LicenseManagerSide by side
Keygen vs Polar
Choosing between Keygen and Polar? Here's what each one offers and what it costs.
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.
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.
Price comparison
Enter your price and monthly sales to compare Keygen, Polar and LicenseManager.
Monthly revenue: €2,450.
- You'd save €9.95 per month with Polar. Keygen is 7% more expensive.
- You'd save €56.14 per month with LicenseManager. Keygen is 56% more expensive.
- You'd save €46.19 per month with LicenseManager. Polar is 46% more expensive.
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.
When to choose Keygen
Offline validation
Keygen lets your app check a license offline. Polar needs a connection to check a license.
No fee per sale
Polar takes at least 3.4% + $0.30 per sale, Keygen takes none: your cost doesn't grow with your price.
Floating licenses
Keygen supports floating licenses, while Polar has no floating licenses.
Lower cost in most cases
In 7 of 12 scenarios we computed, Keygen is the cheaper one. With 10 licenses sold per month at €99: Polar is 2.4x more expensive than Keygen, a difference of €35.21 per month.
Free tier
You can start on Keygen's free plan, for up to 100 active licenses, with no cut of your sales. Polar charges on every sale or every month.
SDK coverage
Keygen has official SDKs for Go, which Polar doesn't.
Where Polar fits better
Merchant of record
Polar is the merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT, while Keygen leaves sales tax and VAT to you.
More SDKs
Polar has official SDKs for JavaScript, Python, and PHP, which Keygen doesn't.
Subscription licenses
Unlike Keygen, Polar keeps licenses valid while a subscription is paid, and stops them when it ends. License keys revoked when the subscription ends.
Built-in checkout
Polar includes a hosted checkout. Keygen has no checkout of its own.
Lower cost in some cases
In 4 of 12 scenarios we computed, Polar is the cheaper one. With 30 licenses sold a month at €19 each: Keygen is 2.3x more expensive than Polar: you'd save €60.50 per month with Polar.
Lower entry price
The first paid plan is $20 per month on Polar, and $99 on Keygen.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Keygen | Polar |
|---|---|---|
| Offline validationThe app can check a license without reaching the vendor's servers, usually with a signed file or token. | Yes | NoKeys are validated with an API call |
| Machine activation limitsA license can be limited to a number of devices, enforced by the service. | Yes | YesOptional activation limits |
| 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 | YesLicense keys revoked when the subscription ends |
| Stripe integrationLicenses are created from Stripe payments with no code on your side. | NoThrough Zapier, or your own webhook handler | NoPayments are processed by Polar |
| Merchant of recordThe vendor sells on your behalf and handles sales tax and VAT for you. | No | Yes |
| Built-in checkoutA hosted checkout page sold with the tool. | No | Yes |
| AnalyticsDashboards of licenses, usage or revenue. | Yes | Yes |
| Test modeA separate environment or sandbox to build the integration. | YesCustom environments | YesSandbox environment |
| 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 | Yes |
| Outgoing webhooksYour server is notified of license events. | Yes | Yes |
| Floating licensesA pool of seats shared by several machines, checked out and released. | Yes | No |
| Usage meteringLicenses that count consumption, like API credits. | Yes | YesUsage quotas on license keys |
| 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 | Yes |
SDKs and languages
| Technology | Keygen | Polar |
|---|---|---|
| JavaScript | REST API | @polar-sh/sdkAPI client |
| Python | REST API | polar-sdkAPI client |
| Go | keygen-goLicensing SDK | REST API |
| PHP | REST API | polar-sh/sdkAPI client |
| REST APIUsable from any language | Yes | YesWith an OpenAPI document |
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.
Polar
| Plan | Per month | Fee per sale |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | 5% + $0.50 |
| Pro | $20 | 3.8% + $0.40 |
| Growth | $100 | 3.6% + $0.35 |
| Scale | $400 | 3.4% + $0.30 |
- +1.5% for cards issued outside the US.
- Payouts: $2 per month of active payouts, plus 0.25% + $0.25 per payout.
- $15 per dispute.
Verdict
Keygen suits teams that need advanced licensing models, like floating or metered licenses, or want to self-host. Choose Polar for developers selling subscriptions or digital products who want tax handled and an open source platform. In 7 of 12 price scenarios, Keygen costs less than Polar, and the same in 1.
In short, Keygen stands out for offline validation, no fee per sale, and floating licenses.
An alternative to Keygen and Polar
At 50 sales a month at €49, LicenseManager costs €99.69 per month, below Keygen and Polar.
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
Unlike Keygen, LicenseManager creates licenses from Stripe payments without code. Each Stripe payment or subscription creates a license and emails the key.
More SDKs
For Electron, Tauri, Swift, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Java, C# (.NET), and PHP, LicenseManager has an official SDK and Keygen doesn't.
See also
Start with LicenseManager's free plan
Up to 100 active licenses for free, every feature included, no credit card.