The most recent version of Surfer is version 25.2.259 from April 4, 2023.

The most recent version of Surfer Beta is version 26.0.140 from April 4, 2023. Surfer Beta is available to users with an active subscription or maintenance.

We support only the current version of Surfer. Emergency fixes to previous versions are released at our discretion.

Surfer's top new features and improvements can be found here: What's New in Surfer?

Surfer possesses a level of versatile functionality designed to suit multiple titles, such as geologists, researchers and engineers, in a variety of industries including geology, hydrology, environmental, and construction.

See our Success Stories and Gallery for great examples of products created by our users.

 System requirements:

• Windows 7 SP1, 8 (excluding RT), 10, 11 and higher
• 32-bit and 64-bit operation system support
• 1024x768 or higher monitor resolution with minimum 16-bit color depth
• At least 500 MB free hard disk space
• At least 512 MB RAM for simple data sets, 1GB RAM recommended

3D View requirements:

• OpenGL v3.2 or later, including the following support:
  • Vertex, Fragment, and Geometry shaders
  • GLSL (GL Shading Language) 150

We offer two license types: Subscription and Perpetual with Maintenance.

A subscription license is a term based license. You can choose to purchase for either a yearly or monthly subscription and you will have access to the latest version of Surfer for that entire term. At the end of your term your subscription license will automatically renew unless you turn off auto-renewal.

A perpetual license is a one-time purchase. Once you purchase a perpetual license it is your forever and it comes with one free year of software maintenance. While your software maintenance is active you can update to the latest version of Surfer and access priority technical support, at the end of your free year you will have to choose to renew maintenance to continue receiving these benefits. You can learn more about software maintenance here: What is software maintenance and why should I renew?

A single-user license grants one user the right to use the software license. For each single user license you purchase, you will receive a unique product key. This license may not be used by multiple people.

A concurrent-use license, also called a “network” or “floating” license, is tied to a network. The License Manager or License Administrator software is installed on a license server on the company network. The product can be installed on as many client machines as desired. The product usage is controlled by the license server and is limited to the number of concurrent seats that were purchased.

For further information on licensing, review the Licensing topic.

If the single user or concurrent-use licenses do not fit your business model, contact us and we would be glad to create a solution that will fit your needs.

Yes, please review all the details on our Educational License page.

Yes, we offer a $50/year student license. To get your license, please do the following:

1. Email us from your university-issued email account.
2. Include documentation that proves your current enrollment. Must include your name and date range.

We’ll send you a coupon code to purchase Surfer for $50.

Get the most out of your Surfer license with active maintenance. One year of maintenance is included when you purchase a new product license. After that, you can renew each year to receive these great benefits:

• Access to all new releases and software updates
• Live technical support - contact us via phone or chat during our regularly scheduled business hours
• Priority email support - your inquiry gets top priority
• Priority notifications from Golden Software
• A first look at the new features before they're released in Surfer Beta
• Full PDF User Guide

A Surfer subscription license comes with the following benefits during the entire term of the subscription:

• Access to the latest version of Surfer and Surfer Beta
• Free upgrades, updates, and fixes during the term of your subscription
• Access to Surfer on two personal devices
• Automatic renewal without the need for re-installation or re-activation
• Access to priority technical support
• Access to features before the official release with Surfer Beta

Yes, we can co-term your licenses so the renewal date is the same for all products. We will work with you to conduct a license inventory and determine the best renewal date so your life is simplified! Please contact us to start the co-terming process.

Surfer is a Windows program and is not compatible with Mac, Linux, or Unix operating systems. However, customers have run Surfer on a Windows emulator. Windows emulators allow a Windows environment to run on a Mac, Linux, or Unix operating system. Please know we do not test our software under these conditions. We recommend downloading the trial and testing the functionality yourself.

The full Golden Software End User License Agreement (EULA) is available for review at goldensoftware.com/terms-of-use. Contact us if you need assistance determining the best licensing option for you.

Yes, we offer online webinars and have many online resources in Support Central, including training videos and blog posts.

For additional assistance, please contact our technical support staff.

Your product key can be located in a few different places.

1. Golden Software user account: Log in to MyAccount, click the My Products button, and your registered product keys are displayed.
2. Email containing download instructions: If you received your software via download, the product key was included in the emailed download instructions.

Yes, one (1) copy of the software and one (1) copy of the user documentation may be made for backup purposes only.

Software downloads are available through our MyAccount portal. Log in and click the My Products button. Click the desired product key or serial number in the list of products to expand the product information section and click Download Surfer Installer. If necessary, deactivate the license for the computer that crashed or is being replaced.

If you have access to the original Surfer installation USB, CD or a backup copy, simply reinstall Surfer from those files.

If you do not have access to Surfer’s download instructions or the installation USB or CD, locate your Surfer product key, serial number, or original order number, contact us, and we would be glad to help!

Please visit Support Central for answers to more technical questions.