billing partner, which often comes with additional discounts, your options would be different - potentially better :) 

Ultimately, whatever the solution, from the technical standpoint, it's a license upgrade or buying a new license for the current org. With a usual array of user provisioning, permissions, setup. Your admins will know what to do.

You need to start with designing the usecase, doing some research and math, outlining benefits, and tabling the options.

https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/pricing

https://www.atlassian.com/software/guard/pricing

(I have a first hand experience with this, having been Site and Org admin and being a part in discussing and design organization setups with Atlassian and solution/billing partners).