FileMaker licensing has a reputation for being confusing, and to be fair to everyone who's ever been confused, Claris has changed the model several times over the years. The current structure is actually one of the simpler versions — but the internet is littered with articles describing plans that no longer exist, which doesn't help.
Here's the current picture, in plain English, from a UK Claris Partner that's been working with the platform since 1998. One caveat up front: Claris adjusts plan details and prices from time to time, so treat this as the map, and check Claris's pricing page for today's numbers.
The short version
- Licensing is per user, subscription-based, billed annually. You count the people who need access and license that many.
- There are two main plans: Starter and Max (these replaced the older Essentials and Standard names).
- Both plans include the whole platform for every licensed user: FileMaker Pro (Windows/Mac), FileMaker Go (iPhone/iPad), FileMaker WebDirect (browser access), plus Claris Connect and Claris Studio.
- The minimum is 5 users on the standard plans. A single standalone FileMaker Pro licence exists for individual use.
- You choose where the system lives: Claris Cloud (they host it) or self-hosted (your own FileMaker Server, on your kit or a UK data centre — the self-hosted plans allow up to 3 servers).
That's genuinely most of it.
Starter vs Max — what's the actual difference?
Both plans give every user the same apps. The differences are capacity ceilings, and they're easy to reason about:
Starter suits smaller deployments. On Claris Cloud it's capped at 5–10 users and a small number of hosted apps (currently 3), with a modest storage allowance. On self-hosting it stretches further on user count but keeps lower limits on extras like Claris Connect flows and native web views.
Max removes most of those ceilings — many more hosted apps, more storage with upgrade options, more Connect flows, and it scales from 5 to 99 users, with custom arrangements above 100.
Per-user pricing for each plan is on the Claris site and varies by plan and hosting choice.
"Didn't FileMaker used to be buy-once?"
Yes — and this is the one-paragraph history lesson. For most of its life FileMaker was sold as perpetual licences: buy version 12, own version 12 forever. Claris moved the platform to subscription licensing over a number of years, and perpetual licences are no longer offered on the current plans. If you're running an old perpetual copy, it still works — but it doesn't get security updates, and modern macOS and Windows releases eventually break old versions. (We've written separately about upgrading old FileMaker systems, because "it still works" has a shelf life.)
What does a small UK business actually need?
Here's the honest guidance we give clients:
Count real users, not staff. You license people who open the system. The warehouse team sharing one login is not allowed under the terms — but the delivery driver who only ever receives a PDF by email doesn't need a licence at all. Designing the system so that information reaches people without them needing seats is a legitimate and common way to keep costs sensible.
A 5-person team is the entry point. The 5-user minimum sets the floor. For a typical small business — office staff in FileMaker Pro, a couple of people on iPads with FileMaker Go, occasional browser access via WebDirect — one Starter plan covers the lot, because every user gets all three ways in.
Cloud vs self-hosted is a real decision. Claris Cloud means no server to buy, patch, or back up — simplest for small teams with no IT support. Self-hosting gives you more control, your choice of UK hosting, and more headroom; it suits businesses with existing IT arrangements or specific data-residency preferences. Neither is "better"; they're different trade-offs, and we help clients pick based on boring practical questions like who's doing the backups.
Don't over-buy for growth you haven't had yet. Subscriptions can be adjusted at renewal. Start with the users you have.
How a Claris Partner helps (without the sales pitch)
You can buy licences directly from Claris, and that's fine. What a partner adds is mostly judgement:
- Right-sizing. We've seen businesses paying for Max when Starter covered them, and — more painfully — businesses that hit Starter's ceilings mid-project. Knowing the limits before you commit is cheaper than discovering them.
- Architecture that respects the licence terms. WebDirect, the Data API, and integrations all have licensing implications. A system designed by someone who knows the rules won't accidentally put you in breach — or make you pay for seats a better design would avoid.
- One throat to choke. When something misbehaves, "is it the licence, the server, or the software?" stops being your problem to triage.
We're a FileMaker consultancy first and a licensing adviser second — we'd rather build you something excellent than sell you seats. But the licensing conversation takes about twenty minutes and can save real money, so we include it in every new engagement as a matter of course. Ongoing help, including keeping licensing sensible as you grow, is part of our FileMaker support work.
The bottom line
FileMaker licensing today: two plans, per-user annual subscription, five-user minimum, everything included for every user, hosted by Claris or by you. Simpler than its reputation — the confusion mostly comes from articles about the old models.
If you'd like a straight answer on what your team actually needs — including "less than you think," which is our most common finding — the initial consultation is free.
Call 0330 113 0958 or email info@flaresoftware.co.uk.