There are a few contenders for licensing/distribution software available online. The top two are SPBAS (also known as SolidPHP and PHPAudit) and PHPLicengine.

SPBAS by SolidPHP - they have discontinued PHPAudit and Iono. After reviewing both products we ended up choosing SPBAS. It seemed to offer more features and have a larger support and community behind it.	PHPLicengine - I’m not familiar with this one, but we downloaded the demo and tried it out. Great for those we cannot afford SPBAS and are looking for someone simple.
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These licensing/distribution systems usually use a couple of methods:

1.) A local key - Your clients are given a key file which they have to upload to their server. The key expires after a set time and they then have to upload another key. You can automate this and have your script fetch the key automatically and store it in the db. Clients will quickly get fed up with having to upload a license key file every month etc.

2.) A remote “call home” every so often. You’ll need to code it so that if your site is off line then your script still works, and also if you move servers or change domains etc you don’t want you clients’ sites to stop working.

Comparison

Comparison of PHPAudit, iono and PHPLicengine.

Note: PHPAudit and iono are now combined and called SPBAS

	PHPLicengine |	iono |	PHPAudit
Remote Licensing
Local Licensing
ionCube Licensing
Custom Key / Value Pairs
Dynamic Key / Value Pairs
Shopping Cart
Invoice Management
Order Management
Download Management
Client Management
Customizable Templates
Language Files
Email Templates
Kayako / eSupport
Cerberus HelpDesk v4.
Cerberus HelpDesk v3.
SupportTrio
Custom HelpDesk Integration
SMF Forums
phpBB Forums
MyBB Forums
Custom Forum Integration
minFraud
TeleSign
MaxMind Phone
API
Jrox Affiliate
iDev Affiliate
Testimonial Manager
News Manager
Google Analytics

Pricing

SPBAS

Order now to save $50 on SPBAS 1000 & 2500 and $100 on SPBAS 5000.

PHPLicengine