LicenseManagerComparison
Polar vs LicenseManager
A side-by-side look at Polar 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.
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 you'd pay
Enter your price and monthly sales to see the monthly cost of each tool, with the cheapest plan that fits.
Monthly revenue: €9,900.
- With LicenseManager, you'd pay €213 less per month: Polar is 74% 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.
What LicenseManager does differently
Offline validation
Unlike Polar, LicenseManager lets your app check a license offline. Ed25519-signed tokens, checked offline.
Stripe integration
LicenseManager creates licenses from Stripe payments without code, while Polar has no native Stripe integration. Each Stripe payment or subscription creates a license and emails the key.
No cut of your sales
Polar takes at least 3.4% + $0.30 per sale, LicenseManager takes none: your cost doesn't grow with your price.
Official SDKs
Official LicenseManager SDKs exist for Electron, Tauri, Swift, Go, Ruby, Java, and C# (.NET), with no Polar equivalent.
Lower cost in most cases
LicenseManager costs less than Polar in 11 of 12 scenarios we computed. For example, with 10 licenses sold a month at €99 each: you'd save €35.21 per month with LicenseManager. Polar is 2.4x more expensive.
Free to start
LicenseManager has a free plan with no fee on sales, up to 100 active licenses. Polar has no free tier without fees.
What Polar does well
Merchant of record
Unlike LicenseManager, Polar is the merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT.
Built-in checkout
Polar includes a hosted checkout, while LicenseManager has no checkout of its own.
File hosting and downloads
Unlike LicenseManager, Polar hosts your installers and downloads.
More features
Polar also has outgoing webhooks, usage metering, and open source, which LicenseManager doesn't.
Lower cost in some cases
In 1 of 12 scenarios we computed, Polar is the cheaper one. When 30 sales a month at €19: LicenseManager is 10% more expensive than Polar: you'd save €4.36 per month with Polar.
Cheaper first paid plan
The first paid plan is $20 per month on Polar, and €29 on LicenseManager.
Features compared
Features the vendor doesn't document are marked as such, not as missing.
| Feature | LicenseManager | Polar |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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. | YesCustomers keep the last version released in their period | Not documented |
| 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 | Yes |
| 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 | YesLicense keys revoked when the subscription ends |
| 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 | 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. | NoUses your Stripe checkout or payment links | Yes |
| 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 | YesSandbox environment |
| Audit logA history of what happened to each license. | YesEvents on every license | Not documented |
| File hosting and downloadsThe vendor hosts your installers or packages. | No | Yes |
| Outgoing webhooksYour server is notified of license events. | No | Yes |
| Floating licensesA pool of seats shared by several machines, checked out and released. | No | No |
| Usage meteringLicenses that count consumption, like API credits. | No | YesUsage quotas on license keys |
| SSO for your teamSign in to the dashboard with SAML or another identity provider. | No | Not documented |
| Self-hostingRun the licensing server on your own infrastructure. | No | Not documented |
| Open sourceThe service's source code is public. | No | Yes |
Supported languages
A licensing SDK runs in your app and validates for you. An API client is a typed wrapper of the REST API.
| Technology | LicenseManager | Polar |
|---|---|---|
| Electron | @licenseman/electronLicensing SDK | Through @polar-sh/sdk |
| JavaScript | TypeScript SDKAPI client | @polar-sh/sdkAPI client |
| Python | Python SDKAPI client | polar-sdkAPI client |
| Go | Go SDKAPI client | REST API |
| Java | Java SDKAPI client | REST API |
| C# (.NET) | C# SDKAPI client | REST API |
| PHP | PHP SDKAPI client | polar-sh/sdkAPI client |
| 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 | YesWith an OpenAPI document |
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.
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.
Which one to choose
Choose LicenseManager for indie developers and small teams selling desktop apps with Stripe, who want licensing without building a backend. Choose Polar for developers selling subscriptions or digital products who want tax handled and an open source platform. In 11 of 12 price scenarios, LicenseManager costs less than Polar.
What sets LicenseManager apart here: offline validation, Stripe integration, and no cut of your sales.
Other comparisons
Start with LicenseManager's free plan
Up to 100 active licenses for free, every feature included, no credit card.