> Self-hosted Joomla storefront for software and digital files. License keys, subscriptions, Stripe + PayPal + Mollie, no platform fees.

One install, the whole storefront

LicenseDock is a single Joomla component for selling digital files and software. It runs on your own site, with your gateway accounts. Checkout, license keys, subscriptions, automated emails, downloads, and a customer portal – all in one install. No platform takes a cut. Your customer list stays yours.

LicenseDock brings all four together in one install: digital file delivery, software licensing (keys, activation limits, and an update server), subscriptions/bundles/coupons, and a native Joomla checkout. Most tools give you one or two – this combination is the hard part.

What you can sell

Files and downloads:

• Ebooks, PDF guides, and digital workbooks
• Design templates (Figma, Notion, Webflow, Canva)
• Stock photos, video clips, music samples, fonts, presets, LUTs
• 3D models and game assets
• Subscription libraries with monthly file releases

Software:

• Joomla extensions and WordPress plugins
• Desktop and mobile apps
• Indie SaaS tools
• Anything that needs license keys to control where it can be used

What makes it different

• Own everything. Runs inside your Joomla site. Your gateway accounts, your customer data, your files. No percentage skimmed from any sale.
• Software licensing built in. License keys generated on every licensed purchase (licensing is optional per product), with activation limits per domain, device, seat, or instance. Your software calls your store to verify.
• Updates through Joomla. Customers receive updates inside their own Joomla backend, the same way they update any other extension.
• Stripe, PayPal, and Mollie built in. All three support subscriptions, plan changes, refunds, and failed-payment retries – no separate add-ons or third-party plugins needed.
• Switch without losing what you've built. Import customers, orders, licenses, and subscriptions from Gumroad, Paddle, Stripe, or WooCommerce via CSV.

How a purchase works

1. Buyer clicks Buy Now on your product page
2. Goes straight to checkout – no cart, no extra steps
3. Pays with Stripe, PayPal, or Mollie
4. Files and license key delivered – email, customer account, or both (your choice)
5. Returns anytime to manage downloads, subscriptions, and invoices in their customer portal

Integration paths – pick what fits your product

• WordPress plugins – drop-in LicenseDockWordPress SDK; updates appear in the WP dashboard automatically
• Joomla extensions – use Joomla's native update XML with LicenseDock's download endpoint; license key appended on download
• Any PHP app (Laravel, Symfony, Drupal, custom) – LicenseDockClient SDK with three calls: activate, deactivate, validate
• Desktop, mobile, Node, Python, Go, .NET, Ruby, Rust, anything else – call the REST API directly with a license key in JSON; that's the whole integration

Everything included

Checkout & payments:

• Buy Now flow, no cart
• Stripe, PayPal, and Mollie at full parity
• Test and live modes per gateway
• Guest checkout to cut drop-off – account created silently, so buyers don't stall at a sign-up screen
• Sequential PDF invoices
• Store-level currency

License management:

• Auto-generated license keys
• Activation limits (domain / device / seat / instance)
• Built-in update server
• License expiry tracking with renewal reminders
• Activation manager – revoke any domain, device, or seat
• License transfer between users

Subscriptions:

• Billing cycles: monthly / quarterly / semi-annual / annual / one-time
• Configurable trial days and trial price
• Plan upgrades and downgrades with proration (immediate or scheduled)
• Dunning with configurable grace period on failed payments (default 14 days)
• Renewal and lapsed-customer discounts per product

Coupons & bundles:

• Percent or fixed discounts
• Validity windows, total and per-customer usage caps
• New-customers-only flag
• Single-use codes
• Product bundles – group multiple products into one purchase
• Coupons apply to initial order only

Files & products:

• Product → Plan → Price hierarchy
• Tag-based categorisation with filterable menu items
• Versioned uploads – paying customers get updates automatically
• All common file types: archives, documents, images, audio, video, design files, fonts, 3D models

Customer portal:

• Downloads, license keys, activation manager
• Order history and PDF invoices
• Billing address management
• Subscription cancel and resume
• One-click GDPR data export

Admin dashboard:

• Revenue analytics (Today / 7D / 30D / 90D / 12M / All Time)
• Revenue-by-product and top-products tables
• Subscriptions: new vs cancelled vs expired
• Attention alerts for failed orders, webhooks, emails
• One-click Store Health Checker

Emails & automation:

• 36 customisable email templates
• Email queue with retries
• Email log – filterable admin list
• Custom SMTP or Joomla default mail
• Scheduled background jobs: queue drain, renewal reminders, abandoned-checkout recovery

Reliability:

• Webhook log filterable across Stripe, PayPal, and Mollie
• Partial refunds across all three gateways
• Chargebacks handled automatically – customer access is paused on dispute, then restored if you win it
• Audit log – sensitive admin actions logged (refunds, settings, gateway changes, manual orders, cancellations)
• Encrypted API keys (AES-256-CBC)
• Standard Joomla ACL
• Full translatability (en-GB shipped)

Why LicenseDock

vs Gumroad / Paddle / Lemon Squeezy:
They take 5-10% of every sale, forever. On $10,000 a year of revenue, that's $500-$1,000 paid to a SaaS. LicenseDock is a flat annual fee – your customer list stays yours.

vs Anystack:
A hosted licensing platform that takes 4-15% of every sale and caps your storage and bandwidth. LicenseDock is self-hosted – 0% per-sale fee, no caps, your gateways and customer data stay yours.

vs Easy Digital Downloads (WordPress):
WordPress only. Licensing and recurring billing are separate paid add-ons there – LicenseDock bundles both.

vs Keygen / Cryptlex:
Licensing-only SaaS. No checkout, no customer account area. LicenseDock does both.

Try it before you commit

• Live demo site – Our site runs on LicenseDock, so the store, checkout, and customer account you’re browsing are exactly what your buyers get.
• 30-day money-back guarantee – install on your site, test properly, refund if it isn't right

Support

Quick email support and a documentation site.

Tags

ecommerce · digital-downloads · license-management · software-licensing · subscription-billing · stripe · paypal · mollie · recurring-payments · invoicing · coupons · bundles · update-server · php-sdk · rest-api · desktop-licensing · electron-licensing · wordpress-licensing · gumroad-alternative · paddle-alternative · anystack-alternative