Keygate vs Keygen
Keygen is a popular license management API. Keygate provides the same core functionality — self-hosted, open source, and free.
Keygen is an established and well-regarded license management API with a mature ecosystem. Both platforms handle license keys, activations, and policy enforcement. Keygate differentiates by being fully open source under AGPL v3, including built-in payment integration and usage metering out of the box, and being free to self-host.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Keygate | Keygen |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | ✓ | — |
| Self-Hosted | ✓ | ✓ |
| Floating Licenses | ✓ | ✓ |
| Usage Metering | ✓ | — |
| Built-in Payments | ✓ | — |
| Customer Portal | ✓ | — |
| Webhooks | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audit Logs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-language | ✓ | — |
What sets Keygate apart
Open source & free
Keygate is free and open source under AGPL v3. No per-seat pricing or usage-based billing.
Self-hosted, full data ownership
Deploy on your own infrastructure. Your license data stays on your servers — no third-party dependency for a critical business function.
One deployment, everything included
License management, usage metering, built-in Stripe/PayPal payments, admin dashboard — one binary, one database.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I migrate from Keygen to Keygate?
- Keygate uses a different API structure, but the core concepts (products, policies, licenses, activations) map directly. You can migrate license data via the admin API.
- Does Keygate support the same license models as Keygen?
- Yes. Keygate supports subscription, perpetual, trial, and floating (concurrent) license models with per-device and per-user activation limits.
- Is Keygate really free?
- Yes. Keygate is licensed under AGPL v3. You can deploy it on your own infrastructure at no cost. There are no usage limits, seat limits, or premium tiers.
Get started with Keygate
Deploy in under 5 minutes. One Go binary. One PostgreSQL database.