Aspect

Feature Restricted Licensing (FRL)

Named User Licensing (NUL)

Licensing Model

License is tied to the device or feature set; introduced as an alternative to serialized and named user deployment  

License is assigned to a specific user (named user); preferred activation method using Adobe ID, federated ID, or enterprise ID

User Authentication

Does not require user sign-in with Adobe ID; activation is device-based  

Requires user to sign in with Adobe ID; activation is user-based  

Use Case

Used where users cannot validate online or do not have internet access; controls data flow in restricted networks

Used for most cases; requires user sign-in and internet access; supports user and group management via Admin Console  

Access to Adobe Apps & Services

Restricts access to certain Adobe apps and services; feature access is controlled by license

Provides full access to Adobe apps and services with user authentication  

Deployment Tracks

Supports both Continuous and Classic tracks; not supported for trial installs  

Supports Continuous and Classic tracks; trial installs and Classic track do not support NUL

Management

Can be set up and managed via the Admin Console; managed by device or serial number  

Managed via Admin Console with tools for managing software, users, devices, and supports multiple ID types  

Online Requirement

Designed for environments with restricted or no internet access; may not require continuous online connection after activation  

Requires online access for activation and license validation; 30-day grace period for online activation  

License Management

License keys are managed per machine; less flexible, tied to specific machines or features  

IT admins manage licenses centrally via Adobe Admin Console, tied to users, groups, or roles; more flexible

User Activation

No user sign-in required for activation; does not require online validation by end users  

End users activate Acrobat by logging in to any VM or machine; license data saved in user profile directories

Migration

Existing installs can be moved to FRL; requires uninstalling Classic track products before migration  

Migration from serialized licenses to NUL is recommended and supported; NUL is required in most cases

Compliance Tracking

Requires tracking licenses per machine  

Simplified compliance tracking via user-based license management

License Flexibility

Limited flexibility; tied to specific machines or features  

Flexible licensing; users can switch product configurations and sign in on up to two machines simultaneously  

Self-Service

Not supported; users cannot self-service acquire apps or updates

Users can self-service acquire apps, updates, and service access

Virtualization Support

Supports virtual environments: Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop, VMWare Horizon, and RDS/WTS  

Acrobat Standard or Pro under VIP NUL can be virtualized in Citrix XenApp, Citrix XenDesktop, VMware Horizon, Microsoft App-V