Choosing a licensing platform is one of the most important infrastructure decisions you'll make. Switch later and you'll have to update every client, migrate all your user data, and potentially break existing licenses. This comparison is designed to help you make the right choice the first time.
Full disclosure: we built BetterAuth. We've tried to be as objective as possible, but you should verify claims independently.
Quick Summary
| Feature | BetterAuth | KeyAuth | Auth.gg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | Yes | No | No |
| Data ownership | Full | Limited | Limited |
| HWID Locking | Spoof-resistant | Yes | Yes |
| API Response Time | ~45ms | ~120ms | ~200ms |
| Webhooks | Discord + Telegram + Custom | Discord + Custom | Limited |
| File Encryption | AES-256 | Yes | No |
| Customer Portal | Per-app branded | Yes | Basic |
| Free Tier | 3 apps, 100 keys each | 1 app, 50 keys | 1 app, 25 keys |
| Pricing (top tier) | $30/mo | $25/mo | $20/mo |
API Performance
We ran 10,000 sequential license validation requests against all three platforms from the same server in Frankfurt, Germany. Here are the results:
- BetterAuth — Median 42ms, P99 89ms, 0 errors
- KeyAuth — Median 118ms, P99 340ms, 3 errors (503)
- Auth.gg — Median 195ms, P99 520ms, 12 errors (503/429)
BetterAuth's performance advantage comes from persistent cURL handles (no TCP/TLS handshake overhead per request), a lightweight PHP codebase with zero framework layers, and Supabase's edge-optimized PostgREST API.
Language Support
All three platforms support the core languages: C++, C#, Python, and Node.js. The difference is in documentation quality and community SDKs:
- BetterAuth — Official docs with examples in 10 languages (C++, C#, Python, JS, Java, Go, Rust, Ruby, PHP, cURL)
- KeyAuth — Strong C++/C# support, community wrappers for others
- Auth.gg — C++/C# focused, limited docs for other languages
Security Comparison
- Encryption — BetterAuth uses AES-256 for encrypted file delivery. KeyAuth supports file encryption. Auth.gg does not offer encrypted file delivery
- 2FA — All three support TOTP-based two-factor authentication for admin accounts
- VPN Detection — BetterAuth and KeyAuth offer optional VPN/proxy blocking. Auth.gg does not
- Session Management — All three offer configurable session durations with automatic expiry
The Self-Hosting Advantage
The biggest differentiator is that only BetterAuth is self-hosted. This means:
- No vendor lock-in — Your data, your server, your rules
- Unlimited scaling — No per-user or per-key pricing penalties
- Custom modifications — Add features, modify behavior, integrate with internal tools
- Data sovereignty — Comply with GDPR, HIPAA, or any regional regulation
Our Recommendation
If you're building a small project and want the fastest possible setup, any of these platforms will work. But if you're building a serious product with thousands of users, the combination of self-hosting control, better performance, and full data ownership makes BetterAuth the strongest choice long-term.