Moonbase vs FastSpring
Choosing Moonbase over Fastspring brings a whole number of tools to increase revenue, and integrate better with your marketing stack.
FastSpring is a capable merchant of record for handling payments, and Moonbase is too, but Moonbase is purpose-built for audio software companies that want one platform for the whole lifecycle. Your storefront is self-hosted on your own domain, so the cart, checkout, customer accounts and product downloads all stay inside your brand rather than on a hosted store page.
The biggest difference for plugin developers is that licensing is native to Moonbase. Instead of generating bare key codes, you get a full licensing system with SDKs for JUCE, .NET and JavaScript, supporting floating licenses, offline activations and self-service management where customers handle their own seats. Subscriptions and rent-to-own pricing are first-class, which suits instrument libraries and pro tooling sold on installment terms.
As the merchant of record, Moonbase collects and remits sales tax and VAT globally, and it pairs that with a built-in affiliate program and marketing integrations so you can run loyalty-driven campaigns directly against your own sales data.
Feature comparison
MoonbaseFeatures
| Feature | Moonbase | FastSpring |
|---|---|---|
| E-Commerce | Yes | Yes |
| Software Licensing | Yes | *No Can only generate key codes, no built-in licensing solution |
| Marketing Integrations | Yes | No |
E-Commerce & Payments
| Feature | Moonbase | FastSpring |
|---|---|---|
| Global Payments | Yes | Yes |
| Sales Tax Handling | *Yes Moonbase acts as a Merchant of Record to collect and remit sales tax world-wide | Yes |
| Embeddable Shopping Cart | Yes | Yes |
| Subscriptions | Yes | Yes |
| Rent-to-Own | Yes | No |
| User Accounts for Customers | Yes | Limited* Only a simple customer portal on the FastSpring hosted store |
| Coupon Codes | Yes | Yes |
Software Licensing
| Feature | Moonbase | FastSpring |
|---|---|---|
| Floating Licenses | Yes | No |
| Self-service Management | *Yes Customers can log in to your website to manage all their licenses | No |
| Offline Activations | Yes | No |
| Supports External Systems | Yes | Yes |
Marketing
| Feature | Moonbase | FastSpring |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter Integrations | *Yes Moonbase supports several popular newsletter platforms to sync data with | Limited* Relies on integrations going the other way, with varied data completeness |
| Campaign Revenue Tracking | Yes | No |
| Segmented Pricing & Discounts | *Yes Offer exclusive discounts to segments of your customers | No |
| Up-sells & Cross-sells | Yes | Limited* FastSpring only offers displaying offers, no incentives like discounts are supported |
| Affiliate Revenue Sharing | Yes | Partner* FastSpring relies on their partner "Impact" to power affiliates |
This is Moonbase
A platform built to sell downloadable software at scale, direct to consumer, with a complete set of tools to handle payments, licensing and marketing.
Kick-ass customer experience
Full-featured storefront on your website
Use our embedded storefront to add all the features you need to your own website in minutes, so that you can build your story & brand identity using the tools you know.
- Shopping cart:
- Make the shopping experience smooth by having a user-manageable cart, all integrated with native buttons on your website.
- Overlay checkout:
- Keep visitors on your own website by using our overlay checkout to decrease any friction towards payment.
- Customer authentication:
- Let your customers log in to get personalized discounts applied, as well as access to their owned products and licenses.
- Customize to make it yours:
- Can be themed to match your brand & identity, to feel like a native part of your website.
Fully integrated with your website
Software licensing without the hassle
Offer a product activation journey that customers won't even notice, fully automatic, integrated with your website.
- Time-limited trials.
- Offer customers a taste of your app by allowing time-limited licenses on-demand.
- Secure cryptography.
- Our licensing tech is based on strong RSA key cryptography using industry standard formats.
- SDKs for integrations.
- Get integrated in minutes using our SDKs for JUCE, .Net or JavaScript apps.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Moonbase supports migrating existing customers and issuing licenses for products they already own. Because it can work alongside external systems, you can keep activations functioning while you move your store and license management onto Moonbase.
Yes. Moonbase acts as the merchant of record and collects and remits sales tax and VAT on your behalf worldwide, so you can sell internationally without managing tax registration and remittance yourself.
No. Moonbase gives you a self-hosted storefront with cart, checkout, customer accounts and downloads that you embed on your own domain. You own the branding and buying experience without engineering payment or account systems yourself.
Yes. Licensing is built into Moonbase, with SDKs for JUCE, .NET and JavaScript. It supports online and offline activations, floating licenses, and self-service management so your customers can manage their own activations from your site.
Upgrade your business
Let's talk about your setup
We'll give you an honest assessment of whether Moonbase fits your needs. No pressure, no generic sales pitch.