SQL Server 2025 Kept Per Core. The Floor Is Four.
SQL Server 2025 kept SQL Server 2022’s licensing models and its list prices: Enterprise is $15,123 and Standard $3,945 per 2-core pack, Standard is also sold as $989 per server plus $230 per CAL, and licensing a virtual machine by core still needs Software Assurance or a subscription. What changed is the product: Standard now scales to 32 cores and 256 GB, Web edition is gone, Developer splits in two, and Power BI Report Server comes with Standard and Enterprise even without Software Assurance.
This page is the delta between the two versions: editions, limits, licensing rules, prices side by side, worked examples and the upgrade decision. The full 2025 rules are in the SQL Server 2025 licensing guide, the 2022 rules in the SQL Server 2022 licensing guide, and every release with its support dates in SQL Server versions and support dates. Feature by feature, the editions are compared in SQL Server Standard vs Enterprise.
SQL Server 2022 vs 2025 at a glance
| Topic | SQL Server 2022 | SQL Server 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 16 November 2022 | 18 November 2025 |
| Mainstream support ends | January 2028 | January 2031 |
| Extended support ends | January 2033 | January 2036 |
| Licensing models | Per Core (Enterprise, Standard); Server + CAL (Standard) | Same |
| List prices | Enterprise $15,123, Standard $3,945 per 2-core pack | Same |
| Core minimum | 4 per physical processor; 4 per VM | Same |
| Standard edition limit | Lesser of 4 sockets or 24 cores; 128 GB buffer pool | Lesser of 4 sockets or 32 cores; 256 GB buffer pool |
| Editions | Enterprise, Standard, Web, Developer, Express, Evaluation | Enterprise, Standard, Enterprise Developer, Standard Developer, Express, Evaluation |
| Express database size | 10 GB | 50 GB |
| On-premises reporting | SSRS 2022; Power BI Report Server only with Enterprise core licenses and active SA | No new SSRS; Power BI Report Server with Standard or Enterprise, with or without SA |
| Pay-as-you-go through Azure Arc | Enterprise $274, Standard $73 per core per month | Same |
Release and support dates are from Microsoft’s lifecycle pages for SQL Server 2022 and SQL Server 2025; both follow the Fixed Lifecycle Policy.
SQL Server 2025 vs 2022 prices, side by side
Microsoft publishes the same open no-level estimated retail prices for both versions. Compare the SQL Server 2025 pricing sheet with the SQL Server 2022 pricing page: every line matches.
| Edition and model | Unit | SQL Server 2022 (USD) | SQL Server 2025 (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise, per core | 2-core pack | $15,123 | $15,123 |
| Standard, per core | 2-core pack | $3,945 | $3,945 |
| Standard, server | Server | $989 | $989 |
| Standard, CAL | User or device | $230 | $230 |
| Enterprise subscription | 2-core pack, per year | $5,434 | $5,434 |
| Standard subscription | 2-core pack, per year | $1,418 | $1,418 |
| Enterprise pay-as-you-go (Azure Arc) | Per core | $274 a month ($0.375 an hour) | $274 a month ($0.375 an hour) |
| Standard pay-as-you-go (Azure Arc) | Per core | $73 a month ($0.100 an hour) | $73 a month ($0.100 an hour) |
| Web | Hosting only | Through hosting partners | Not available |
| Developer, Express | – | Free | Free (Enterprise Developer, Standard Developer, Express) |
Three things to read into that table:
- These are list prices, as published in October 2026. Microsoft’s footnote calls them open no-level estimated retail prices and sends you to a reseller for your own. Enterprise agreements, CSP and reseller margins all move the figure you pay.
- Per core, the arithmetic is simple. One Enterprise core lists at $7,561.50 and one Standard core at $1,972.50. Enterprise costs about 3.8 times Standard, core for core.
- Software Assurance is not on the list. Microsoft does not publish an SA price, and its SQL Server licensing guidance says SA can only be added to perpetual licenses at the time of purchase. Ask for it on the same quote as the licenses.
Microsoft’s pricing sheet also notes that paid 2025 editions reached Enterprise Agreement, Enterprise Agreement Subscription and MPSA customers on 18 November 2025, and other channels in January 2026.
What did not flip
Microsoft’s SQL Server 2025 licensing guidance and the Product Terms for SQL Server carry the same models the 2022 rules did. The Product Terms list SQL Server 2025 as current (available 11/25) and SQL Server 2022 as the prior version (11/22).
| Rule | 2022 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Per Core (Enterprise and Standard) | Yes | Yes |
| Server + CAL | Standard only | Standard only; not with pay-as-you-go |
| Core licenses sold as | 2-core packs | 2-core packs |
| Physical minimum | 4 core licenses per physical processor | Same |
| License a single VM by core | SA or subscription only | Same |
| VM minimum | 4 core licenses per virtual OSE | Same |
| Unlimited virtualization | Enterprise on every physical core, with SA or subscription | Same, or pay-as-you-go |
| Standard per core without SA | Instances only in the physical OSE | Same |
| Fail-over rights | With SA or subscription only | Same |
| Enterprise Server + CAL | No new licenses; SA renewals only | Same |
Per Core: assign core licenses to the server, or, with SA or a subscription, to each virtual OSE. No CALs. Users and devices are unlimited.
Server + CAL: the guidance says you may run one instance of SQL Server in a single physical or virtual OSE for each server license. Every user or device that accesses the server needs a CAL, and multiplexing “does not reduce the number of CALs required.”
Four cores per processor. Not sixteen per server.
Under Per Core on a physical server you acquire licenses for the physical cores on the server, with a minimum of four per physical processor. Not four per server, and not sixteen per server. Microsoft’s core-based licensing models page puts the 8-per-processor and 16-per-server minimums on Windows Server, not on SQL.
- One socket, two cores: four SQL core licenses (two 2-packs).
- One socket, eight cores: eight core licenses (four 2-packs).
- Two sockets, sixteen cores each: 32 core licenses (sixteen 2-packs).
- The same two-socket box running Windows Server still has its own Windows minimum of 16 core licenses per server. That rule stays on the Windows line; the Windows Server 2022 vs 2025 comparison covers it.
Without SA or a subscription, the guidance gives the two editions different reach on a licensed server:
- Enterprise: instances across physical or virtual OSEs, up to the number of assigned core licenses. Sixteen Enterprise cores: up to 16 OSEs.
- Standard: any number of instances, only in the physical OSE. To license Standard in a VM by core, you need SA or a subscription.
“Standard includes two VMs per licensed host” is a Windows Server rule. It does not apply to SQL Server.
The VM rule did not reverse
Since SQL Server 2022, licensing an individual virtual OSE by core is available only for subscription licenses or licenses with active Software Assurance. Server + CAL is different: a Standard server license covers one running instance in a physical or virtual OSE with no SA condition, and SA or a subscription on the server license and its CALs adds the right to move it within a server farm as often as needed. The Product Terms and the 2025 guidance both keep it. Pay-as-you-go through Azure Arc also carries the option to license by VM.
How to count a VM on either version:
- Count the virtual cores allocated to the virtual OSE.
- If a virtual core maps to more than one hardware thread, license each hardware thread it maps to.
- Apply the minimum of four core licenses per virtual OSE.
- Buy in 2-packs.
A container counts as a virtual OSE too, unless you use the unlimited containers right that comes with SA or a subscription when licensing by virtual OSE.
What 2025 actually changed
These are the edition and licensing changes that move a quote or a true-up. Sources: What’s new in SQL Server 2025, the 2025 editions page and the 2022 editions page.
| Topic | SQL Server 2022 | SQL Server 2025 | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard compute | Lesser of 4 sockets or 24 cores | Lesser of 4 sockets or 32 cores | A product limit, not a purchase minimum. Bigger hosts can stay on Standard. |
| Standard buffer pool | 128 GB | 256 GB | Memory was a common reason to buy Enterprise. |
| Resource Governor | Enterprise only | Standard and Enterprise, same functionality | Another Enterprise-only reason gone on 2025 Standard. |
| Optimized locking | Not in the product | New; Standard and Enterprise | Less blocking and lock memory without an edition change. |
| Web edition | Available to hosters | Discontinued | A 2025 “Web” line on a quote does not exist. |
| Developer | One Developer edition with Enterprise features | Enterprise Developer and Standard Developer, free, non-production | Test a Standard estate on Standard Developer, not on Enterprise features. |
| Express | 10 GB database; Express with Advanced Services a separate edition | 50 GB; Advanced Services folded in | More small workloads fit the free edition. |
| Reporting | SSRS 2022; Power BI Report Server only on Enterprise cores with active SA | No SSRS 2025; Power BI Report Server with Standard or Enterprise, even without SA | A reporting right moved into the base license. |
| AI and developer features | – | Vector data type and functions, native JSON type, regular expressions, external REST endpoint calls | Listed for Enterprise, Standard and Express. No effect on core counts. |
| DQS and MDS | Included | Discontinued; supported on 2022 and earlier | An upgrade drops them. |
| Azure Synapse Link | Included | Discontinued; Microsoft points to Mirroring in Fabric | Rebuild the pipeline before you upgrade. |
| Purview access policies | Included | Discontinued; fixed server roles instead | Access governance has to be redone. |
Microsoft’s licensing guidance states the Standard limit as 32 licensed cores and adds that, for VM licensing, 32 cores means 32 hardware threads.
Pay-as-you-go through Azure Arc
Pay-as-you-go is the third way to pay, alongside perpetual licenses and subscriptions. You connect the server to Azure Arc and Azure bills SQL Server by the hour: $0.375 per Enterprise core and $0.100 per Standard core, or $274 and $73 a month. The rates are the same for 2022 and 2025.
What Microsoft’s Azure Arc licensing and billing documentation says about it:
- It is billed per core, with a minimum of four cores per OSE, and only for hours when SQL Server runs and the machine is online.
- It carries the rights of SA or a subscription: new version upgrades, fail-over replicas, licensing by VM, the Flexible Virtualization Benefit and, for Enterprise, unlimited virtualization on a licensed host.
- A physical core license for unlimited virtualization covers at least 16 physical cores.
- It supports core-based licensing only. Server + CAL is not available with pay-as-you-go.
- If the machine stays disconnected from Azure for more than 30 days, the pay-as-you-go subscription expires.
Worked examples at list price
All figures below use Microsoft’s published US list prices from the table above. They leave out Windows Server, Software Assurance and any discount. Each virtual core is assumed to map to one hardware thread.
1. A small one-socket server
One processor, two cores, SQL Server on the physical OSE. The four-core minimum applies: four core licenses, two 2-packs. Standard: 2 × $3,945 = $7,890. Enterprise: 2 × $15,123 = $30,246. The same server with eight cores costs four packs: $15,780 Standard or $60,492 Enterprise.
2. Server + CAL or per core?
Server + CAL costs $989 plus $230 for every user or device. On the four-core server above, per core is $7,890. Server + CAL stays cheaper up to 30 CALs: $989 + 30 × $230 = $7,889. At 31 it costs $8,119. On an eight-core server ($15,780 per core) the break-even is 64 CALs, and on a 16-core server ($31,560) it is 132. Count users and devices, including those behind a multiplexing application.
3. A two-socket, 32-core host with ten VMs
Two processors with 16 cores each. Ten VMs run SQL Server Standard, four virtual cores each: 40 virtual cores. Every option here needs SA, a subscription or pay-as-you-go, because each one either licenses individual VMs or uses unlimited virtualization.
| Option | Cores licensed | Perpetual list | Subscription per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard, per VM | 40 virtual (20 packs) | $78,900 + SA | $28,360 |
| Enterprise, per VM | 40 virtual (20 packs) | $302,460 + SA | $108,680 |
| Enterprise, whole host, unlimited VMs | 32 physical (16 packs) | $241,968 + SA | $86,944 |
For ten Standard VMs, licensing each VM is the cheapest path. Licensing the host with Enterprise wins once you need Enterprise features in the VMs: $86,944 a year covers every VM on the host, against $108,680 for the same ten VMs licensed individually.
4. Where Enterprise on the host beats Standard per VM
One Enterprise core lists at 3.83 times a Standard core ($7,561.50 against $1,972.50; the subscription ratio is the same). The 32 Enterprise cores on the host above cost as much as about 122.7 Standard cores. So once the Standard VMs on that host need more than 122 virtual cores, about 31 four-core VMs, licensing the host with Enterprise costs less at list and every VM gets Enterprise features. Below that, Standard per VM is cheaper.
5. Pay-as-you-go or subscription?
A Standard subscription works out at $59.08 per core per month ($1,418 ÷ 2 ÷ 12). Pay-as-you-go at $0.100 an hour reaches that after about 591 hours. An Enterprise subscription is $226.42 per core per month, which pay-as-you-go at $0.375 reaches after about 604 hours. With roughly 730 hours in a month, pay-as-you-go is cheaper for a server that runs SQL Server less than about 80 percent of the time, and dearer for one that runs around the clock. Ten always-on Standard VMs from example 3 would cost 40 × $73 = $2,920 a month, or $35,040 a year, against $28,360 on subscription.
Power BI Report Server is the 2025 reporting grant
The Product Terms split the right by version:
- SQL Server 2025: you may run Power BI Report Server on the licensed server under Standard or Enterprise core licenses, with or without SA. In Azure it takes one core license per virtual core, minimum four per OSE.
- Versions before 2025: the right applies only to Enterprise Edition core licenses with active SA, and it ends when SA ends.
Publishing shared Power BI reports through Power BI Report Server still needs a Power BI Pro User SL. The Reporting Services consolidation FAQ confirms there will be no new SSRS release, that existing RDL reports run on Power BI Report Server, and that SSRS 2022 is supported until 11 January 2033. Power BI Report Server needs a SQL Server 2025 key; a 2022 Standard server does not pick up the 2025 right.
Failover is still three passive replicas
Unchanged across 2022 and 2025. For each licensed OSE covered by SA, a subscription or pay-as-you-go, the Product Terms allow:
- One passive fail-over OSE for any purpose, including high availability.
- One passive fail-over OSE for disaster recovery, on any server.
- One passive fail-over OSE for disaster recovery on Microsoft Azure.
Passive means the replica does not serve SQL Server data to clients or run active workloads, and the disaster recovery replicas must be asynchronous and manual. The 2025 guidance is plain about the rest: licenses without SA, or non-subscription licenses, do not include disaster recovery or high availability rights. A readable secondary that serves queries is not passive.
What SA (or a subscription) still decides
The bit that decides a 2022-to-2025 conversation is whether SA, a subscription or pay-as-you-go sits on the paper, not which version the binaries say.
| Right | License only | SA, subscription or pay-as-you-go |
|---|---|---|
| New version (2022 to 2025) | No | Yes |
| License by virtual machine (per core) | No | Yes |
| Unlimited virtualization (Enterprise, all physical cores) | No | Yes |
| Fail-over replicas | No | Yes |
| Flexible Virtualization Benefit | No | Yes |
| Azure Hybrid Benefit | No | SA or subscription |
| License Mobility through SA | No | SA only |
| Power BI Report Server | 2025 Standard or Enterprise only | Yes; on 2022, Enterprise only |
Sources: the Azure Arc benefits table and the 2025 guidance. Under License Mobility, the guidance adds, unlimited virtualization and unlimited container rights do not apply.
Azure Hybrid Benefit is not one-for-one across editions. The guidance’s example: one Enterprise core covers one vCore of Business Critical but four vCores of General Purpose. Read the ratio for the service you are moving to before you count savings.
Components, containers, and what a 2025 upgrade drops
Database Engine, Analysis Services and Integration Services sit under one SQL Server license. Microsoft’s Azure Arc licensing documentation puts it this way: an associated service needs its own license only when it is installed without the Database Engine on that machine.
Containers count as virtual OSEs, with the four-core minimum, unless you hold the unlimited containers right through SA or a subscription while licensing by virtual OSE.
Data Quality Services, Master Data Services, Azure Synapse Link and Purview access policies are gone in 2025. Microsoft also lists breaking changes to linked servers, replication, log shipping and PolyBase. If those features are why a server runs SQL, the upgrade is a product decision before it is a core count.
Should you upgrade from SQL Server 2022 to 2025?
The license cost of the version is the same, so the decision comes down to rights, features and support dates.
- Upgrade is free on licenses with active SA, a subscription or pay-as-you-go: new version rights are part of them. Perpetual 2022 licenses without SA stay on 2022; moving means new 2025 licenses at the prices above.
- Move sooner if Standard servers are capped at 24 cores or 128 GB, if Resource Governor is the only reason a server runs Enterprise, or if you want Power BI Report Server without SA.
- Wait if the server depends on DQS, MDS, Synapse Link, Purview access policies or anything on the breaking changes list, or if it runs Web edition from a hoster, which has no 2025 version.
- Mind the dates. SQL Server 2022 leaves mainstream support in January 2028 and extended support in January 2033. SQL Server 2025 runs to January 2031 and January 2036.
- New licenses can run 2022. The Product Terms let volume licensing customers run a prior version in place of the licensed one, under the licensed version’s use rights.
What to have this week
Before the next true-up, Enterprise Agreement amendment or CSP quote, put together a SQL Server position, not a feature table:
- Every instance, edition, version and OSE type. Physical, VM or container, 2022 or 2025, with Developer, Express and leftover Web kept apart from production.
- Cores the way Microsoft counts them. Physical cores with the four-per-processor minimum, or virtual cores per VM with the four-core minimum and the thread mapping. Not the Windows 16-core minimum.
- Whether SA, a subscription or pay-as-you-go covers each license. That one fact decides VM licensing, unlimited virtualization, fail-over replicas, Azure Hybrid Benefit and the right to run 2025.
- CAL counts for any Standard Server + CAL licenses, users and devices, multiplexing included.
- What you own against what you run, by edition and version.
LICENSEWARE’s Microsoft Deployment Manager builds that requirement from SQL Server and Windows Server deployment data, counting cores the way Microsoft does.
Questions
How much does SQL Server 2025 cost?
At Microsoft’s list prices, Enterprise is $15,123 and Standard $3,945 per 2-core pack, with at least four cores per processor. Standard is also sold as $989 per server plus $230 per CAL. Subscriptions are $5,434 and $1,418 per 2-core pack a year, and pay-as-you-go through Azure Arc is $274 or $73 per core a month. Developer and Express are free.
Did SQL Server prices change between 2022 and 2025?
No. Microsoft lists the same prices for both versions, line by line. Your price depends on the agreement and the reseller, not on the version.
How much is a SQL Server 2025 Standard license?
$3,945 per 2-core pack, so $7,890 for the four-core minimum on one processor. For a server with few users, Standard Server + CAL is $989 for the server and $230 for each user or device; it is the cheaper model up to 30 CALs on a four-core server.
Does SQL Server need 16 cores per server?
No. SQL Server needs at least four core licenses per physical processor, and four per VM. The 16-core minimum per server is a Windows Server rule.
Are SQL Server Developer edition and Management Studio free?
Yes. Developer and Express editions are free, and on 2025 Developer comes as Enterprise Developer and Standard Developer, both for development and testing only. Microsoft’s SSMS FAQ says SQL Server Management Studio is free for personal or enterprise use.
Can I run SQL Server 2022 on 2025 licenses?
Yes, under volume licensing. The Product Terms let you run a prior version in place of the licensed version, and the 2025 license’s use rights still apply.
Sources
- SQL Server 2025 pricing (list prices, subscriptions, pay-as-you-go, availability dates): Microsoft, SQL Server 2025 pricing (PDF)
- SQL Server 2022 pricing (same list prices, Web through hosters): Microsoft, SQL Server 2022 pricing
- SQL Server 2025 licensing guidance (models, minimums, VM licensing, Standard 32 cores, fail-over, Power BI Report Server, Web, Azure Hybrid Benefit, License Mobility): microsoft.com/licensing/guidance/SQL
- Product Terms, SQL Server, EA/EAS/SCE (versions, Per Core, Server + CAL, fail-over, Power BI Report Server): Product Terms for SQL Server
- Product Terms, universal license terms (prior versions and lower editions): Product Terms for all software
- Core-based licensing models (SQL Server four per processor; Windows Server 8 and 16): Core-based licensing models
- What’s new in SQL Server 2025 (edition changes, features, discontinued services): Microsoft Learn
- Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2025 and 2022 (scale limits, feature by edition): 2025, 2022
- SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc, licensing and billing (pay-as-you-go metering, benefits, minimums): Microsoft Learn
- Reporting Services consolidation FAQ (no new SSRS, Power BI Report Server rights, SSRS 2022 support): Microsoft Learn
- Lifecycle (release and support dates): SQL Server 2022, SQL Server 2025
- SQL Server Management Studio FAQ (cost): Microsoft Learn
