$ compare / keyauth
AuthForge vs KeyAuth
KeyAuth is a long-running, well-known licensing platform; lots of indie developers got their start there. AuthForge is newer, focuses on signed responses + pay-as-you-go pricing, and ships first-party SDKs in six languages. The table below reflects publicly documented behavior on both products as of May 2026. If anything here looks wrong, please email hello@authforge.cc and we'll correct it.
| Feature | AuthForge | KeyAuth |
|---|---|---|
| Signed validation responses (Ed25519) | Yes (default) | Optional / varies |
| Replay protection (per-request nonce) | Yes | Varies |
| Hardware locking with configurable seat counts | Yes, per-license | Yes, per-license |
| Self-service HWID reset (customer portal) | Yes (policy-driven) | Yes |
| First-party language SDKs | Python, Node, Go, Rust, C#, C++ | C#, C++, Python; community for others |
| Pricing model | Pay-as-you-go credits, no monthly minimum | Tiered subscriptions |
| Free tier | 1,000 free credits on signup; usable in production | Free plan with reduced limits |
| Cost at 100k validations / month | $30 ($0.30 / 1k) | Subscription tier (varies by plan) |
| Webhooks for license events | Yes, signed (HMAC-SHA256), with replay UI | Yes |
| Stripe integration (managed) | Yes (built-in) | Varies; usually external |
| Lemon Squeezy integration (managed) | Yes (built-in) | Not a first-class integration |
| Affiliate program | Built-in, paid in credits or cash | Not standard |
| Hosted customer portal | Yes, branded, with policy-based reset | Yes |
| REST developer API | Yes (af_live_* bearer tokens) | Yes |
| MCP / LLM-oriented docs | Yes (llms.txt + MCP server) | No |
When KeyAuth might be the better fit
We don't think we're the right tool for everyone. KeyAuth has a much larger community, a long history with the gamedev / cheat-protection audience, and a feature surface optimized for that. If your priority is "biggest community of similar projects to copy from," KeyAuth has the head start. If your runtime is one of the languages it doesn't ship a first-party SDK for, you'll be writing the wire-protocol yourself either way.
When AuthForge is the better fit
- You want signed responses by default, not as an opt-in advanced feature.
- Your app is in Rust, Go, Node, or Python and you'd rather use a first-party SDK than a community port.
- You'd rather pay only for actual validation traffic than commit to a monthly subscription tier.
- You want managed Stripe / Lemon Squeezy fulfillment so you don't have to write the order-to-license backend yourself.
- You want a built-in affiliate program where commissions can land directly in your AuthForge balance.
Try it side-by-side
Sign up, claim 1,000 free credits, ship a real integration, and decide for yourself. There's no monthly minimum, so you can park your account at zero spend until you're ready to migrate traffic.
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