Licensing Guide

Understand Kalytera editions, features, and how to activate your license

Overview

Kalytera uses a tiered licensing model. Every installation starts as the free Community Edition, which supports up to 4 cameras with core VMS features. Paid editions unlock additional cameras, AI analytics, alarm management, interactive maps, and more.

No license key required for Community Edition. Download, install, and start using Kalytera immediately with up to 4 cameras — completely free, forever.

License Editions

Free
Community

Up to 4 cameras

No Key Required
Standard

Up to 16 cameras

License Key
Professional

Up to 64 cameras

License Key
Enterprise

Unlimited cameras

License Key

Feature Comparison

Feature Community Standard Professional Enterprise
Maximum Cameras 4 16 64 Unlimited
Live View & Recording
Device Discovery (Ping Scan)
PTZ Control & Presets
Device Health Monitoring (SNMP)
Alarms (42+ trigger types)
AI Analytics (YOLOv8, Motion, Zone Intrusion)
Interactive Maps & Floor Plans
Search & Export Recordings
I/O Control (Alarm Inputs & Relay Outputs)
Customizable Dashboard
Generic Devices
Virtual I/O
Intrusion Alarm System (zones, partitions, arm/disarm)
Semantic AI Video Search

Free Community Edition

The Community Edition is ideal for home users and small deployments. It includes:

  • Up to 4 cameras (ONVIF, Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, generic RTSP)
  • Live streaming (WebRTC & HLS)
  • Multi-camera grid layouts (1×1 to 6×6)
  • Ping-based device discovery
  • Continuous, scheduled, and motion-based recording
  • Timeline-based playback with calendar navigation
  • Local and NAS storage support
  • Automatic storage retention and cleanup
The Community Edition is fully functional and has no time limit. When you add more cameras or need advanced features like alarms or AI analytics, simply upgrade by activating a license key.

Activating a License

To upgrade from Community Edition to a paid tier:

  1. Obtain a license key — Contact Kalytera sales or visit the Pricing page to request a quote for your desired edition.
  2. Generate a hardware fingerprint — In Kalytera, navigate to Admin > Licensing. The page displays your unique hardware fingerprint. Provide this fingerprint when requesting your license key.
  3. Enter your license key — On the same Admin > Licensing page, paste the license key you received and click Activate.
  4. Restart if prompted — Some features may require a service restart to take effect.
License keys are hardware-locked and tied to the specific machine where the fingerprint was generated. If you move Kalytera to a different machine, you will need a new license key.

Hardware Fingerprint

Kalytera generates a unique hardware fingerprint based on your machine's hardware characteristics. This fingerprint ensures that each license is tied to a specific installation, preventing unauthorized redistribution.

Your hardware fingerprint is displayed on the Admin > Licensing page in the Kalytera web interface. The fingerprint is a read-only value — it cannot be changed.

Managing Your License

The Admin > Licensing page shows:

  • License Status — Whether a valid license is active or expired
  • License Tier — Your current edition (Community, Standard, Professional, or Enterprise)
  • Max Devices — The maximum number of cameras allowed by your license
  • Expiration Date — When the license expires (if applicable)
  • Licensed Features — Which features are enabled under your current tier

If your license expires, Kalytera automatically falls back to the free Community Edition tier (4 cameras, core features only). No data is lost — simply renew your license to restore all features.

FAQ

No. The Community Edition works out of the box without any license key. Simply install Kalytera and start using it with up to 4 cameras.

The system enforces the 4-camera limit on the Community Edition. You will need to upgrade to a paid edition (Standard or above) to add more cameras.

Licenses are hardware-locked. If you migrate to a new machine, contact support with your new hardware fingerprint and your existing license key. We can issue a replacement key for the new hardware.

Next Steps

Installation Guide

Download and install Kalytera on your system.

Read Guide
Device Discovery

Find and add cameras on your network.

Read Guide