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Cybersecurity · head to head

Keygen vs RAD Studio

Keygen logo

Keygen

Cybersecurity

Open, source-available software licensing API

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
RAD Studio logo

RAD Studio

Developer Tools

Cross-platform native app development with Delphi and C++Builder

From
$2000/perpetual
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Keygen has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Keygen specific Active Licensed User (ALU) pricing not listed; requires interactive pricing calculator; RAD Studio professional edition costs $2,000 for the perpetual license plus $599 for year one maintenance, totaling $2,599 before tax
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Keygen and RAD Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Keygen and RAD Studio differ
AttributeKeygenRAD Studio
Starting priceFree$2000/perpetual
Pricing modelusage-basedone-time
Free tierYesNo
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Keygen

  • Software licensing and distributionnot RAD Studio
  • Product release managementnot RAD Studio
  • API-based license verificationnot RAD Studio

RAD Studio

  • Building Windows desktop applications with VCL componentsnot Keygen
  • Creating iOS and Android apps from shared Delphi codebasenot Keygen
  • Connecting to Oracle databases through FireDAC connectivitynot Keygen
  • Building REST web services that run on Linux serversnot Keygen

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Keygen

  • Specific Active Licensed User (ALU) pricing not listed; requires interactive pricing calculator
  • Whitelabel API add-on costs $995/year per domain

RAD Studio

  • Professional edition costs $2,000 for the perpetual license plus $599 for year one maintenance, totaling $2,599 before tax
  • Enterprise edition steps up to $3,400 license plus $1,199 maintenance, and Architect edition to $4,416 license plus $2,183 maintenance
  • The perpetual license only entitles the buyer to updates for one year; continued access to new updates and upgrades requires an annually renewable Update Subscription

Pricing, plan by plan

Keygen

Free
  • DevFree
    • Up to 100 Active Licensed Users
    • 10 product releases
    • Core licensing API only
  • Std$null/month
    • Scaling with licensing volume
    • Distribution API (OCI/Docker, npm, Rubygems, PyPI, Tauri)
    • Flat monthly/yearly fees
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Audit logs
    • SAML/SSO
    • IP filtering

RAD Studio

$2000/perpetual
  • Professional Edition$2000/perpetual
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $599
    • Total $2,599 + Tax
  • Enterprise Edition$3400/perpetual
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $1,199
    • Total $4,599 + Tax
  • Architect Edition$4416/perpetual
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $2,183
    • Total $6,599 + Tax

Which should you pick?

Choose Keygen if

  • You want to start without paying.
Keygen review

Choose RAD Studio if

Nothing in the data separates RAD Studio from Keygen on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

RAD Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Keygen or RAD Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Keygen starts at Free and RAD Studio at $2000/perpetual, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Keygen or RAD Studio?
Keygen has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Keygen and $2000/perpetual for RAD Studio.
Does Keygen or RAD Studio run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Keygen for free?
Yes. Keygen has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RAD Studio starts at $2000/perpetual.
What is Keygen best used for?
Keygen is most often used for software licensing and distribution, product release management, api-based license verification. Of those, software licensing and distribution and product release management are not what RAD Studio is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Keygen: Does Keygen have a free tier?

Yes, the Dev tier is free and supports up to 100 Active Licensed Users with 10 product releases and core licensing API access.

Source
RAD Studio: How much does RAD Studio cost?

RAD Studio uses perpetual licensing: Professional Edition $2,000 perpetual license + $599 first year maintenance ($2,599 total + tax). Enterprise Edition $3,400 license + $1,199 maintenance ($4,599 total + tax). Architect Edition $4,416 license + $2,183 maintenance ($6,599 total + tax).

Source
Keygen: How is Keygen pricing calculated?

Keygen uses scalable, flat monthly or yearly fees based on your licensing volume (Active Licensed Users). No revenue share or transaction fees are charged.

Source
RAD Studio: What is the difference between RAD Studio editions?

Professional Edition ($2,599 total + tax) targets individual developers. Enterprise Edition ($4,599 total + tax) adds multi-tier app capabilities. Architect Edition ($6,599 total + tax) includes advanced database and cloud features. All three include perpetual licenses.

Source
Keygen: Does Keygen charge for additional features like SSO?

SAML/SSO is included in Enterprise tiers. Whitelabel API support costs $995/year per domain. Premium Support SLA is $995/month for Enterprise.

Source
RAD Studio: Does RAD Studio offer Kai AI integration and discounts?

Yes, adding Kai AI to any edition provides discounts: 25% off Professional ($2,136 + tax), 30% off Enterprise ($3,394 + tax), and 40% off Architect ($4,109 + tax). This promotion is active through August 31, 2026.

Source
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