Lens Subscription and Licensing FAQ#
On this page, we have gathered the most frequent questions about Lens subscriptions from our users.
Note
Visit our Frequently Asked Technical Questions page if you have any question related to Lens Desktop functioning.
Lens Pricing Questions#
Q: How much does Lens Pro cost?#
A: Visit pricing for subscription and purchasing details.
Q: Our company wants to evaluate Lens Pro. Is there a free trial version?#
A: Yes, you can download Lens Pro and use it for 14 days for free.
Q: How do I cancel a Lens Pro trial version?#
A: There is no need to cancel a Lens Pro trial version. The trial period automatically expires after 14 days without any charges.
Q: Can I pay for a subscription with an invoice?#
A: Yes. You can find more information on how to purchase with an invoice on our pricing page.
Q: Does Lens offer special pricing for education or research purposes?#
A: You may be eligible for Lens Personal which is free of charge.
Q: What’s the difference between Lens Personal and Lens Pro?#
A: Visit pricing to compare features of various Lens subscriptions.
Q: Can I use Lens without the additional cloud services that are provided with the Lens Pro Plan?#
A: Yes. Users can choose to use Lens as a standalone desktop application by disabling the connection to our cloud services.
Q: Do I need one subscription per user or per machine with Lens installed in my organization?#
A: Lens subscriptions are per user. This means that if a user has multiple machines, they will only require one license to use Lens on their devices per our Terms of Service.
Q: Do you offer support for Lens Pro subscriptions?#
A: Lens Pro users have access to pro support that is available Monday through Friday. Starting and finishing hours are in UTC timezone. You can learn more about our support options here. In addition, all Lens users have access to support in the GitHub repository, Lens Forums, and Lens Documentation.
Q: Can I purchase Lens through a distributor or a reseller?#
A: Yes. Mirantis / Lens has partnered with Nuaware to provide access to its network of resellers for purchasing. If you are interested please contact sales .
Q: I am a reseller. How can I purchase Lens Pro for my customer?#
A: If you are a reseller, please refer to Invoicing process for resellers.
Q: Do I need to do anything at the end of my subscription term?#
A: If purchased with a credit card your subscription is automatically renewed at the end of the term.
Q: How do I stop the automatic renewal of my subscription?#
A: If you want to stop the automatic renewal of the subscription, you can cancel your subscription any time during the subscription period. Your subscription will expire without automatic renewal at the end of the period.
Q: What happens if I pay for an annual subscription and need to add more seats later?#
A: A prorated amount will be charged when you add additional seats to your subscription in the middle of your billing cycle.
Q: Can I reassign a seat to another user?#
A: Yes, you can reassign a seat to another user at any time using your Lens Business ID in the Lens ID Portal. However, if you activate Lens Pro in offline mode the associated Lens Subscription will be fixed and no changes will be possible until the end of the subscription term.
Q: How do I upgrade from Lens Personal to Lens Pro?#
A: You can upgrade by logging into your Lens ID Portal. You will be able to view your current subscription and upgrade.
Eligibility Questions#
Q: I work for a large organization, am I required to purchase Lens Pro?#
A: Organizations with revenue or funding of more than $10M in the last 12 months are required to purchase Lens Pro.
Q: What makes someone eligible for the free tier, Lens Personal?#
A: Eligibility for users or organizations is based on revenue or funding. If revenue or funding is less than $10M in the last 12 months you may continue to use Lens personal for free with a Lens ID.
Q: What period is used to measure eligibility?#
A: Eligibility is measured for the most recent twelve (12) month period. If you are mid-project, and your Total Finances grow to exceed the Financial Threshold of the Lens Subscription tier you are using, you do not need to start from scratch - you can simply upgrade your subscription and continue working.
Q: My company made just over $10 million last financial year, but we don’t expect to do the same this year. Do I need a Lens Pro subscription?#
A: If your company had revenue or funding of more than $10M in the last 12 months you will require a paid Lens subscription.
Q: What currency is used to measure eligibility?#
A: Financial Thresholds are shown in US currency and your Total Finances will be converted to US currency to determine your Tier Eligibility.
Q: How is revenue or funding calculated?#
A: How we measure your Total Finances varies based on who you are. Total Finances are measured like this: (a) if you are a l Entity (other than to provide services to someone else), your Total Finances are your gross revenues and/or funding (no matter what the source); (b) if you are a Not-for-Profit Entity, your budget for the entire entity (not just the department); (c) if you are an individual or a Legal Entity providing services to a third party, your Total Finances is deemed to be your customer or client’s Total Finances; and (d) if you are an individual, but not providing services to a third party, your Total Finances are the amount generated in connection with your use of the Lens Desktop. In this case, your Total Finances would not include amounts you generate from other work (for example, if your day job is as a bus driver).
Q: How will Lens enforce the new licensing and subscription terms?#
A: We trust our users to have chosen a subscription and be in compliance with the eligibility section of the Lens Terms of Service Agreement by Jan 2, 2023.
Q: How do I determine how many people use Lens in my organization?#
A: Your organization may use a “Software Asset Management tool”. For organizations without Software asset management tools, an internal survey could be used to find out who is using Lens. Contact our Sales team for additional assistance.
Q: I use Lens Desktop for my own personal commercial projects, but I don’t make more than $10 million per year. Under the new license terms, do I need a paid subscription to continue using Lens Desktop?#
A: No. Because you don’t have revenue of more than $10M in the last 12 months, you may continue to use Lens Personal for free with the Lens Personal subscription subject to eligibility.
Q: I am a student and use Lens for learning purposes for one of my classes; do I need to purchase a Lens Pro subscription?#
A: No. As a student you may use Lens for free with a Lens Personal subscription subject to eligibility.
Q: I am a Kubernetes trainer who uses Lens to teach my community how to work with Kubernetes; do I or they need to purchase a Lens Pro subscription.#
A: No, anyone who has less than $10 million in funding or annual revenue may continue to use lens personal for free subject to eligibility.
Q: My company has greater than $10 million annual revenue, but only a few employees use Lens. Does my company need to purchase Lens Pro subscriptions for each user?#
A: Yes. Because your company has generated revenue of more than $10M in the last 12 months, all individuals that use Lens will need to have a paid Lens Pro subscription.
Q: I work for a government agency, do I need paid Lens Subscriptions for my employees who use Lens?#
A: Yes. Organizations with revenue or funding of more than $10M in the last 12 months are subject to pay per user for Lens Pro.
Subscription and Billing Questions#
How do I change subscription plan from monthly payments to annual?#
A: To change the payment plan, you can choose one of the following options:
- Cancel renewal of the current subscription and purchase an annual payment plan at the end of the current subscription (month).
- Contact the support team to terminate the current subscription, refund, and purchase an annual payment plan.
Q: I have previously purchased an individual subscription for myself. Can move this existing subscription to a Lens Business ID?#
A: Unfortunately, it is not possible to combine individual and Lens Business ID subscriptions.
Q: Can I get a refund for a subscription seat that has been activated through an activation code (air-gapped mode)?#
A: Unfortunately, it is not possible to get a refund for the subscription seats that have been activated through an activation code (air-gapped mode).
Q: I redeemed a LENS-FOUNDERS-50 coupon, but my next invoice does not show the coupon being taken into account?#
A: The next invoice amount does not take into account coupons or discounts. When you are invoiced the coupon or discount will be applied.
Q: I purchased a Lens Pro subscription, but it does not appear in Lens Desktop. What should I do?#
A: Try to relaunch the Lens Desktop application. If the subscription is still not active, try the following:
- Unregister from your Lens Desktop.
- Perform the offline activation procedure.
Feature Questions#
Q: Why does the new version of Lens sometimes feel slower?#
A: The new version of Lens introduces several new features, including the highly-requested tabbed interface, which enhances multitasking and improves workflow management. As a result, there may be an initial perception of slower performance, however, tabs allow users to work with multiple Kubernetes resources simultaneously without the need to navigate back and forth. This significantly reduces the time spent switching between different resources or views, allowing users to manage their clusters more efficiently. By keeping multiple resources open in tabs, users can avoid repetitive navigation, leading to faster task completion overall.
Performance optimization is a continuous process, and we are actively working on improving the efficiency of Lens, particularly in how it handles multiple tabs and resource-intensive tasks.
Q:: I installed the new version of Lens. How can I roll back to the previous version of Lens?#
A: If you prefer using a previous legacy version of Lens, you can easily roll back by re-installing. Find the download links here.
Q: Why is the Hotbar removed in the new version of Lens? Will it come back?#
A: In the new version of Lens, we have removed the Hotbar to introduce a more efficient and organized way of managing your Kubernetes clusters through the Navigator. The new Navigator is the first step in improving how you organize your clusters, providing a more streamlined experience by grouping resources and environments using a folder-based structure.
While the Hotbar is not available in this version, all the cluster icons and colors you have customized are still preserved within the Navigator for continuity and ease of use. We understand that the Hotbar has been a useful tool for many users, and we are actively listening to your feedback. Based on the input we receive from the community, we may bring back the Hotbar in a future version.
Q: Why did we remove the enablement (installation) of the Trivy Operator from Lens Security Center?#
A: We removed the enablement (installation) of the Trivy Operator from Lens Desktop to simplify the application and provide users more control over how they manage security scanning in their Kubernetes clusters. Previously, Lens Desktop offered the option to install the Trivy Operator to automate scanning, but we have now removed this feature to ensure that users can decide when and how to install security tools.
This change helps keep Lens lightweight and allows you to implement security solutions based on your specific needs.
Q: How come I can’t access Kubernetes clusters in Spaces anymore?#
A: Starting on October 1, 2024, Personal plan users will no longer have access to teamwork features like accessing Kubernetes clusters in Spaces. If you’re on the Personal plan, you can still manage your clusters individually, but to continue accessing shared clusters and collaborating in Spaces, you’ll need to upgrade to a Pro or Enterprise plan. You can upgrade easily through the Billing section of your Lens account.
Q: Lens Desktop Kubernetes looks interesting. Can this replace Minikube or other desktop Kubernetes applications?#
A: Yes it can. If you need to run a Kubernetes cluster to locally deploy your workloads to test them then Lens will work. And if you already use Lens this is most likely your best option. However, each local Kubernetes application has its own advantages and disadvantages. The best is to try Lens Desktop Kubernetes to see if it meets your needs.
Lens ID Questions#
Q: Do existing Lens users need to sign up for an ID?#
A: Yes, all Lens users will need to create a Lens ID in order to activate Lens desktop.
Q: Why do I need a Lens ID?#
A: Lens ID is your unique identity with Lens. This is used to register Lens Desktop and access our cloud services. You can sign in to all Lens services with a single Lens ID and password.
Q: With the introduction of Lens ID, How does Lens work within an air-gapped environment?#
A: Lens will continue to work in air gapped environments, however, initially you will need to create a Lens ID. With your Lens ID you can obtain an activation code that can be used to register Lens Desktop running in your air-gapped environment. Please see our documentation on how to activate.
Security & Compliance Questions#
Q: What information is being communicated to the cloud with Lens ID?#
A: The Lens ID is only meant to provide an identity with basic profile information to Lens Desktop. No sensitive data such as kubeconfigs, local profiles, secrets, config maps, etc… is uploaded or synced from Lens Desktop to our cloud services.
Q: What about privacy with Lens ID?#
A: As per the Lens Terms of Service Agreement, Lens Desktop may automatically communicate with Mirantis servers to perform automated software updates and usage tracking. These features are designed to help provide a great end user experience, and you may manually opt out. For more information about how Mirantis handles and processes personal information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Q: Does Lens retain any Personally Identifiable Information (PII)?#
A: For more information about how Mirantis handles and processes personal information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Q: Are my Kubeconfigs accessible via the internet?#
A: No sensitive data such as kubeconfigs, local profiles, secrets, config maps, etc… is uploaded or synced from Lens Desktop to our cloud services.
Q: How does Team Lens and Mirantis process my personal data?#
A: For more information about how Mirantis handles and processes personal information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Q: Will you ever share my personal data with my employer?#
A: When we reasonably suspect that you may be eligible for a commercial plan rather than a personal plan based on your company's criteria we may share your personal data/personal identifiable information (email, and when requested name and LensID) with your company/employer procurement team. Our legitimate interest for sharing your data is based on our commitment to engaging in lawful and ethical business practices, ensuring the enforcement of our terms and conditions, preventing fraud and fostering potential partnerships with enterprises that are interested in using our software. We deem that the means used are proportionate and necessary to achieve the intended legitimate business purpose. These data will be handled securely by both parties, in particular to ensure protection against unauthorized access. When personal data is transferred outside of EEA this is based on the exception in Article 49 of the GDPR, specifically for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims. You will find more information about how Mirantis processes your personal data and your rights, including the right to restriction of processing and the right to object, in our Privacy Policy.
Q: Do the new terms apply to versions prior to Lens 6?#
A: No, previous versions of Lens are not subject to the new terms of service.