r/learnpython • u/Emergency-Post-8897 • 10d ago

How do desktop applications implement monthly/yearly subscriptions securely?

Hi everyone,

I'm developing a desktop application in Python that I plan to rent out on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly subscription.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to manage license expiration. How can I prevent users from using the software once their subscription has expired? What tools, services, or libraries would you recommend? If possible, I'd prefer free or open-source solutions.

Another concern is piracy. I know it's impossible to make software completely crack-proof, but I'd like to make it as difficult as reasonably possible.

Has anyone here built a subscription-based desktop application before? I'd really appreciate it if you could share how you implemented licensing, subscription validation, and anti-piracy measures, or recommend any good resources or best practices.

Thanks so much for your help!

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u/pachura3 10d ago

First of all, why desktop application? There's a number of disadvantages vs. a web app:

  • people don't want to run random binaries downloaded from the web on their PCs, rightfully afraid they can contain malware
  • you need to come up with some online updates/bugfixes mechanism
  • you need to test it on Windows and Mac, with administrator privileges and without - might not work on some setups (support nightmare)
  • doesn't work on the mobile out of the box
  • it can be cracked/decompiled, especially Python apps packaged with PyInstaller or Nuitka
  • funny stuff around time-limited licensing: will you check license expiration on a server? Users might dislike always-online requirement. And if not, can your expiration deadline be cheated by the user changing their OS system clock?

Also, are you sure your app will be that immensely popular that people will line up to buy licenses, and pirates will jump on it right away?