The End of "Per App" Licensing: What IT Leaders Need to Know

Yesterday’s licensing update from Microsoft just changed the math for your low-code strategy. Here is what you need to know before your next renewal.

For years, organizations have balanced their Power Platform budgets by carefully assigning "Per App" passes to users who only needed access to a specific tool. It was a granular way to manage costs, but it often required significant administrative overhead. As of this week, Microsoft has announced the removal of the standalone "Per App" licensing option, effective immediately for new agreements and phasing out for existing renewals.

What Changed: The Shift to Per User and Consumption Models

Microsoft is streamlining its licensing structure by removing the specific "Per App" SKU from the price list. Replacing this middle-tier option is a binary approach that forces organizations to choose between two distinct paths:

• Per User Plans: The "all-you-can-eat" model where a single license grants a user access to unlimited apps and flows.
• Pay-as-you-go (PAYG): A consumption-based model billed through Azure subscriptions, designed for occasional users or sporadic usage patterns.

This move signals a clear directive from Redmond: separate the frequent users from the casual ones, and stop trying to micro-manage access on an app-by-app basis. The previous "$5 Per App Pass" was seen by some as a "cannibal" that attracted many new users but was consistently "monkeyed with" by Microsoft due to its restrictive nature and limited capacity. It also became an administrative burden for many, signaling that its removal was perhaps a long time coming for those familiar with its limitations. Even though the per app plan capacity was allocated per environment, managing individual user assignments was often complex.

The Impact: Governance Over Granularity

For CFOs and IT Managers, the immediate reaction might be concern over a potential budget increase. Moving a user from a cheaper single-app license to a full user license does represent a higher per-seat cost on paper. However, this shift offers a significant strategic upside that justifies the change.

Breaking Down Silos

The "Per App" model inevitably led to data silos. Departments would build a single solution and hesitate to expand functionality because adding a second app meant doubling the licensing cost for that user group. This created an artificial ceiling on innovation.

By standardizing on Per User licensing, organizations encourage broader adoption. When a user is already licensed for the platform, there is zero marginal cost to deploying the second, third, or fourth application. This shifts the focus from "How much does this app cost?" to "How much value can we extract from this platform?"

Simplified IT Administration

From an operational standpoint, managing "Per App" passes was a logistical headache. It required constant monitoring of pass assignment and capacity planning. The move to a broader licensing model simplifies governance, allowing IT teams to focus on security and compliance rather than license allocation. This change aims to simplify the previous confusion surrounding Power Apps licensing, which often left IT leaders asking what they truly got for their money and how plans had changed over the last year, as seen in community forums.

How FlowDevs Helps You Navigate the Transition

While the long-term benefits of this simplification are clear, the immediate impact on your 2026 budget needs to be managed carefully. Simply upgrading every current "Per App" user to a "Per User" license is likely unnecessary and fiscally irresponsible.

At FlowDevs, we specialize in Power Platform governance and intelligent automation. We understand that a successful digital strategy requires efficient resource allocation. Before you sign your renewal, you need visibility into your actual usage data. In today's environment, where cloud technologies make up 58% of application software spend, managing SaaS costs is paramount. Lack of visibility can lead to significant waste, with some companies losing up to $40 million annually on unused or underutilized licenses.

We are currently helping clients audit their environments to identify:

• True Power Users: Employees who are already accessing multiple solutions and should be on the full plan.
• Occasional Users: Employees who only log in once a month and are perfect candidates for the consumption-based PAYG model to save costs.
• Dormant Accounts: Licenses that can be reclaimed immediately.

This is a pivotal moment to refine your digital strategy. By aligning your licensing with actual behavior, you can often offset the cost of the pricing changes while unlocking greater capability for your workforce. Effective SaaS management provides the insights IT leaders need to identify and remedy this wasted spend, potentially reducing costs by up to 55%.

Secure Your Budget Audit

Don't let this licensing update catch your finance department by surprise. Let us help you analyze your current usage and structure a renewal plan that maximizes ROI.

Book a 15-minute licensing audit with us to see how this change impacts your 2026 budget.