IFS Breaks With Industry Convention Pricing To Unlock Enterprise-Wide AI Adoption

Industrial AI software provider IFS has announced a shift in its enterprise software pricing, moving away from traditional per-user licensing to an asset-based model designed for AI-driven operations.

Under the new “Industrial Value Pricing” model, customers pay based on the assets they operate – such as infrastructure, equipment or production environments – rather than the number of users, logins or AI agents interacting with the system.

The company argues the change reflects a broader shift in enterprise software, where value is increasingly created by automated workflows and system-driven processes rather than individual users.

How it works

IFS is replacing user-based licensing with a model grounded in operational assets. As an example, an energy company managing 400 offshore assets would pay based on those 400 assets rather than the 12,000 people and machines that need to access the data.

The model aligns software investment with the operational assets customers manufacture, manage and maintain, such as vessels, components, infrastructure or production environments.

For customers, IFS argues the result is predictable costs that align with operations, enabling projects to expand and enterprises to grow without the constraints of user-based licensing.

Rationale

The pricing change is tied to IFS’s Industrial AI strategy. As industrial organisations expand what they can produce, maintain and deliver using AI, the company contends that traditional per-user pricing creates an artificial constraint on adoption.

IFS frames this as a shift from software that enables workers to do more, to software that directly drives work and outcomes. The company positions the commercial model as one that is tied to customer success rather than headcount.

The asset-based approach creates metrics that are measurable, auditable and transparent, according to IFS. Organisations pay for the operational value the system supports, not every individual, contractor or automated process interacting with it.

Industry reaction

IFS Chief Executive Officer, Mark Moffat, described the move as a message to customers.

“Rather than rationing users, IFS wants you using AI everywhere you can to create value,” Moffat explained. “Our customers should not have to choose between automating their operations and controlling their software costs. This progressive move on pricing removes that trade-off entirely. We’re not pricing the workers. We’re pricing the work.”

Mickey North Rizza, Group Vice-President of Enterprise Software at IDC, commented that the pricing model gives buyers flexibility in an agentic AI environment.

“IFS new pricing model helps companies operationally scale their investment to the value levers it needs to run the business. This new methodology will help clients sustain their economic value,” North Rizza added.

Aly Pinder Jr, Research Vice-President of Aftermarket Services Strategies at IDC, noted that asset-centric organisations have shifted their expectations around technology vendor partnerships.

“Asset-centric organisations have made the shift to expect to work with technology vendors that can align the partnership in a way for shared benefit and flexibility enabling growth as market conditions evolve,” Pinder observed.

Last Updated on April 7, 2026 by Nick Ross