Aviationstack is a scalable REST API for real-time flight tracking, historical flight data, airport info, and global aviation data.
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About Keygen
What is Keygen?
Keygen is a Fair Source software licensing and distribution API built for developers, by developers. It provides a ready-to-go solution for managing software licenses, entitlements, device activations, and distribution — eliminating the need to build and maintain in-house licensing infrastructure.
Who is it for?
Keygen is ideal for SaaS and desktop app developers who want to focus on their product rather than critical licensing infrastructure. It is not a general-purpose billing or subscription management platform; it specializes in license creation, validation, and enforcement for software products.
Real use cases
Developers use Keygen to issue trial, timed, perpetual, node-locked, floating, and metered licenses. It supports offline license validation, device management, and entitlement consumption tracking. Distribution API engines cover OCI/Docker, npm, Rubygems, Tauri, PyPI, and binaries — making it suitable for open-source and commercial software distribution alike.
Key features
- Software Licensing API — Create, validate, and manage all license types (trial, perpetual, timed, floating, metered, offline).
- Distribution API — Distribute software via OCI/Docker, npm, Rubygems, Tauri, PyPI, and binary engines.
- Licensing Analytics — Track license activation, consumption, and user activity.
- Device & User Management — Manage device activations, user identities, and node-locked or user-locked licenses.
- Security & Compliance — SOC 2 Type II compliant, with TLS, encryption at rest and in transit, and continuous backups.
- Self-Hosting Options — Deploy Keygen EE (Enterprise Edition) or free Keygen CE (Community Edition) on your own infrastructure.
- Enterprise Features — Custom environments, roles/permissions, SAML/SSO, audit logs, IP blacklisting/whitelisting, and custom rate limits.
SaaSpartout Score
8.0
/10
Editorial score from our review methodology — not user ratings.
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Keygen Pricing
Keygen pricing: Free during development; paid plans start at $? (plans based on active licensed users). Billing model: Free.
For comparison: the median starting price in Developer Tools is $19.99/month, measured across 301 tools we track. See the full SaaS Pricing Index →
Dev Tier
Free during development, no upfront commitment. Includes Software Licensing API, Licensing Analytics, License Entitlements, Device Activations, User Identities, and all license types (Perpetual, Timed, Trial, Node-Locked, User-Locked, Floating, Metered, Feature, Offline). Free trial: unlimited during development.
Standard Tier (1–5 seats)
For production use with 1 to 5 active licensed users. Adds Distribution API, OCI/Docker, npm, Rubygems, Tauri, PyPI, Binary engines. Includes Custom Environments, Roles and Permissions, Request Logs, Audit Logs, and Priority Support. Contact for pricing.
Enterprise Tier (1–3 seats)
For larger deployments. Includes all Standard features plus SAML/SSO, IP Black/Whitelisting, Custom Rate Limits, and 99.99% Uptime SLA. Contact for pricing.
Self-hosting: flat-rate singleplayer Keygen EE license available; 30-day no-strings-attached trial offered. Free self-hosted option: Keygen CE.
Frequently asked questions
What is Keygen and how does it work?
Keygen is a software licensing and distribution API. Developers integrate it into their apps to create, validate, and manage licenses (trial, perpetual, timed, floating, etc.) and distribute software via engines like npm, Docker, and PyPI. It handles infrastructure like encryption, backups, and scaling.
Is Keygen free?
Yes, Keygen Cloud is free during development with no upfront commitment. There is also a free self-hosted Community Edition (Keygen CE). For production use, paid Standard and Enterprise tiers are available based on active licensed users.
How much does Keygen cost?
Keygen Cloud pricing is based on active licensed users (ALU). The Dev tier is free. Standard and Enterprise tiers have custom pricing — contact Keygen for a quote. Self-hosting Keygen EE is a flat-rate singleplayer license; a 30-day trial is available.
Who is Keygen best for?
Keygen is best for developers and SaaS or software companies that need a developer-friendly, scalable licensing and distribution API without building in-house infrastructure. It is not a billing/subscription platform — it specializes in license enforcement and product distribution.
What are the top alternatives to Keygen?
Alternatives include LicenseSpring, 10Duke, and Cryptlex. These also offer software licensing APIs, though Keygen distinguishes itself with a Fair Source model, a free self-hosted CE, and a distribution API.
What is the main limitation of Keygen?
Keygen is not a full billing or subscription management platform — it does not handle payments, invoices, or subscription lifecycle management. It focuses purely on license creation, validation, and software distribution.
