The free Keygen alternative

What PWF Auth is

A licence server made for desktop programs. You make keys in the panel, your program signs in with the key the customer typed, the key locks to that PC, and every running copy checks in every 30 seconds. Ban, pause or end a key and the app closes on its next check-in. The SDK handles the encryption, the machine id and the heartbeat, so you add a few lines instead of building the licence logic yourself.

Seven lines in your app

C# with the PWFAuth NuGet package. Python (pwfauth), C++ work the same way, and the SDK generator writes a client for VB.NET, JavaScript, Java, PHP and Dart.

var client = new PwfClient(AppSecret);
client.SessionEnded += (s, e) => Application.Exit();   // banned, paused, expired: the app closes

PwfResponse login = await client.LoginAsync(licenseKey);
if (!login.Success) { ShowError(login.Message); return; }

client.StartHeartbeat();                                // checks in every 30 seconds

PWF Auth vs Keygen

PWF Auth's column is what it does today. Keygen's column is limited to widely known, public facts as of October 2026; plans and features change, so check Keygen's own site for its current offer. Keygen is a trademark of its owner; PWF Auth is not affiliated with it.

Why developers pick PWF Auth

• Free, with nothing held backEvery feature is on the free account: keys, accounts, resellers, updates, texts and the Telegram bot. No per-user or per-machine bill as you grow.
• Nothing to hostNo server, database or certificates to look after. PWF Auth runs behind Cloudflare with daily encrypted backups and two-step sign-in for every account.
• Made for desktop appsNuGet PWFAuth for C# and VB.NET, pwfauth on PyPI and a C++ client do the encryption, the machine id and the heartbeat. The SDK generator covers JavaScript, Java, PHP and Dart.
• A kill switch that closes the appEvery copy checks in every 30 seconds. Ban a key and the app closes on that PC with your own message, without you writing that logic.
• Resellers with their own portalGive resellers credits and their own prices; they make keys in their own portal, and you see every sale.
• Change the app without a releaseThe texts and links your app shows (per app or per key) and its announcement slides come from the panel.

Moving over from Keygen

Your customers keep the keys they bought. Most apps move in an afternoon.

1. Create your appMake a free account, add your application and copy its secret.
2. Bring your keysIn Licences → Import, paste the keys your customers already have, one per line, in any format. Pick their length and how many PCs each may use; each key starts on its next sign-in.
3. Swap the clientReplace the Keygen API calls with LoginAsync(key) and StartHeartbeat(), and close the app in SessionEnded. See Getting started.
4. Ship the updatePublish the new build in Updates and make it required, so older builds ask for it.

Keygen alternative: questions