LicenseManagerLemon Squeezy alternatives
Best Lemon Squeezy alternatives in 2026
9 alternatives to Lemon Squeezy, compared on features, SDKs and price, from their public pages.
We build LicenseManager, listed first. The others are ranked by how close they are to Lemon Squeezy. Prices and features come from each vendor's public pricing page and documentation, checked on 2026-10-25. Report an error.
Reasons to look elsewhere
- 5% + $0.50 on every sale, plus surcharges
- License keys are validated online only
- License API rate limit of 60 requests per minute
Reasons to stay with Lemon Squeezy
- Merchant of record: sales tax and VAT are handled for you
- Checkout, file delivery and license keys in one place
- No monthly fee
9 alternatives to Lemon Squeezy
LicenseManager
Our productLicensing service
License keys for desktop apps, created from Stripe payments and validated with one request.
- Free tier
- Up to 100 active licenses
- Paid plans from
- €29 / month
- Fee per sale
- None
- Billed on
- Licenses active in the last 90 days
Best for: Indie developers and small teams selling desktop apps with Stripe, who want licensing without building a backend.
What it does better than Lemon Squeezy:
- Offline validation. Unlike Lemon Squeezy, LicenseManager lets your app check a license offline. Ed25519-signed tokens, checked offline.
- Stripe integration. Unlike Lemon Squeezy, LicenseManager creates licenses from Stripe payments without code. Each Stripe payment or subscription creates a license and emails the key.
Polar
Merchant of record with license keys
An open source merchant of record for developers, with license keys as a benefit.
- Free tier
- No monthly fee, 5% + $0.50 per sale
- Paid plans from
- $20 / month
- Fee per sale
- 3.4% + $0.30 to 5% + $0.50
- Billed on
- Sales only
Best for: Developers selling subscriptions or digital products who want tax handled and an open source platform.
Over Lemon Squeezy:
- Lower or equal cost. Polar costs less than Lemon Squeezy in 8 of 12 scenarios we computed. They cost the same in the 4 others. With 300 licenses sold a month at €99 each: Lemon Squeezy is 25% more expensive than Polar: you'd save €368 per month with Polar.
- SDK coverage. Polar has official SDKs for Python and PHP, which Lemon Squeezy doesn't.
Moonbase
Merchant of record with license keys
A merchant of record with licensing, built for audio plugins and desktop software.
- Free tier
- No monthly fee, 5% + €1 per sale
- Paid plans from
- -
- Fee per sale
- 5% + €1
- Billed on
- Sales only
Best for: Audio plugin makers (JUCE) and desktop developers who want a store and licensing from the EU.
Compared with Lemon Squeezy:
- Offline validation. Moonbase lets your app check a license offline. Lemon Squeezy needs a connection to check a license. Offline activations, counted once per device.
- SDK coverage. Official Moonbase SDKs exist for JUCE, C# (.NET), C++, and Rust, with no Lemon Squeezy equivalent.
Gumroad
Merchant of record with license keys
A store for creators selling digital products, with optional license keys.
- Free tier
- No monthly fee, 10% + $0.50 per sale
- Paid plans from
- -
- Fee per sale
- 10% + $0.50
- Billed on
- Sales only
Best for: Creators selling small apps, plugins or assets, who want the simplest setup.
What it does better than Lemon Squeezy:
- Open source. Gumroad is open source, while Lemon Squeezy is closed source.
LicenseSpring
Licensing service
A software licensing platform with SDKs for desktop, mobile and game engines.
- Free tier
- Up to 100 active licenses
- Paid plans from
- $199 / month
- Fee per sale
- None
- Billed on
- Active licenses
Best for: Companies licensing native or game-engine software, that need floating or air-gapped licensing.
What it does better than Lemon Squeezy:
- Offline validation. LicenseSpring lets your app check a license offline, while Lemon Squeezy needs a connection to check a license. Air-gapped workflows on Enterprise.
- Stripe integration. LicenseSpring creates licenses from Stripe payments without code. Lemon Squeezy has no native Stripe integration.
Keygen
Licensing service
A licensing and distribution API, available as a cloud service or self-hosted.
- Free tier
- Up to 100 active licenses
- Paid plans from
- $99 / month
- Fee per sale
- None
- Billed on
- Licenses active in the last 90 days
Best for: Teams that need advanced licensing models, like floating or metered licenses, or want to self-host.
What it does better than Lemon Squeezy:
- Offline validation. Keygen lets your app check a license offline. Lemon Squeezy needs a connection to check a license.
- No fee per sale. Keygen charges a monthly price and takes nothing on your sales. Lemon Squeezy takes at least 5% + $0.50 on each sale.
Cryptolens
Licensing service
A licensing service from Sweden, now sold under the Devolens brand.
- Free tier
- Up to 10 active licenses
- Paid plans from
- €299 / month
- Fee per sale
- None
- Billed on
- Active licenses
Best for: Companies that need EU data residency, a reseller portal or on-premise license servers.
Compared with Lemon Squeezy:
- Offline validation. Cryptolens lets your app check a license offline. Lemon Squeezy needs a connection to check a license.
- A flat price. Cryptolens charges a monthly price and takes nothing on your sales. Lemon Squeezy takes at least 5% + $0.50 on each sale.
Anystack
Sales, licensing and distribution platform
A platform to sell, license and distribute software, with a checkout on your Stripe account.
- Free tier
- No monthly fee, 15% per sale
- Paid plans from
- $39 / month
- Fee per sale
- 4% to 15%
- Billed on
- Active licenses
Best for: Developers who want checkout, licensing and auto-updates for Electron or PHP packages in one tool.
Over Lemon Squeezy:
- Stripe integration. Anystack creates licenses from Stripe payments without code, while Lemon Squeezy has no native Stripe integration.
- Official SDKs. For Electron, PHP, WordPress, Python, Ruby, and Tauri, Anystack has an official SDK and Lemon Squeezy doesn't.
LimeLM
Licensing service
wyDay's licensing service, built around the TurboActivate and TurboFloat native libraries.
- Free tier
- Up to 10 activations in total
- Paid plans from
- $17 / month
- Fee per sale
- None
- Billed on
- Total activations
Best for: Native Windows, macOS and Linux apps, in languages like C++, C# or Delphi.
Compared with Lemon Squeezy:
- Offline validation. LimeLM lets your app check a license offline. Lemon Squeezy needs a connection to check a license.
- Stripe integration. LimeLM creates licenses from Stripe payments without code, while Lemon Squeezy has no native Stripe integration. Also PayPal, FastSpring, Skrill and authorize.net.
What you'd pay
Enter your license price and monthly sales to compare Lemon Squeezy with every alternative.
Monthly revenue: €9,900.
- Lemon Squeezy is 2.1x more expensive than LicenseManager: you'd save €323 per month with LicenseManager.
Per month, excluding VAT. Assumes one-time purchases and customers using your app for 4 months, with Stripe's fees for the tools that aren't a merchant of record.
Prices at a glance
| Tool | Free tier | Paid plans from | Fee per sale | Billed on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon Squeezy | No monthly fee, 5% + $0.50 per sale | - | 5% + $0.50 | Sales only |
| LicenseManager | Up to 100 active licenses | €29 / month | None | Licenses active in the last 90 days |
| Polar | No monthly fee, 5% + $0.50 per sale | $20 / month | 3.4% + $0.30 to 5% + $0.50 | Sales only |
| Moonbase | No monthly fee, 5% + €1 per sale | - | 5% + €1 | Sales only |
| Gumroad | No monthly fee, 10% + $0.50 per sale | - | 10% + $0.50 | Sales only |
| LicenseSpring | Up to 100 active licenses | $199 / month | None | Active licenses |
| Keygen | Up to 100 active licenses | $99 / month | None | Licenses active in the last 90 days |
| Cryptolens | Up to 10 active licenses | €299 / month | None | Active licenses |
| Anystack | No monthly fee, 15% per sale | $39 / month | 4% to 15% | Active licenses |
| LimeLM | Up to 10 activations in total | $17 / month | None | Total activations |
Feature comparison
Lemon Squeezy next to its 4 closest alternatives.
| Feature | Lemon Squeezy | LicenseManager | Polar | Moonbase | Gumroad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offline validationThe app can check a license without reaching the vendor's servers, usually with a signed file or token. | NoThe License API validates online | YesEd25519-signed tokens, checked offline | NoKeys are validated with an API call | YesOffline activations, counted once per device | NoKeys are verified with an API call |
| Machine activation limitsA license can be limited to a number of devices, enforced by the service. | YesActivation limit per product variant | Yes | YesOptional activation limits | Yes | NoThe verify API returns a uses count, your app enforces the limit |
| TrialsTime-limited licenses to let users try the app. | YesFree trials on subscriptions | Yes | Yes | Yes | YesFree trials on memberships |
| Perpetual licensesLicenses that never expire. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Updates for a limited timeCustomers keep the versions released while their license was valid, after it ends. | Not documented | YesCustomers keep the last version released in their period | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Customer portalA page where customers find their keys and manage their devices on their own. | Yes | YesCustomers find their keys, free machines, cancel for a refund and manage their subscription | Yes | YesCustomers manage activations and downloads | YesCustomers find their purchases in their library |
| Money back guaranteeCustomers cancel a license on their own during a set period: it stops working and their payment is refunded. | Not documented | YesSet in days on each offer, refunded through your Stripe account | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Subscription licensesLicenses that renew with each recurring payment and stop when the subscription ends, without code on your side. | YesKeys stay active while the subscription is, and expire with it | YesRecurring Stripe prices, valid while paid, every update included | YesLicense keys revoked when the subscription ends | YesRecurring price variations, with a grace period on failed payments | NoThe verify API returns the membership's status: your app enforces it |
| Stripe integrationLicenses are created from Stripe payments with no code on your side. | NoPayments are processed by Lemon Squeezy | YesEach Stripe payment or subscription creates a license and emails the key | NoPayments are processed by Polar | NoPayments are processed by Moonbase | No |
| Merchant of recordThe vendor sells on your behalf and handles sales tax and VAT for you. | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in checkoutA hosted checkout page sold with the tool. | Yes | NoUses your Stripe checkout or payment links | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AnalyticsDashboards of licenses, usage or revenue. | Yes | YesActive machines, versions, platforms, revenue, MRR and churn | Yes | Not documented | Yes |
| Test modeA separate environment or sandbox to build the integration. | Yes | Yes | YesSandbox environment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Audit logA history of what happened to each license. | Not documented | YesEvents on every license | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| File hosting and downloadsThe vendor hosts your installers or packages. | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outgoing webhooksYour server is notified of license events. | Yes | No | Yes | Not documented | YesPing notifications |
| Floating licensesA pool of seats shared by several machines, checked out and released. | No | No | No | Not documented | No |
| Usage meteringLicenses that count consumption, like API credits. | Yes | No | YesUsage quotas on license keys | No | No |
| SSO for your teamSign in to the dashboard with SAML or another identity provider. | Not documented | No | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Self-hostingRun the licensing server on your own infrastructure. | No | No | Not documented | No | No |
| Open sourceThe service's source code is public. | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
About this list
Other alternatives
- Lemon Squeezy vs LicenseManager
- Best Keygen alternatives in 2026
- Best LicenseSpring alternatives in 2026
- Best Cryptolens alternatives in 2026
- Best LimeLM alternatives in 2026
- Best Polar alternatives in 2026
- Best Gumroad alternatives in 2026
- Best Moonbase alternatives in 2026
- Best Anystack alternatives in 2026
See if LicenseManager fits your app
The Free plan includes every feature, for up to 100 active licenses. No credit card needed.