Licensing: Legacy Lifetime vs. Current Subscription

Updated 2 weeks ago · 5 min read

Foto Master has used both lifetime and subscription licensing models. This article explains what each model covers, how Foto Master Cloud is billed, and the specific upgrade rules for FMX for Windows and Photo Mosaic Wall.

Your order, invoice, account entitlements, or another written agreement determines the products, devices, and services covered. A legacy purchase does not automatically create company-wide, unlimited-device, or cross-product rights.

Current Software Licensing

Current Foto Master software is generally licensed by subscription:

Each device running paid Foto Master software needs its own active software license unless a verified legacy-upgrade exception applies.
Current software is activated by signing in with the Foto Master Cloud account associated with the license.
An active paid Foto Master Cloud plan is required for current subscription licenses and for products identified as Cloud-dependent.
24/7 Support and hosted add-ons are separate unless the applicable package or order expressly includes them for a stated period.
Current prices, billing intervals, and package inclusions are shown on the relevant product page and in the customer's quote, order, invoice, or Cloud account.

Foto Master Cloud: One Plan per Company

Software licenses and Cloud plans are different:

Item	Licensing level	What it covers
Software license	Per licensed device	The named application on the covered device
Foto Master Cloud plan	Per company or brand account	The Cloud features, storage, and connected licensed devices associated with that account
24/7 Support	Per covered software license	Support for the applicable licensed product
Hosted add-on	As stated in the order	The named hosted service, such as Virtual Mosaic

A company-level Cloud plan can connect multiple properly licensed devices. It does not replace the software license required for each current device.

Verified Legacy Lifetime Licenses

An eligible legacy lifetime license remains valid under its original terms:

It covers only the product, version, device entitlement, and other rights included in the original purchase.
The entitled legacy software may continue to operate locally or offline without a current software subscription.
Legacy activation normally uses the original activation key.
Cloud services, hosted services, Support, updates, and access to current-generation software are not included unless the original order or a product-specific upgrade rule says otherwise.
Continued operation remains subject to operating-system, hardware, and third-party compatibility.

Eligibility is verified through the original order, invoice, activation key, Cloud account, or Foto Master records. The general transition to subscription licensing occurred in January 2025, but the date alone does not prove the scope of a customer's entitlement.

FMX for Windows: Legacy and Current

Legacy FMX for Windows

Customers with a verified lifetime FMX entitlement may continue using the entitled legacy software, generally through Version 14, locally under the original license terms. An active Cloud plan is not required for local operation of that legacy version.

Cloud galleries, Cloud AI, remote management, Cloud email or SMS, and other connected features require the applicable active Cloud service.

Upgrading an Eligible FMX Device

An eligible legacy FMX device may use current FMX without purchasing the FMX software license again when the customer's company maintains an active paid Foto Master Cloud plan.

This exception:

Applies only to the verified device entitlement covered by the original lifetime license.
Does not create unlimited FMX licenses for every device in the company.
Does not transfer to unrelated products or devices.
Does not automatically include 24/7 Support.

If the Cloud plan ends, current Cloud services and current-generation FMX access may end. The original entitled legacy FMX software remains available for local use under its original terms, subject to compatibility.

Photo Mosaic Wall: Legacy and Current

Current PMWall uses a modular structure: the PMWall software license and an active paid Foto Master Cloud plan are required for new customers, while Virtual Mosaic and 24/7 Support are separate optional services unless expressly included in an order.

Eligible legacy PMWall customers can upgrade the covered legacy entitlement to current PMWall without purchasing the PMWall software license again. The upgraded system requires an active paid Cloud plan; Support and Virtual Mosaic remain optional and separate.

If a legacy PMWall customer does not renew the legacy hosted-service bundle, the entitled legacy PMWall and eligible Digital Mosaic software may continue locally. Access to the legacy Virtual Mosaic server, hosting, streaming, storage, and bundled Support ends.

See Photo Mosaic Wall Pricing: Legacy vs. Current PMWall for the full product-specific comparison.

Pay As You Go for Eligible Legacy Customers

Eligible legacy customers may be able to use Pay As You Go to purchase AI Credits for supported legacy software without a recurring paid Cloud plan. PAYG does not include the full Cloud platform, online galleries, event management, or remote management.

Moving from Basic or Pro to PAYG is a destructive plan change: events and event-related Cloud data are permanently deleted after explicit confirmation. Purchased AI Credits remain while the account exists.

AI Credit Balances

Foto Master Cloud may show two types of AI Credit balance:

Plan-included credits: A recurring allocation included with a plan. Unused plan-included credits reset at the end of the applicable billing cycle unless the order states otherwise.
Purchased credits: Separately purchased or auto-recharged credits. They remain until used while the account exists, survive plan changes and a confirmed PAYG downgrade, and are deleted if the account is terminated or deleted.

Credits are non-refundable and have no cash value. See Understanding AI Credits.

Activation and License Management

Current software: Sign in with the Foto Master Cloud credentials associated with the active license.
Legacy lifetime software: Use the activation key supplied with the original purchase, subject to the original activation and transfer terms.
License management: Use Cloud > Licenses to view covered software, devices, Support, renewal dates, and available actions.

Contact Foto Master Support if the account does not clearly show which legacy or current rights apply.

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