Quick answers
- What is Atlassian Guard?
- A subscription for your whole Atlassian organisation, adding user management, user security, data loss prevention and threat detection (Understand Atlassian Guard).
- Is Atlassian Guard the same as Atlassian Access?
- Atlassian introduced Guard on 1 May 2024, saying it "unifies existing Access and Beacon beta capabilities" (announcement). Where a renewal says Access, read Guard Standard.
- Do we need Guard for single sign-on?
- For SAML single sign-on on Atlassian Cloud, yes: Guard Standard is a prerequisite; users on a plan that includes it, such as Cloud Enterprise, already have it.
- Do we need Guard for two-step verification?
- Enforcing it is listed for all plans, but without Guard you have one authentication policy covering everyone. One settings page groups it with Guard features, so confirm it in your organisation.
Guard Standard vs Guard Premium
Guard Standard can also block AI assistants reading Jira and Confluence through the Atlassian MCP server; see our Atlassian MCP server guide.
| Guard Standard | Guard Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The base subscription: SSO, provisioning, data security controls | An add-on to Standard |
| Identity controls | Enforced SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning, multiple authentication and external user policies | As Standard |
| Data controls | Data security rules: exports, downloads, public links, MCP access | Plus classification, sensitive data and threat detection |
| Audit logs | Organisation administration activity | User-created activity (also with Enterprise) |
| Apps | Jira, JSM, Confluence, Bitbucket, Trello, Statuspage and more | Currently Jira and Confluence Cloud |
| Billed on | Unique people with access to a supported app | Unique people with Jira or Confluence access; Standard or Enterprise users pay the difference |
How much does Atlassian Guard cost?
Four things set the cost. Atlassian's Guard pricing calculator gives a monthly estimate; quotes are in US dollars, plus GST.
- Who's countedUnique people: Standard counts any supported app, Premium Jira or Confluence.
- How manyProgressive pricing, with discounts as the count grows.
- How you payMonthly on unique users; annual by tier, currently with a discount worth two months free.
- What you already havePeople on a plan that includes Guard Standard aren't counted again.
Which route fits: buy Guard, use a plan that includes it, or another option
Start from the control you need, then the most cost-effective route that meets your requirements.
| If you need | Start with | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Enforced SSO and automatic joiners and leavers | Guard Standard | Unique people who can reach any supported app |
| The same, on a plan that includes Guard Standard | Cloud Enterprise, Teamwork Collection Premium or Enterprise, JSM Enterprise | Coverage is per person, so others can still count |
| Classification or threat detection | Guard Premium | Whether your content is in supported apps |
| SSO for JSM portal customers only | SAML SSO for portal-only customers | Needs Guard Standard; ticket-only accounts aren't billable |
| SSO from a Marketplace app | The vendor's documentation | Coverage, provisioning, support, and whether it still needs Guard |
| A Community or Academic licence | Guard is free if eligible | Confirm eligibility before you budget |
Who counts toward your Guard bill
From Atlassian's billing guide. Each person counts once.
| Counts | Doesn't count |
|---|---|
| Managed accounts and external users with access to a supported app | Deactivated accounts |
| Free-plan users on a domain governed by Guard | Members of a non-billable policy |
| Users in an external user policy | Help-center-only or Jira Product Discovery-only people |
| Sandbox-only managed accounts and external users | People on a plan that includes Guard Standard |
A worked example (hypothetical)
One organisation, before any clean-up.
| Group | People | Adds to count |
|---|---|---|
| Jira users on a Standard plan | 120 | 120 |
| Confluence users, 80 also in Jira | 100 | 20 |
| Free Trello on a claimed domain, 10 also in Jira | 25 | 15 |
| Statuspage Business page only | 25 | 0 |
| Help-center-only customers | 300 | 0 |
| Deactivated accounts | 12 | 0 |
| Guard Standard billable people | 155 |
Bringing the count down
The billing guide lists three options: deactivate unneeded accounts, remove product access, or use a non-billable policy. Non-billable members aren't secured by Guard: no enforced SSO or synced users, and one such policy (Guard Premium still covers them, at the price difference). With more than one organisation, link all sites to one. Our licensing service reviews Guard with your other subscriptions.
How to check who's being billed for Atlassian Guard
You'll need to be an organisation admin.
- 01
Read the billable count
In Atlassian Administration, Billing, then Manage on Atlassian Guard Standard: Subscription details shows unique billable users and the estimate.
- 02
Export managed accounts
Directory, Managed accounts, Export members. The emailed link lasts 24 hours and works for anyone who has it.
- 03
Read the columns
Billable marks who counts; Status, Last active and Policy type explain why.
- 04
Export external users
With Guard Standard: Security, User security, External users, Export users.
- 05
Reconcile
Look for Trello-only, sandbox-only and inactive people. If the exports and subscription page disagree, go by the subscription page.
What to set up first
What Guard doesn't cover
- Data CenterGuard is for cloud; Crowd is for Data Center. On-premises directories need a cloud identity provider, usually with Guard Standard; see cloud migration.
- Atlassian Government CloudRestricted to US government work; Guard features are included, so Guard isn't offered. See our government page.
- IP allowlistingTied to your app's Premium plan, not Guard.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to data security policies if we stop paying for Guard?
Existing policies are still enforced, but rules or coverage that need Guard Standard can't be edited until you subscribe again.
Can we use Google Workspace for single sign-on?
Yes, as a Guard Standard setting. Without Guard, Atlassian's custom integration syncs all users to one group; syncing group memberships or requiring Google sign-in needs Guard Standard (Guard and cloud migrations).
Sources and currency (1), reviewed 19 Oct 2026
- Atlassian's Guard pricing, licensing, purchasing and announcement pages, and Atlassian Support's Guard, provisioning, administration and billing documentation
Setting up Atlassian Guard with Senzo
We cover your identity provider, Guard plan, who's billable, group design and SSO order, then set it up.