Pricing and Licensing FAQ

Movable Type is available for personal, commercial, education, nonprofit or enterprise use. Please take the information material of Movable Type from here.

What's the difference between Movable Type, Movable Type Pro, and Movable Type Advanced?
Movable Type is our open source product and the foundation of the Movable Type platform, designed for developers and open source devotees. Movable Type contains the professional blogging and content management features that Movable Type has always been known for.

Movable Type Pro is designed for bloggers, design and development firms, and small and medium-sized businesses, and has all of the features of Movable Type plus social networking features, custom fields for extending your content management system, and new Professional Templates that help you get up and running with a beautiful website quickly.

Movable Type Advanced is designed for large companies that require compatibility with the Oracle or SQL Server databases and LDAP-type directory service support. It contains all of the features of Movable Type plus these advanced grade features and priority support. See our pricing comparison chart for more information.

Which MT license is right for me?
Movable Type is available under several different licenses:

Open Source License
An open source license of Movable Type is available for developers. For more information visit movabletype.org

Blogger License
If you are a person who blogs, then the Blogger license is for you - whether you are sharing memories, launching passionate discussions or building the next one-woman publishing empire. Whether you blog for fun or to make a fortune, any individual or sole proprietor qualifies for the free Blogger license. Download It Today

Business License
For use by a company, a corporation, a partnership or any other form of organization that is using the software for a commercial endeavor. Purchase Today.

Advanced License
Use for commercial purposes with multiple servers. To learn more or to order, please contact us.

What is a "user"?
A "user" is anyone with a unique login to Movable Type, for example, anyone with permission to change content or modify settings. Licenses are based on active users who log into the system. Site visitors, readers and commenters are not considered users for the purposes of licensing.

Can I start with 5 users now and add users later?
No. Please purchase unlimited users if you foresee the user growth.

Can you recommend a consultant we can work with on a new (or existing) Movable Type-based website?
Our Authorized Partners are available to assist organizations with their Movable Type development and design needs. Please contact our Authorized Partners

How is Movable Type Pro priced?
Movable Type Pro pricing includes a one-time license fee. Current Business pricing is available here

I live outside the United States. Do you have international pricing?
Individuals or businesses purchasing Movable Type from outside the U.S. may pay for it in dollars from the Download page. Japanese customers may pay in Yen from the Movable Type Japan site

I'm a Movable Type developer working with a client -- is that okay?
Better than okay - that's great! Just remember that each of your clients needs their own Movable Type license appropriate for its use.

I bought a license for 20 users last year, but with MT Pro you only give me the option of a license for 5 users or unlimited users. How can I reconcile this?
If you currently have a 4.x or 5.x license for 20 users, you will receive a unlimited user license at no additional charge when you update to Movable Type Pro.

I have MT 3.x or MT 4.x. Why should I upgrade to Movable Type 5 now?
There's never been a better time to upgrade your Movable Type installation. Movable Type Pro offers you these benefits:

  • Experience more complete social publishing by starting with a website, then just add blogs.
  • An enhanced CMS, with a central user dashboard, custom fields and revision history
  • A new theme mechanism makes changes to your look and feel easier than ever.
  • Spam Blocking: TypePad AntiSpam is built in.
  • Built in Community Features: You can build a community around your website.
Check here for the latest release notes and features.

I’m using the Motion template in Movable Type 4.25 and I’d like to use it in MT5. Is it included in MT5?
No, Movable Type Motion is not supported in MT5.

What about Action Streams? Are they available in MT5?
Similar to Movable Type Motion, Action Streams are not included in MT5. Instead, it is available to download as a plugin.

I notice that MT5 doesn’t support SQLite or PostgreSQL as previous versions of MT have. Why is this?
MySQL is by far the most popular DB option used with MT. By discontinuing support for SQLite and PostgreSQL we will be able to enjoy faster development and testing for future versions of MT.

What is not in MT5 that was in MT4? And what is difference between the two versions?
Movable Type 5 no longer supports SQLite or PostgreSQL, and now supports the following databases: MySQL 5.0 or greater, Oracle Database 11g (only Movable Type Advanced), Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (only Movable Type Advanced)

I have a Personal version of Movable Type 4.0 or 4.1. How can I get Movable Type 5 Pro?
If you are an individual using Movable Type, you can go to the Download page and update your software to the Blogger license.

I have MT 3.x or MT4.x. How can I get Movable Type 5 Pro?
If you previously purchased Movable Type 3 or Movable Type 4, you can upgrade to Movable Type 5 Pro at a discounted price. Just go to the Download page and click on "Upgrade" at the bottom of the "Business License" column.

What kind of support do I get with a license?
Technical support is now provided by After6 Services. After6 was begun by former Movable Type support engineers who worked at Six Apart, so there is both continuity and enhanced customer service.
More information and assistance is available from After6 on the web, or by email at support@after6services.com.
Six Apart and After6 Services will collaborate on answering your questions about these transition. If you have a question for After6, refer to the website and email address listed above.

Can I get help with installations, upgrades, and professional services?
For professional help installing and upgrading Movable Type Pro, please purchase the Movable Type Installation Service or Movable Type Upgrade Service from After6 Services.