Chaos Named User vs Floating Licence Type Explained

Chaos Named User vs Floating Licence Type Explained

In 2025 Chaos changed the names surrounding different licence types so we're here to explain it.

Named User

Simply the Named User means the licence is assigned to a single user to be used only by them. You are not fixed to a single machine nor need to deactivate to switch, simply close Chaos based apps on one machine then launch it on the next machine ensuring you are correctly logged in! 

This is great for single users as it is the cheaper and simpler option. The obvious limitation is that if used in a larger team, reassigning the licence to a different user can only really be done via Chaos. So if that person was to go on holiday the licence will be unusable or if they left the company, you may have to wait a day or two until the licence is back in use. 

Floating Licence

Floating licences are designed for teams, where the licences stay in a pool ready to be checked out by users on a first-come, first-serve basis. These licences don't require an admin to assign and re-assign licences, they simply add users to the organisation and then the Chaos system takes over. After a user logs in to the licence system and loads up their Chaos product, if a licence is free, the user automatically checks it out and is allowed to use the product.

This is great for teams where users are not always using their licence meaning only a few licences can be used for a number of team members on a basis that the number on licences you have is equal to the amount of users who need to use the licence at the same time. This is a great way to reduce cost but also reduce admin time on keeping track of who has what licence. 

For more information on setting up and managing the Floating licence system please check out our guide here.

    • Related Articles

    • Chaos Cloud Licensing Explained

      In 2025 Chaos introduced Cloud Licensing, this is designed to move away from the traditional Licence server. At the time of writing, there is no plans to remove the licence server, however this way of licensing is simpler and designed to have less ...
    • Logging out of the Chaos Licence server

      Sometimes when troubleshooting certain errors or when changing account details with Chaos products a user will be asked to log out of the licence server and if you have not done it before it may not be the most obvious, so below is a few screenshots ...
    • How to manage my Chaos floating licences (for V-Ray/Enscape)

      Why you might need to use this feature If you have multiple users of V-Ray or Enscape but not everyone needs a full subscription 24/7 You have a sizable team and only a few members are using Chaos products at any one time People have left/joined the ...
    • How to manage your offline licences for V-Ray

      Sometimes having constant internet access just isn't possible and Chaos has plenty of articles regarding borrowing these licences for offline use, but what if you want to manage and move these licences? Besides having all users come online and use ...
    • Important: Update your Chaos Licensing by January 28, 2025

      We have had reports of Chaos reaching out to users regarding some changes coming to the licencing system and are being told to update otherwise the certificate will expire. Its not as scary as it sounds and simply means you may need to update your ...