How Construct 2 licenses work

There are three ways to use Construct 2: the Free Edition, a Standard license, and a Business license. Here's how each one works. We've tried to come up with a system that is fair for everyone.

Construct 2 Free Edition

The free edition (abbreviated C2FE) has all the features of the full software, but with a couple of limits. These are:

- A maximum of 100 events in a project
- A maximum of 4 layers on any layout
- No organising the project with subfolders
- No event search
- No Configurations bar
- No Families
- No access to Preview on LAN
- Not allowed to be used for commercial purposes (however, it can be used in education and other non-profit organisations).

C2FE is still a significantly powerful tool even with these limits. For example, the Space Blaster demo uses only 70 events - comfortably under the limit for quite a complex game with lots of effects! The rest of the limits generally shouldn't affect small projects anyway - things like subfolder organisation and event search generally are most useful for larger projects, which tend to be over 100 events anyway.

Standard license

Once you get a standard license, all the limits are removed. You can use all Construct 2's features and make games as large as you like. You also get extra sound effects, music and sprite packs to help you get started making games!

Licenses are not time-limited - you can use them forever with your copy of Construct 2. All updates to the Construct 2 editor are free. It is not a subscription, only a one-off payment.

The rules for a Standard license are slightly different for individuals and organisations.

Individuals
You can also use a Standard license for commercial purposes, up to a limit of $5000. That means if you're an indie dev, you can make up to $5000 revenue from using Construct 2 (for example, by selling games or supporting them with adverts) before you need to get a Business license. Mind you, once you've made $5000, I don't think the Business license will be much of an obstacle!

An individual license has a person's name on it rather than the name of an organisation. Individuals can use their license on as many computers as they like, as long as only one person uses it (see Using your license below).

Organisations
Only not-for-profit organisations (like schools, libraries and universities) can use Standard licenses. Businesses and other profit-making businesses are not allowed to use Standard licenses - they must purchase Business licenses.

Licenses for organisations must have the name of an organisation rather than the name of a person. They are for specific computers, but any number of people can use the license so long as the license is only ever used on that computer.

Business license

The Business license does not add any features. You get all the features with the Standard license. All you need a Business license for is if:
- you are an individual and have made over $5000 from using Construct 2, or
- Construct 2 will be used in a for-profit organisation like a business.

The majority of you will get by just fine with a Standard license. Some people will compare the Construct 2 Business license to the most expensive versions of other software. Don't be fooled! You don't need a Business license unless the answer to one of these questions is YES:

- Have you already made $5000 from using Construct 2?

- Are you at a for-profit organisation like a business?

If the answer to both is NO, you don't need a Business license! You can save your money and get a Standard license. Other software packages hold back features for the most expensive package. We don't do that - the Standard license has all the features. So remember to check the details when you see comparisons between the Business license and other software - often with Construct 2 it's an unfair comparison, since you won't need the Business license.

Bulk licenses

If you're buying a lot of licenses for an organisation, we can issue a site-wide license which is heavily discounted compared to buying individual licenses. If you're interested, contact us at licensehelp@scirra.com and we'll see what we can do for you.

Keep your licenses private!

Obviously, you must never share your license. Keep it to yourself like serial numbers for other software! Your license also contains some of your personal information, so I'm sure you don't want that to fall in to the hands of anyone untrustworthy.

Using your license

Once you've made a purchase, your license is sent to you as a text file called c2license.txt. To start using it, simply copy it to My Documents, or copy it to the install directory (where Construct2.exe is also located). Start up Construct 2 and it should find your license - you can verify it in the About screen.

Remember a license with a person's name is for the individual: you can use it on as many computers as you like, so long as you are the only person using it. On the other hand, a license with an organisation's name is for the computer(s): any number of people can use it, so long as it is only used on the intended machine(s).

Don't forget Construct 2 is portable. If you have an individual license, you can install it to a USB stick, copy your license file to the install directory, and take your licensed Construct 2 with you wherever you go. Don't forget it's only for your use, and this is not allowed with organisation licenses. You must not let anyone else use the license!

Rewards

Everyone who purchases a license also gets a medal on their avatar, and a badge for their profile. If you have purchased a license and still have not received your badge, send an email to licensehelp@scirra.com with your transaction ID and username and we can issue your badges.

Get started with the free edition!

Why not download the free edition now and try it out? It's not a 30 day trial - it lasts for ever - and it's free!