A simpler way to buy Azure DevOps

May 6th, 2019

We are constantly working to improve our experience end-to-end, including how our products are purchased. In response to feedback from our customers, we are pleased to announce some changes that will simplify how some Azure DevOps services are purchased. We’ll be rolling out the Azure Artifacts changes today (May 6, 2019) and the other licensing changes will reflect on your bill from June 1, 2019 on.

Azure Artifacts is switching to a per-GB consumption model

For cloud-hosted Azure Artifacts, users will no longer need an Azure Artifacts extension license. Instead, users will only pay for what they store in Azure Artifacts. The first 2 GB are free, then prices range from $2 to $0.25 per GB per month, depending on the storage consumed.

Basic will be $6 flat, with the first 5 users free

Previously, the licensing model had several tiers depending on how many licenses were purchased. With the new structure, we are removing all price tiers. Basic licenses will be $6 per user per month flat. Example: if you have 10 users, your monthly bill will be $30 – 5 free licenses and 5 paid at $6; 100 licenses would be $570 – 5 free licenses and 95 at $6. This will apply for licenses you purchase for both cloud-hosted services use and on-premises use with Azure DevOps Server 2019.

On-premises Azure Artifacts now included with Basic license

Users with a Basic license will now be able to use Azure Artifacts on-premises without needing to purchase an Azure Artifacts extension. This means with Azure DevOps Server 2019 (formerly Team Foundation Server), users with a Basic License can create and consume Azure Artifacts on-premises if they have a Basic license assigned. Please note that for previous versions of our server product, an Azure Artifacts extension is still needed to access this functionality.

Introducing Basic + Test Plans license

For our hosted services and Azure DevOps Server 2019, we are introducing a new license that includes both a Basic license and an Azure Test Plans license for $52 per user per month. Previously, a Basic license purchase was required in addition to the Azure Test Plans extension purchase. With the new license, you’ll only need to purchase a Basic + Test Plans license. If you have a hosted user assigned an Azure Test Plan extension, they will automatically be updated to have this new license on June 1, 2019. If you are using Azure DevOps Server 2019, you can assign this new license to users as well. Please note that for previous versions of our server product, an Azure Test Plans extension in addition to Basic is still needed to access Azure Test Plans functionality.

One license works across multiple organizations

Starting in late June, users will only need one license per Azure subscription, even if they are part of multiple Azure DevOps organizations. This means that regardless of how many organizations a user is a part of in a given Azure subscription, they will only need and only pay for one Basic or one Basic + Test Plans license.

Licenses will be purchased at assignment time

Also starting in late June, you will no longer need to pre-purchase additional Azure DevOps user licenses. After selecting an Azure subscription for billing, you will be able to purchase additional user licenses by simply adding the user to the organization and assigning them a license. You’ll still be able to purchase on-premises licenses on the Billing tab as needed.

3rd Party Paid Extensions will now be sold directly by 3rd Parties

Finally, if you need to purchase an extension like 7Pace’s Timetracker, and were previously purchasing it from the Marketplace, you will now need to purchase it from the 3rd Party directly. You will be able to start this purchase process from the Marketplace and from currently installed extensions. Since each extension has a different effective date, we’ll be reaching out directly to those that need to make this switch in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition and no loss of functionality.

We are excited for these changes as we believe it will be a welcome simplification on all fronts. If you’d like to estimate your bill for Azure DevOps and related services, please check out the Azure Pricing Calculator. We always want to do better, so if you have any questions or thoughts, please let us know in the comments!