Comparison
Licensr vs. the alternatives
All of them can check a license key. The difference is everything around it: who owns the payment, what happens after the sale, and how much you build yourself.
Licensr vs. LicenseForge
Two licensing tools, very different products. Both validate license keys and bind them to hardware, but Licensr is a full payments-and-licensing platform for software businesses, while LicenseForge is a lightweight key service aimed at indie and Discord sellers.
Full-stack licensing for software businesses
Best for plugin and app makers who want payments on their own Stripe account, a branded storefront, subscription management, and seat/domain enforcement in one product.
- Stripe Connect, money to your own account, 0% rev share
- Hosted branded buy page + customer portal
- Seat and domain modes + anti-extraction guard
- Full subscription lifecycle (grace, dunning)
- Official JS/TS, C++, and C# SDKs with offline JWT verify on JS and C#
- Multi-tenant, roles, analytics, audit log
Lightweight keys for indie & Discord sellers
Best for solo developers and Discord communities selling desktop utilities, scripts, and native apps that want HWID locking, usage-based keys, and a drop-in C++ SDK.
- HWID binding with self-serve reset cooldown
- Usage-based (runtime minutes) licenses
- AI copy-paste integration prompts
- Discord-native selling workflow
Money lands in your own payment account
Licensr connects your own payment account, so payouts, refunds, and chargeback liability stay on your account. LicenseForge processes card payments through its own platform.
Revenue share
Both charge a flat subscription rather than a per-sale cut. With Licensr the funds never pass through us.
Hosted branded storefront (buy page)
Licensr generates /buy/your-slug with your logo and colours. LicenseForge is geared toward selling keys directly (e.g. via Discord), not a hosted store.
Subscription lifecycle (renewal, dunning, grace)
Licensr runs the full Stripe subscription state machine with grace periods and automatic reactivation. LicenseForge centres on time- and usage-based keys.
Customer self-serve portal
Branded magic-link portal where buyers view licenses, free up seats, and open the Stripe billing portal.
Custom transactional emails
Visual template editor for license delivery, renewal, and expiry emails.
License key validation API
Hardware / machine (HWID) binding
Both lock a license to a machine. Licensr calls this seat / node-locked activation.
Self-serve HWID reset with cooldown
LicenseForge exposes an end-user HWID reset with a configurable cooldown. Licensr frees a seat via deactivation from the customer portal or admin.
Domain-mode activation
Bind a license to a domain instead of a machine, essential for WordPress, browser, and SaaS plugins.
Domain-origin guard (anti-extraction)
Even with a stolen API key + license key, the license cannot be used on an unauthorized domain.
Time-limited / expiring licenses
Usage-based (runtime minutes) licenses
LicenseForge can meter licenses by minutes of runtime. Licensr gates by seat/domain caps and expiry, not consumption.
Multiple products under one account
Offline validation (signed tokens, no network)
Licensr issues short-lived EdDSA-signed JWT tokens, verified locally with any JWT library against a per-plugin JWKS. No network call needed after the first fetch. LicenseForge's /api/validate is an online-only check.
Feature-based entitlements
Plans can carry an arbitrary feature_flags JSON object, returned on every validate/activate call. LicenseForge's API returns a flat valid/invalid plus expiry, with no per-plan feature data.
Perpetual fallback (limited access after expiry)
Expired licenses on a fallback-enabled plan return entitlement="limited" instead of a hard cutoff. LicenseForge has no equivalent; a lapsed key is simply invalid.
REST API
Native SDKs
Official SDKs for JavaScript/TypeScript (npm), C++ (CMake git), and C# (NuGet + Unity UPM). JS and C# verify offline JWTs locally; C++ mints and stores the token today. LicenseForge ships an open-source C++ SDK.
Guided integration
Licensr has an in-dashboard walkthrough showing your real keys and slug. LicenseForge leans on copy-paste AI prompts for setup.
Public developer docs
Webhook events + replay
Every inbound Stripe webhook is logged with full payload, status, and a one-click replay.
Multi-tenant (multiple teams / brands)
Each tenant gets isolated Stripe, products, licenses, and users, built for studios and agencies.
Roles & permissions (RBAC)
Revenue & subscription analytics (MRR, churn)
Audit log
Discord-native selling workflow
LicenseForge is built around selling keys in Discord (slash commands, DM delivery). Licensr sells through a hosted web storefront.
Free tier
Public pricing page
Run your software business on one platform.
Free tier, no credit card required. From signup to a live, branded buy page in 15 minutes.