---
title: Keygen alternative for MCP servers and APIs · Stevens Keys
source: https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/keygen-alternative
description: An honest comparison of Stevens Keys with Keygen, Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad license keys: pricing, activation limits, offline use, merchant of record, and when each is the better fit. Sources checked Oct 20, 2026.
publisher: Stevens Keys (Canada Site Ops)
---

# A Keygen alternative for MCP servers and APIs

Stevens Keys vs Keygen, plus a short look at Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad license keys. Every competitor figure below comes from the vendor's own pricing or documentation page, linked inline and checked Oct 20, 2026. Where an official page didn't state a number, we left it out.

**Where Stevens Keys stands today:** preview, **test mode only**. Keys are `sk_mcp_test_…`, checkout is Stripe test mode, no real money moves, and creator payouts (planned via Stripe Connect at 85/15) are **not live**. It is built for MCP servers and HTTP APIs: one edge call (`POST /v1/validate`) validates and meters a key, and revocation is effective on the next call.

## Stevens Keys vs Keygen

|  | Stevens Keys (built, test mode) | Keygen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Hosted license keys for MCP servers and APIs, with usage metering in the same call | Software licensing and distribution API also self-hostable ([keygen.sh/pricing](https://keygen.sh/pricing/), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Free tier | Free to sign up in test mode | Dev tier: up to 100 active licensed users and 10 product releases; hard limit returns `402` ([keygen.sh/pricing](https://keygen.sh/pricing/), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Paid pricing model | Planned 85/15 split on sales (not live; nothing is charged today) | Flat monthly or yearly fee by tier; "We will never take a percentage of revenue" ([keygen.sh/pricing](https://keygen.sh/pricing/), checked Oct 20, 2026). Tier dollar amounts weren't shown in the page text we could read, so we don't quote them. |
| Device / machine activation | `max_activations` per product; distinct `instance_id`s counted per key; creator can free or reset slots | Device activations, node-locked, user-locked and floating licenses on all tiers ([keygen.sh/pricing](https://keygen.sh/pricing/), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Offline licenses | No (every check is online) | Yes, all tiers ([keygen.sh/pricing](https://keygen.sh/pricing/), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Metering | Built in: each validate can meter units against a monthly quota | Metered licenses listed on all tiers ([keygen.sh/pricing](https://keygen.sh/pricing/), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Revocation | Key state lives in one Durable Object per key; revoke applies to the next validate worldwide | Not compared: no revocation-latency figure on the pages we checked |
| Self-hosting | No | Keygen CE (free) and Keygen EE (license required) via Docker ([keygen.sh/docs/self-hosting](https://keygen.sh/docs/self-hosting/), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Payments | Stripe Checkout in test mode, buy links, test refunds that revoke keys | Not a payment processor in what we checked; you bring your own checkout |
| Distribution | No | Distribution API and package engines (npm, PyPI, OCI and others) on Std/Ent tiers ([keygen.sh/pricing](https://keygen.sh/pricing/), checked Oct 20, 2026) |

## Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad license keys

|  | Lemon Squeezy | Gumroad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fees | 5% + 50¢ per transaction, no monthly charge for ecommerce features; some payments may have additional fees ([lemonsqueezy.com/pricing](https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing), checked Oct 20, 2026) | 10% + $0.50 per transaction for direct sales; 30% when buyers come through its Discover marketplace ([gumroad.com/pricing](https://gumroad.com/pricing), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Merchant of record | Yes ([lemonsqueezy.com/pricing](https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing), checked Oct 20, 2026) | Yes, since Jan 1, 2025 ([gumroad.com/pricing](https://gumroad.com/pricing), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| License keys | Generated per purchase; license length and activation limit per product/variant; subscription keys follow the subscription ([Lemon Squeezy docs: license keys](https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/help/licensing/generating-license-keys), checked Oct 20, 2026) | License key block on the product; multi-seat licenses; verify API with a uses count you control ([Gumroad help: license keys](https://gumroad.com/help/article/76-license-keys), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Validation API | Activate, validate, deactivate; 60 requests/minute rate limit ([Lemon Squeezy License API](https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/api/license-api), checked Oct 20, 2026) | `POST /v2/licenses/verify`; "License key enforcement is completely up to the creator" ([Gumroad help: license keys](https://gumroad.com/help/article/76-license-keys), checked Oct 20, 2026) |
| Storefront | Sells through Lemon Squeezy as merchant of record; payouts by bank or PayPal twice a month ([lemonsqueezy.com/pricing](https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing), checked Oct 20, 2026) | Profile and product pages, Discover marketplace ([gumroad.com/pricing](https://gumroad.com/pricing), checked Oct 20, 2026) |

Stevens Keys, for contrast: no storefront and not a merchant of record. Its `/v1/validate` is built to be called on every tool call (validate + meter in one request), and you sell from your own site with a buy link (test mode).

## When they're a better fit

- **Keygen** if you ship desktop or on-prem software that must work **offline**, need mature machine/node-locked/floating licensing, want release **distribution** (npm, PyPI, OCI…), or need to **self-host** your licensing server. It's also a fit if you prefer a flat fee over a revenue share.
- **Lemon Squeezy** if you want a **storefront, checkout and merchant of record**, with license keys included, and you're selling software downloads or subscriptions rather than per-call API access.
- **Gumroad** if you already sell to an audience there or want marketplace discovery, and simple per-purchase keys with a uses counter are enough.
- **Stevens Keys** if you run an **MCP server or HTTP API** and want one call that validates and meters per key, revocation that applies on the next call, per-key quotas and device caps, and your own buy link. Accept that it is **test mode only** today and payouts are not live.

## What we left out

Keygen's per-tier dollar prices (not present in the pricing page text we could read), any vendor's revocation latency, and uptime or SLA claims beyond what's quoted above. If a vendor's page changes, their page wins over this one.

## FAQ

### Is Stevens Keys a drop-in replacement for Keygen?

No. Keygen is a general software-licensing platform with machine activation, offline licenses, entitlements and release distribution. Stevens Keys is narrower: hosted license keys for MCP servers and HTTP APIs, with one edge call that validates and meters, and near-instant revocation. It is in preview, in test mode, and payouts are not live.

### Does Stevens Keys support offline licensing?

No. Every check is an online call to /v1/validate. If you need licenses that work without a network connection, Keygen lists offline licenses on every tier of its pricing page.

### Does Stevens Keys take payments for me like Lemon Squeezy or Gumroad?

Only in Stripe test mode today: you can create a buy link and a test checkout issues a key. No real money moves and creator payouts (planned via Stripe Connect, 85/15) are not live. Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad both say they act as merchant of record and run a storefront for you.

### Can I limit how many devices use one key?

Yes. Set max_activations on a product and send an instance_id with each validate; a new instance beyond the cap is denied with activation_limit. Keygen, Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad each document their own activation or usage-count approach (sources on this page).

### How fast does revocation take effect on Stevens Keys?

Revoking a key updates the key's Durable Object before the API responds, so the next validate anywhere is denied. A full Stripe test refund revokes the purchased key the same way.

### Where did the competitor figures come from?

Only from each vendor's official pricing and documentation pages, checked Oct 20, 2026, linked inline. Where an official page did not state a figure, we left it out.

Next: [docs](https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/docs) · [try the sandbox demo](https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/demo) · [Cryptlex alternative](https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/cryptlex-alternative) · [Lemon Squeezy alternative](https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/lemon-squeezy-license-keys-alternative) · [MCP license keys](https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/mcp-license-keys) · [license keys vs OAuth](https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/mcp-license-keys-vs-oauth) · [monetization FAQ](https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/mcp-monetization-faq) · [create a test account](https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/dashboard?signup=1)

### More from Stevens Keys

- [Surface](https://nova-otter-delta-cloud.grok.me): free MCP server with per-request metering
- [Usage Lab](https://usage-lab.pages.dev/)
- [Server Track Lab](https://server-track-lab.pages.dev/)
- [API Meter Lab](https://api-meter-lab.pages.dev/)

Machine files: https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/llms.txt · https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/openapi.json · https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/mcp · https://stevens-keys.pages.dev/agent-quickstart.md