LicenseManagerComparison
Keygen vs Cryptolens
How do Keygen and Cryptolens differ? A factual comparison of their features, SDKs and pricing.
This page is written by the team behind LicenseManager, an alternative to both. Prices and features come from each vendor's public pricing page and documentation, checked on 2026-10-25. Report an error.
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.
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.
Price comparison
Enter your price and monthly sales to compare Keygen, Cryptolens and LicenseManager.
€2,450 in monthly sales.
- You'd save €214 per month with Keygen. Cryptolens is 2.4x more expensive.
- You'd save €56.14 per month with LicenseManager. Keygen is 56% more expensive.
- Cryptolens is 3.7x more expensive than LicenseManager: you'd save €270 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.
Keygen's advantages
Cheaper at every volume we tested
Keygen is cheaper than Cryptolens in each of the 12 scenarios we computed. For example, with 10 sales a month at €19: Cryptolens is 43.6x more expensive than Keygen, a difference of €299 per month.
Larger free plan
Keygen's free plan allows 100 active licenses, Cryptolens's 10 active licenses.
Open source
Unlike Cryptolens, Keygen is open source.
Cheaper first paid plan
Keygen's paid plans start at $99 per month, Cryptolens's at €299.
When to choose Cryptolens
SDK coverage
Official Cryptolens SDKs exist for C# (.NET), Python, Java, JavaScript, and C++, with no Keygen equivalent.
Subscription licenses
Cryptolens keeps licenses valid while a subscription is paid, and stops them when it ends. Keygen leaves renewing licenses with subscription payments to your own code. Recurring billing module, extends licenses on each Stripe payment.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Keygen | Cryptolens |
|---|---|---|
| Offline validationThe app can check a license without reaching the vendor's servers, usually with a signed file or token. | Yes | Yes |
| Machine activation limitsA license can be limited to a number of devices, enforced by the service. | Yes | Yes |
| TrialsTime-limited licenses to let users try the app. | Yes | Yes |
| Perpetual licensesLicenses that never expire. | Yes | Yes |
| Updates for a limited timeCustomers keep the versions released while their license was valid, after it ends. | Yes | Not documented |
| Customer portalA page where customers find their keys and manage their devices on their own. | Not documented | Yes |
| Subscription licensesLicenses that renew with each recurring payment and stop when the subscription ends, without code on your side. | NoYou renew and suspend licenses from your own Stripe webhook handler, or Zapier | YesRecurring billing module, extends licenses on each Stripe payment |
| Stripe integrationLicenses are created from Stripe payments with no code on your side. | NoThrough Zapier, or your own webhook handler | Not documented |
| Merchant of recordThe vendor sells on your behalf and handles sales tax and VAT for you. | No | No |
| Built-in checkoutA hosted checkout page sold with the tool. | No | No |
| AnalyticsDashboards of licenses, usage or revenue. | Yes | Not documented |
| Test modeA separate environment or sandbox to build the integration. | YesCustom environments | Not documented |
| Audit logA history of what happened to each license. | Yes | Not documented |
| File hosting and downloadsThe vendor hosts your installers or packages. | YesDocker, npm, RubyGems, PyPI, Tauri, Electron and binaries | Not documented |
| Outgoing webhooksYour server is notified of license events. | Yes | Not documented |
| Floating licensesA pool of seats shared by several machines, checked out and released. | Yes | Yes |
| Usage meteringLicenses that count consumption, like API credits. | Yes | Yes |
| SSO for your teamSign in to the dashboard with SAML or another identity provider. | YesSAML on Ent tiers | YesSAML and SCIM on Enterprise |
| Self-hostingRun the licensing server on your own infrastructure. | YesKeygen CE (free) and Keygen EE (paid) | YesLicense Server add-on, for offline environments |
| Open sourceThe service's source code is public. | Yes | No |
SDKs and languages
| Technology | Keygen | Cryptolens |
|---|---|---|
| JavaScript | REST API | Node.js SDKLicensing SDK |
| Python | REST API | Python SDKLicensing SDK |
| Go | keygen-goLicensing SDK | Go SDKLicensing SDK |
| Java | REST API | Java SDKLicensing SDK |
| C# (.NET) | REST API | .NET SDKLicensing SDK |
| C++ | REST API | C++ SDKLicensing SDK |
| REST APIUsable from any language | Yes | Yes |
Plans and limits
Keygen
| Plan | Per month | Active licenses (last 90 days) | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dev | $0 | 100 | 1 |
| Std 1 | $99 | 1,000 | 5 |
| Std 2 | $299 | 10,000 | Unlimited |
| Std 3 | $599 | 25,000 | Unlimited |
| Std 4 | $999 | 100,000 | Unlimited |
| Std 5 | $1,999 | 250,000 | Unlimited |
| Ent 1 | $2,999 | 250,000 | Unlimited |
| Ent 2 | $6,999 | 500,000 | Unlimited |
| Ent 3 | $9,999 | 1,000,000 | Unlimited |
- Active licensed users are licenses with API activity in the last 90 days.
- Paid tiers have soft limits.
- Keygen CE can be self-hosted for free, Keygen EE under a paid license.
- Whitelabel API domain: $995 per year per domain.
Cryptolens
| Plan | Per month | Active licenses | API requests / month | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | 10 | - | Unlimited |
| Business | €299 | 5,000 | 250,000 | Unlimited |
| Scale | €699 | 10,000 | 1,000,000 | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited | - |
- Data is stored in the EU on every plan.
- License Server, Reseller Portal and Migration Support are paid add-ons.
Verdict
Keygen is a good fit for teams that need advanced licensing models, like floating or metered licenses, or want to self-host. Cryptolens is a good fit for companies that need EU data residency, a reseller portal or on-premise license servers. In 12 of 12 price scenarios, Keygen costs less than Cryptolens.
In short, Keygen stands out for cheaper at every volume we tested, larger free plan, and open source.
An alternative to Keygen and Cryptolens
With 50 sales a month at €49, LicenseManager costs €99.69 per month, card processing included: less than both.
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.
Stripe integration
LicenseManager creates licenses from Stripe payments without code, while Keygen has no native Stripe integration. Each Stripe payment or subscription creates a license and emails the key.
Lower or equal cost
In 9 of 12 scenarios we computed, LicenseManager is the cheaper one. They cost the same in the 3 others. For example, with 30 licenses sold a month at €19 each: Keygen is 2.1x more expensive than LicenseManager, a difference of €56.14 per month.
More SDKs
Official LicenseManager SDKs exist for Electron, Tauri, Swift, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Java, C# (.NET), and PHP, with no Keygen equivalent.
Subscription licenses
Unlike Keygen, LicenseManager keeps licenses valid while a subscription is paid, and stops them when it ends. Recurring Stripe prices, valid while paid, every update included.
Other comparisons
See if LicenseManager fits your app
Up to 100 active licenses for free, every feature included, no credit card.