5 Best WordPress Software License Manager Tools
Managing software licenses is essential for developers and all those who create and sell their own WordPress products like plugins, themes, and similar. For your customers, licenses are important as after their license expires, they can no longer enjoy all the premium features that come with your product, in some cases can no longer rely on your support, or can’t even use the product at all. WordPress software license managers help you keep track of when which license expires and ensure you provide timely product updates to your users.
The WordPress software license manager tools we choose for this list will help you create and manage your licenses, host your own plugins and themes as well as serve updates for them. We made sure to select the ones that are reliable, streamlined, and easy to use.
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The first thing that you will notice with Appsero is how simple it is to use. It comes with an intuitive and streamlined control panel that makes it easy to understand and use all the options that come with this platform. In case you are already using another license manager, adjusting Appsero with it will not be a challenge.
This tool also integrates well with a variety of third-party features providing you this way with the ability to improve plugin-theme management. Appsero can also help you with your plugins analysis, themes statistics, collecting plugins, and themes deactivation data. Updates are deployed directly from your local server to WordPress.org with Appsero.
As for the pricing, you can choose between a free plan and two paid pricing plans with prices starting from $9 per month. Premium plans include the immediate licensing checking functionality and new license generation option and support a number of third-party integrations.
Auto PHP Licenser is a powerful plugin that comes with an automatic license generator providing you with instant activations. It will also help you simplify the process of implementing custom restrictions for each license. It works with all kinds of PHP scripts (templates, applications, and plugins).
With this plugin, you can also easily delete files and databases remotely from the user’s device. The option to lock installations to specific domains or IPs is also supported. You can easily validate updates and support contracts and inform your users about license expiry. The option for setting automatic license verification within a defined time framework makes managing licenses a lot more simple.
Two license types are offered – a regular one that costs $49, and the extended license that costs $99. Both prices include the item price and a buyer fee but the extended license allows charging the end-users too.
The License Manager for WooCommerce is a free plugin that makes selling and handling your digital license keys smooth and simple. The features like automatic stock management, automatic delivery of license keys, and bulk importer will make managing your licenses and keys easier and more effective.
Other handy features you can count on with this tool include the option to import license keys by file upload, export license keys as PDF or CSV, create license key generators with custom parameters, and many more useful options. It is also possible to assign a generator to one or more WooCommerce products which means that these products will automatically create a license key with each sale. Additional functionalities for managing licenses as well as generator resources are enabled through API keys.
Elite Licenser Lite is a powerful all-in-one solution that supports all types of product licensing. If your scope of work implies a lot of collaboration with Envato, this tool may be a particularly good choice for you as it comes with a built-in Envato licensing verification system. Product updates management and automatic license code generator are also included. Thanks to the complete set of API, managing licenses by other applications is possible too.
An email template also comes with Elite Licenser, and you can modify it and see all the changes you make in live preview so that you can send customized license notifications emails to your users.
This tool offers excellent protection against illegal use – in case someone tries to activate your product repeatedly with an invalid license, thanks to the auto host ban functionality this tool will block that host automatically and it will not be possible for that host (domain) to employ any of your products ever.
The plugin comes in two three-tiered pricing plans with prices ranging from $5 per month to $832 for lifetime usage. The plans are categorized based on whether you are a developer or an agency and vary depending on the number of products.
Freemius is a standalone platform that helps you handle your WordPress products’ licensing. It enjoys great popularity as it is very user-friendly. It allows you to generate and verify license updates instantly, set automatic updates and obtain feedback on deactivation which may help you improve your product features.
If you are doing business with EU customers, Freemius offers the option for automatized collection and reports about the required VAT for your sales which may make your life a lot easier. Thanks to the analytics features that are included, you can also create profiles of your consumers and get insights on how to increase your revenue. Plus, a full-fledged cart abandonment system is also included.
The Freemius pricing system is based on your revenue, in such a way that it follows your growth. For example, you will pay 7% after $5k and 27% on your first $1k based on lifetime gross sales.
In Conclusion
All the tools we included in this list have the capacity to provide you with the essential licensing functionalities. You will make your choice depending on the type of products you sell and the growth of your business that you expect. Going for a plugin like License Manager for WooCommerce is a great choice if you find selling licenses and keys through a WooCommerce store the most convenient option for you, while Freemius and Apserro may be a good choice if you expect your business to grow rapidly. Elite Licenser Lite is excellent for those whose business implies a lot of dealing with Envato. Some of the tools also offer powerful analytics features, so that may be an important factor if you also want to improve your conversion rates. After all, it may be a good idea to list all the features that you find important and then check which tool covers the most or even all of them.
