LicenseManager2026 guide
Best Moonbase alternatives in 2026
What else is there besides Moonbase? 9 license management tools, with what they do better and what they cost.
We build LicenseManager, listed first. The others are ranked by how close they are to Moonbase. Prices and features come from each vendor's public pricing page and documentation, checked on 2026-10-25. Report an error.
What may not fit with Moonbase
- 5% + €1 per sale, plus surcharges
- License validations over 10,000 per month are billed
When Moonbase is still a good choice
- Merchant of record: VAT and sales tax are handled for you
- JUCE module for audio plugins
- Offline activations
- No subscription, setup fee or minimum
The alternatives
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 Moonbase:
- Cheaper at every volume we tested. LicenseManager is cheaper than Moonbase in each of the 12 scenarios we computed. When 10 licenses sold a month at €19 each: Moonbase is 2.9x more expensive than LicenseManager, a difference of €13.44 per month.
- Stripe integration. LicenseManager creates licenses from Stripe payments without code, while Moonbase has no native Stripe integration. Each Stripe payment or subscription creates a license and emails the key.
Lemon Squeezy
Merchant of record with license keys
A merchant of record for digital products, with license keys included.
- Free tier
- No monthly fee, 5% + $0.50 per sale
- Paid plans from
- -
- Fee per sale
- 5% + $0.50
- Billed on
- Sales only
Best for: Sellers who want tax handled for them and only need basic license keys.
Compared with Moonbase:
- Lower cost. Lemon Squeezy costs less than Moonbase in all 12 scenarios we computed. When 300 sales a month at €19: you'd save €167 per month with Lemon Squeezy. Moonbase is 37% more expensive.
- Usage metering. Lemon Squeezy supports usage metering, while Moonbase has no usage metering.
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.
What it does better than Moonbase:
- Lower price. In every one of the 12 scenarios we computed, Polar costs less than Moonbase. When 300 licenses sold per month at €19: you'd save €244 per month with Polar. Moonbase is 64% more expensive.
- More SDKs. For Python and PHP, Polar has an official SDK and Moonbase doesn't.
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.
Over Moonbase:
- Stripe integration. Unlike Moonbase, LicenseSpring creates licenses from Stripe payments without code.
- No cut of your sales. LicenseSpring charges a monthly price and takes nothing on your sales. Moonbase takes at least 5% + €1 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.
What it does better than Moonbase:
- A flat price. With Cryptolens, a higher license price doesn't mean higher fees. Moonbase takes at least 5% + €1 per sale.
- Official SDKs. Cryptolens has official SDKs for Python, Java, and Go, which Moonbase doesn't.
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 Moonbase:
- Open source. Unlike Moonbase, Gumroad is open source.
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.
What it does better than Moonbase:
- Stripe integration. Unlike Moonbase, LimeLM creates licenses from Stripe payments without code. Also PayPal, FastSpring, Skrill and authorize.net.
- A flat price. With LimeLM, a higher license price doesn't mean higher fees. Moonbase takes at least 5% + €1 per sale.
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.
Compared with Moonbase:
- No fee per sale. Moonbase takes at least 5% + €1 per sale, Keygen takes none: your cost doesn't grow with your price.
- Self-hosting. Keygen can be self-hosted. Moonbase is cloud only. Keygen CE (free) and Keygen EE (paid).
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.
Compared with Moonbase:
- Stripe integration. Anystack creates licenses from Stripe payments without code, while Moonbase has no native Stripe integration.
- More SDKs. Official Anystack SDKs exist for Electron, PHP, WordPress, Python, Ruby, and Tauri, with no Moonbase equivalent.
Compare the cost
Monthly cost of Moonbase and its alternatives for your sales, with the cheapest plan that fits.
Monthly revenue: €9,900.
- Moonbase is 2.2x more expensive than LicenseManager, a difference of €355 per month.
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.
Pricing compared
| Tool | Free tier | Paid plans from | Fee per sale | Billed on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonbase | No monthly fee, 5% + €1 per sale | - | 5% + €1 | Sales only |
| LicenseManager | Up to 100 active licenses | €29 / month | None | Licenses active in the last 90 days |
| Lemon Squeezy | No monthly fee, 5% + $0.50 per sale | - | 5% + $0.50 | Sales only |
| Polar | No monthly fee, 5% + $0.50 per sale | $20 / month | 3.4% + $0.30 to 5% + $0.50 | Sales only |
| LicenseSpring | Up to 100 active licenses | $199 / month | None | Active licenses |
| Cryptolens | Up to 10 active licenses | €299 / month | None | Active licenses |
| Gumroad | No monthly fee, 10% + $0.50 per sale | - | 10% + $0.50 | Sales only |
| LimeLM | Up to 10 activations in total | $17 / month | None | Total activations |
| Keygen | Up to 100 active licenses | $99 / month | None | Licenses active in the last 90 days |
| Anystack | No monthly fee, 15% per sale | $39 / month | 4% to 15% | Active licenses |
Feature by feature
Moonbase and the 4 closest alternatives.
| Feature | Moonbase | LicenseManager | Lemon Squeezy | Polar | LicenseSpring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offline validationThe app can check a license without reaching the vendor's servers, usually with a signed file or token. | YesOffline activations, counted once per device | YesEd25519-signed tokens, checked offline | NoThe License API validates online | NoKeys are validated with an API call | YesAir-gapped workflows on Enterprise |
| Machine activation limitsA license can be limited to a number of devices, enforced by the service. | Yes | Yes | YesActivation limit per product variant | YesOptional activation limits | Yes |
| TrialsTime-limited licenses to let users try the app. | Yes | Yes | YesFree trials on subscriptions | Yes | Yes |
| 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. | YesCustomers manage activations and downloads | YesCustomers find their keys, free machines, cancel for a refund and manage their subscription | Yes | Yes | YesUser portal |
| 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. | YesRecurring price variations, with a grace period on failed payments | YesRecurring Stripe prices, valid while paid, every update included | YesKeys stay active while the subscription is, and expire with it | YesLicense keys revoked when the subscription ends | YesRecurring Stripe prices create subscription licenses |
| Stripe integrationLicenses are created from Stripe payments with no code on your side. | NoPayments are processed by Moonbase | YesEach Stripe payment or subscription creates a license and emails the key | NoPayments are processed by Lemon Squeezy | NoPayments are processed by Polar | Yes |
| Merchant of recordThe vendor sells on your behalf and handles sales tax and VAT for you. | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Built-in checkoutA hosted checkout page sold with the tool. | Yes | NoUses your Stripe checkout or payment links | Yes | Yes | No |
| AnalyticsDashboards of licenses, usage or revenue. | Not documented | YesActive machines, versions, platforms, revenue, MRR and churn | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Test modeA separate environment or sandbox to build the integration. | Not documented | Yes | Yes | YesSandbox environment | YesDev environments |
| Audit logA history of what happened to each license. | Not documented | YesEvents on every license | Not documented | Not documented | YesFrom Business Plus |
| File hosting and downloadsThe vendor hosts your installers or packages. | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| Outgoing webhooksYour server is notified of license events. | Not documented | No | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| Floating licensesA pool of seats shared by several machines, checked out and released. | Not documented | No | No | No | YesCloud and on-premise floating server |
| Usage meteringLicenses that count consumption, like API credits. | No | No | Yes | YesUsage quotas on license keys | YesFrom Business Plus |
| SSO for your teamSign in to the dashboard with SAML or another identity provider. | Not documented | No | Not documented | Not documented | Yes |
| Self-hostingRun the licensing server on your own infrastructure. | No | No | No | Not documented | No |
| Open sourceThe service's source code is public. | No | No | No | Yes | No |
About this list
Other alternatives
- Moonbase vs LicenseManager
- Best Keygen alternatives in 2026
- Best LicenseSpring alternatives in 2026
- Best Cryptolens alternatives in 2026
- Best LimeLM alternatives in 2026
- Best Lemon Squeezy alternatives in 2026
- Best Polar alternatives in 2026
- Best Gumroad alternatives in 2026
- Best Anystack alternatives in 2026
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