LicenseManagerCompare
Keygen vs LimeLM
Keygen and LimeLM compared on features, SDKs and price, from their public pages.
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.
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 you'd pay
Enter your price and monthly sales to compare Keygen, LimeLM and LicenseManager.
Monthly revenue: €2,450.
- With LimeLM, you'd pay €44.72 less per month: Keygen is 40% more expensive.
- You'd save €56.14 per month with LicenseManager. Keygen is 56% more expensive.
- LimeLM is 11% more expensive than LicenseManager, a difference of €11.42 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.
Keygen's advantages
More room on the free plan
On the free plans, Keygen allows 100 active licenses and LimeLM 10 activations.
Inactive customers are free
A customer who stopped using your app stops counting on Keygen after 90 days. On LimeLM, every activation counts toward the plan.
Also included
Keygen also has usage metering and open source, which LimeLM doesn't.
Lower cost in some cases
Keygen costs less than LimeLM in 3 of 12 scenarios we computed. For example, with 10 licenses sold per month at €19: LimeLM is 3.1x more expensive than Keygen: you'd save €14.62 per month with Keygen.
LimeLM's advantages
Stripe integration
LimeLM creates licenses from Stripe payments without code. Keygen has no native Stripe integration. Also PayPal, FastSpring, Skrill and authorize.net.
More SDKs
LimeLM has official SDKs for C++, C# (.NET), Java, Python, Delphi, JavaScript, and Electron, which Keygen doesn't.
Cheaper at most volumes
LimeLM costs less than Keygen in 9 of 12 scenarios we computed. With 30 licenses sold per month at €19: with LimeLM, you'd pay €44.72 less per month: Keygen is 73% more expensive.
Lower entry price
LimeLM's paid plans start at $17 per month, Keygen's at $99.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Keygen | LimeLM |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | YesVerified trials |
| 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 |
| 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 | NoYou update an expiration field from your payment processor |
| Stripe integrationLicenses are created from Stripe payments with no code on your side. | NoThrough Zapier, or your own webhook handler | YesAlso PayPal, FastSpring, Skrill and authorize.net |
| 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 | YesFrom the Plus plan, trials only below |
| Usage meteringLicenses that count consumption, like API credits. | Yes | No |
| SSO for your teamSign in to the dashboard with SAML or another identity provider. | YesSAML on Ent tiers | Not documented |
| Self-hostingRun the licensing server on your own infrastructure. | YesKeygen CE (free) and Keygen EE (paid) | Not documented |
| Open sourceThe service's source code is public. | Yes | No |
Supported languages
| Technology | Keygen | LimeLM |
|---|---|---|
| Electron | REST API | TurboActivate (Node.js / Electron)Licensing SDK |
| JavaScript | REST API | TurboActivate (Node.js)Licensing SDK |
| Python | REST API | TurboActivate (Python)Licensing SDK |
| Go | keygen-goLicensing SDK | TurboActivate (Go)Licensing SDK |
| Java | REST API | TurboActivate (Java)Licensing SDK |
| C# (.NET) | REST API | TurboActivate (C#)Licensing SDK |
| C++ | REST API | TurboActivate (C/C++)Licensing SDK |
| Delphi | REST API | TurboActivate (Delphi)Licensing SDK |
| REST APIUsable from any language | Yes | Yes |
Pricing plans
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.
LimeLM
| Plan | Per month | Total activations | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10 | 1 |
| Solo | $17 | 300 | 1 |
| Basic | $47 | 1,200 | 3 |
| Plus | $81 | 3,000 | 4 |
| Plus-Plus | $165 | 10,000 | 5 |
| Premium | $249 | 30,000 | 6 |
| Max | $599 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
- Plans limit the total number of activations, not monthly activations.
- Floating licenses are limited to trials below the Plus plan.
- Paid plans have a 30-day free trial when you sign up for them directly.
Summary
Choose Keygen for teams that need advanced licensing models, like floating or metered licenses, or want to self-host. LimeLM suits native Windows, macOS and Linux apps, in languages like C++, C# or Delphi. In 9 of 12 price scenarios, LimeLM costs less than Keygen.
The main reasons to pick Keygen: more room on the free plan, inactive customers are free, and also included.
An alternative to Keygen and LimeLM
At 50 sales a month at €49, LicenseManager costs €99.69 per month, below Keygen and LimeLM.
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.
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.
Other comparisons
Start with LicenseManager's free plan
The Free plan includes every feature, for up to 100 active licenses. No credit card needed.