Keygen
Software licensing and distribution API for developers — self-host or use the cloud
| What is it | Software licensing and distribution API for developers — self-host or use the cloud |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Freemium |
| Free tier | Yes |
| Platform | API |
| API | Yes |
| Works with | Integrately, n8n, Zapier |
| Best for | adding license key validation to desktop or mobile apps, managing software distribution and entitlements |
| Domain registered | 2016 |
Data updated Aug. 1, 2026
What does Keygen do?
Keygen is a software licensing and distribution API built for developers. It handles the entire lifecycle of license keys — creation, validation, activation, and management — so you don't have to build your own licensing infrastructure. You can use Keygen Cloud, where the team manages servers and scaling, or self-host the Community Edition (free) or Enterprise Edition (for advanced compliance needs). The API is designed to be straightforward: grab an SDK for your language or just use HTTP requests.
Keygen stands out because it gives you real choices. The Community Edition is fair-source and free to self-host for any project — personal or commercial. The Enterprise Edition adds audit logs, custom permissions, SAML/SSO, and Docker container support for companies that need to keep everything on their own infrastructure. Keygen Cloud handles scaling from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of users, with TLS encryption, continuous backups, and data encryption at rest and in transit. The API itself is clean and developer-friendly, with code examples in Go, Ruby, and other languages.
This tool is for any developer or company that sells software and needs a reliable way to manage licenses. Indie developers can use the free Community Edition to add licensing to their apps without spending weeks building it. Larger teams can use Keygen Cloud or the Enterprise Edition to meet compliance requirements (SOC 2, FIPS 140-3) and scale without worrying about infrastructure. Over 6,000 businesses — from startups to F1000s — use Keygen to handle licensing, distribution, and entitlements.
Key features
What makes it stand outWho is Keygen for?
Who benefits most from this toolPricing
Free tier available — start without a credit cardDev 1
- 10 product releases
- 100 active licensed users
- Software Licensing API
- Licensing Analytics
- License Entitlements
- Device Activations
- User Identities
- Perpetual Licenses
- Timed Licenses
- Trial Licenses
- Node-Locked Licenses
- User-Locked Licenses
- Floating Licenses
- Metered Licenses
- Feature Licenses
- Offline Licenses
- Custom Environments
- Roles and Permissions
- Request Logs
Std 1–5
Everything in Dev 1, plus:
- unlimited products
- unlimited releases
- unlimited teammates
- unlimited license types
- 100000 API requests per day
- 10000 active licensed users
- Distribution API
- OCI/Docker engine
- npm engine
- Rubygems engine
- Tauri engine
- PyPI engine
- Binary engine
- Audit Logs
- Priority Support
- SOC 2 Type II compliance
- Advanced analytics
- Slack + email support
- Up to ∞ license types
- Up to ∞ products
- Up to ∞ releases
- Up to ∞ teammates
- 100k API requests per day
Ent 1–3
Everything in Std 1–5, plus:
- SAML/SSO
- IP Black/Whitelisting
- Custom Rate Limits
- 99.99% Uptime SLA
Trust & presence
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