LicenseShield by barmenteros FX provides MT4 license protection for any MetaTrader Expert Advisor or indicator. Add one include file and two calls, and your software is protected from piracy — no servers, no backend, no DevOps required.
No credit card required.
The Problem: Piracy, Spreadsheets, and Trial Abuse
See how EX4 decompiling actually works for the mechanism behind the first of those three problems.
Your trading software appears on pirate forums within days of release. Every unauthorized copy is a lost sale. Manual license tracking in spreadsheets breaks down after 10+ customers. And without a proper trial system, offering risk-free demos means risking abuse.
LicenseShield solves all three problems with a single integration.
Add License Protection in 3 Lines
Add one include file and two calls to any MQL4 or MQL5 Expert Advisor or indicator.
#include <LicenseShield.mqh>
#define API_KEY "YOUR_API_KEY" // your vendor key: keep it a #define, never an input
int OnInit() { return LicenseShield_Guard_OnInit(API_KEY); }
void OnTick() { if(!LicenseShield_Guard_Tick()) return; /* your trading logic */ }That is the EA form; an indicator uses the sibling include LicenseShieldInd.mqh. The verification call is sub-second (~350 ms warm). Your software checks the license on every launch — without a valid license it does not start — and again every hour while it runs, stopping if the license is rejected. If you’re new to EAs, learn about Expert Advisors and how they work before getting started.
How It Works
- Register — Create your free account in 30 seconds
- Get API Key — Copy your unique credentials
- Integrate — Paste 3 lines into your MQL code
- Done — Manage licenses from your dashboard
Features
- Account-Bound Licenses — Each license tied to specific MetaTrader account numbers
- Remote Control — Disable any license instantly from your dashboard
- Auto-Trial System — Give prospects risk-free trials with configurable expiration
- Usage Tracking — See exactly when and where your software is used
- Zero DevOps — We handle AWS, databases, and uptime
- Sub-second Response — ~350 ms warm, so verification won’t slow down your trading software
Built by the Team Behind 200+ MetaTrader Applications
LicenseShield is developed and maintained in-house by barmenteros FX — the same team that has been building production MetaTrader systems since 2011. We built LicenseShield because our own clients needed reliable license protection, and nothing on the market delivered it without requiring backend knowledge. Every feature exists because a real EA developer needed it.
Need help protecting your MT4/MT5 EA from piracy? Our step-by-step guide walks you through the full process.
Plans
| Feature | Free | Starter | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0/mo | $19/mo | $49/mo | $149/mo |
| Daily Verifications | 10 | 100 | 750 | 4,000 |
| Active Licenses | 1 | 15 | 50 | 150 |
| Trial Duration | 7 days (fixed) | 0–14 days | 0–30 days | 0–90 days |
| Priority Support | — | — | — | Yes |
Need a fully custom solution? For studios, signal providers, or commercial EA publishers, our enterprise license management service offers bespoke integration, white-label options, and dedicated support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does LicenseShield work with both MT4 and MT5?
Yes. LicenseShield ships one include file per program type for MQL4 and MQL5 (LicenseShield.mqh for EAs, LicenseShieldInd.mqh for indicators). The integration is the same on both platforms: one #include and two calls, the same API, the same dashboard. It works with Expert Advisors and indicators on either platform.
What happens if your servers go down?
LicenseShield runs serverless on a cloud server infrastructure (99.9%+ uptime). A program built with LicenseShield kit 2.0 or later keeps running on its last good check and retries at each interval, for up to 72 hours without reaching the server; after that it stops at the next failed check. A program that starts while the server cannot be reached loads paused and starts working at the first successful check. Programs built with an earlier kit keep running until their next restart. LicenseShield never fabricates a valid license.
Can I try LicenseShield before paying?
Yes. The Free plan includes 10 verifications per day and 1 active license — enough to test the full integration workflow in your development environment. No credit card required. Upgrade to a paid plan when you're ready to scale.
How long does integration take?
It is one file and a few lines of code. Download it from your dashboard into your MQL4 or MQL5 Include folder: LicenseShield.mqh for an Expert Advisor, or LicenseShieldInd.mqh for an indicator. Add one #include and two calls, one in OnInit() and one in OnTick() (OnCalculate() for an indicator), paste your API key and compile. An EA also needs our API address allowed under WebRequest; an indicator needs "Allow DLL imports" instead. Your customers install nothing. No server setup, no backend knowledge. For a detailed walkthrough, see our license verification tutorial.
Is LicenseShield developed and maintained by your team?
Yes. LicenseShield is built entirely in-house by barmenteros FX — the same team providing MetaTrader programming services since 2011. We write and maintain the API, the dashboard and the MQL4/MQL5 integration kit ourselves; the service runs on AWS and payments are processed by Stripe.
Ready to Protect Your Trading Software?
Join developers who trust LicenseShield to secure their EAs and indicators.
No credit card required.