No. The price of a server does not include a Windows licence — it is charged separately, in addition to the server itself.
Linux distributions are free of charge, so if you order a server with Linux there is nothing extra to pay for the operating system.
How Windows licensing is charged
We provide Windows licences under our own Microsoft SPLA agreement. The licence is rented on a monthly basis and billed together with your server — there is nothing for you to buy from Microsoft directly.
Windows Server is licensed per core, with a minimum of 8 cores per processor, so the amount depends on the configuration of your server. The current prices, including a full breakdown by core count, are listed in Microsoft licence prices.
Other Microsoft licences
The Windows Server licence covers the operating system itself. The following are licensed separately, per user:
- Remote Desktop Services — required if more than two people need to connect to the server at the same time over RDP. See Additional Remote Desktop (RDS) licences for Windows Server.
- SQL Server
- Microsoft Office
If you are not sure which licences your setup requires, describe what you plan to run on the server and we will work out the total for you before you order.
