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

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.