Transition to the QMB subscription licensing model

Information notice of September 26, 2026

Previously QMB was sold under a perpetual license model: a separate activation key with no expiry date was purchased for each SQL Server. Under that model, developing new versions of the program was not economically viable: the last version with new features was released in 2018, eight years ago. In addition, the third-party license activation service operates on a SaaS basis and charges a monthly fee, which is incompatible with a perpetual QMB license.

To continue supporting users and developing the product, we have decided to move to a subscription licensing model. From now on, an active subscription must be purchased for every SQL Server. The longer the subscription term, the lower the price — see the Buy page. There is no longer a free version for SQL Server Express editions. As before, a subscription is transferred from one SQL Server to another by deactivating the key and activating it again from the program. The terms are described in the Licensing Policy.

New version

We have developed a new version which, besides the change of the licensing model, brings the long-awaited copying of backup files to cloud storage with optional encryption. We have also built our own service for sending e-mail notifications (a third-party one was used before), updated the Ola Hallengren procedures and made many other improvements (see What’s new in version 3.0).

What changes for users of older versions

The subscription licensing model is in effect from September 26, 2026. For users of older versions (2.0 and earlier) this means the following:

1. Support for older versions has ended. You can keep using the program while the license is activated; however, requests to deactivate keys whose support term has expired are no longer processed.
2. As compensation, for users of older versions who purchased new licenses on or after January 1, 2025, we automatically set the subscription term to 2 years from the date of purchase. For example, if you bought an activation key on February 15, 2025 (support until February 14, 2026), the subscription is valid until February 14, 2027.
3. Users of older versions whose support term has not expired can download and install the new version. Users whose support term has expired need to renew the subscription before installing and using the new version: see your keys in My activation keys and write to support@qmbsql.com (online payment is temporarily unavailable).
4. When the new version is installed over an older one, all settings are kept, activation keys remain the same and maintenance policies do not change. When the subscription expires, maintenance of the server stops; the program warns about this 10 days in advance by e-mail.
5. In the new version, full functionality is available regardless of the type of the previously purchased license (Basic or Extended).

For any questions about the transition to subscription, write to support@qmbsql.com.