LicenseManagerKeygen alternative
Keygen vs LicenseManager
A side-by-side look at Keygen and LicenseManager: what each one does, which SDKs they ship, and what they cost at your volume.
LicenseManager is our product. Prices and features come from each vendor's public pricing page and documentation, checked on 2026-10-25. Report an error.
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.
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.
Price comparison
Set your license price and your sales: the cost of Keygen and LicenseManager is computed from their public plans.
€570 in monthly sales.
- Keygen is 2.1x more expensive than LicenseManager, a difference of €56.14 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.
Where LicenseManager fits better
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.
Never more expensive
In 9 of 12 scenarios we computed, LicenseManager is the cheaper one. They cost the same in the 3 others. When 30 licenses sold per month at €19: with LicenseManager, you'd pay €56.14 less per month: Keygen is 2.1x more expensive.
SDK coverage
Official LicenseManager SDKs exist for Electron, Tauri, Swift, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Java, C# (.NET), and PHP, with no Keygen equivalent.
Subscription licenses
LicenseManager keeps licenses valid while a subscription is paid, and stops them when it ends, while Keygen leaves renewing licenses with subscription payments to your own code. Recurring Stripe prices, valid while paid, every update included.
Lower entry price
LicenseManager's paid plans start at €29 per month, Keygen's at $99.
What Keygen does well
File hosting and downloads
Keygen hosts your installers and downloads. LicenseManager doesn't host your files. Docker, npm, RubyGems, PyPI, Tauri, Electron and binaries.
Floating licenses
Unlike LicenseManager, Keygen supports floating licenses.
Self-hosting
Unlike LicenseManager, Keygen can be self-hosted. Keygen CE (free) and Keygen EE (paid).
Other features
Unlike LicenseManager, Keygen also offers outgoing webhooks, usage metering, sso for your team, and open source.
Features compared
Features the vendor doesn't document are marked as such, not as missing.
| Feature | LicenseManager | Keygen |
|---|---|---|
| Offline validationThe app can check a license without reaching the vendor's servers, usually with a signed file or token. | YesEd25519-signed tokens, checked offline | 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. | YesCustomers keep the last version released in their period | Yes |
| Customer portalA page where customers find their keys and manage their devices on their own. | YesCustomers find their keys, free machines, cancel for a refund and manage their subscription | Not documented |
| Money back guaranteeCustomers cancel a license on their own during a set period: it stops working and their payment is refunded. | YesSet in days on each offer, refunded through your Stripe account | Not documented |
| Subscription licensesLicenses that renew with each recurring payment and stop when the subscription ends, without code on your side. | YesRecurring Stripe prices, valid while paid, every update included | NoYou renew and suspend licenses from your own Stripe webhook handler, or Zapier |
| Stripe integrationLicenses are created from Stripe payments with no code on your side. | YesEach Stripe payment or subscription creates a license and emails the key | NoThrough Zapier, or your own webhook handler |
| 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. | NoUses your Stripe checkout or payment links | No |
| AnalyticsDashboards of licenses, usage or revenue. | YesActive machines, versions, platforms, revenue, MRR and churn | Yes |
| Test modeA separate environment or sandbox to build the integration. | Yes | YesCustom environments |
| Audit logA history of what happened to each license. | YesEvents on every license | Yes |
| File hosting and downloadsThe vendor hosts your installers or packages. | No | YesDocker, npm, RubyGems, PyPI, Tauri, Electron and binaries |
| Outgoing webhooksYour server is notified of license events. | No | Yes |
| Floating licensesA pool of seats shared by several machines, checked out and released. | No | Yes |
| Usage meteringLicenses that count consumption, like API credits. | No | Yes |
| SSO for your teamSign in to the dashboard with SAML or another identity provider. | No | YesSAML on Ent tiers |
| Self-hostingRun the licensing server on your own infrastructure. | No | YesKeygen CE (free) and Keygen EE (paid) |
| Open sourceThe service's source code is public. | No | Yes |
SDKs compared
Licensing SDKs handle validation in your app. API clients wrap the REST API.
| Technology | LicenseManager | Keygen |
|---|---|---|
| Electron | @licenseman/electronLicensing SDK | REST API |
| JavaScript | TypeScript SDKAPI client | REST API |
| Python | Python SDKAPI client | REST API |
| Go | Go SDKAPI client | keygen-goLicensing SDK |
| Java | Java SDKAPI client | REST API |
| C# (.NET) | C# SDKAPI client | REST API |
| PHP | PHP SDKAPI client | REST API |
| Ruby | Ruby SDKAPI client | REST API |
| Swift | licensemanager-swiftLicensing SDK | REST API |
| Tauri | tauri-plugin-licensemanagerLicensing SDK | REST API |
| REST APIUsable from any language | YesWith an OpenAPI document | Yes |
Pricing plans
LicenseManager
| Plan | Per month | Active licenses (last 90 days) | API requests / month | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | 100 | 10,000 | 3 |
| Startup | €29 | 1,000 | 100,000 | 10 |
| Standard | €99 | 5,000 | 1,000,000 | Unlimited |
| Custom | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited | - |
- Every feature is on every plan, plans only differ by their limits.
- No fee on sales: payments go to your own Stripe account.
- Over a limit, a 7-day grace period starts and the app keeps working.
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.
Summary
LicenseManager suits indie developers and small teams selling desktop apps with Stripe, who want licensing without building a backend. Keygen suits teams that need advanced licensing models, like floating or metered licenses, or want to self-host. On price, LicenseManager is the cheaper one in 9 of the 12 scenarios we computed, and they cost the same in 3.
In short, LicenseManager stands out for Stripe integration, never more expensive, and SDK coverage.
See also
Try LicenseManager for free
The Free plan includes every feature, for up to 100 active licenses. No credit card needed.