---
url: /zoho-payments-whmcs/licensing.md
description: >-
  Understand Zoho Payments' two license types — Leased and Lifetime — how the
  license gates payment processing, what your customers see if it lapses, and
  where to enter and manage your key.
---

# Licensing

Zoho Payments for WHMCS ships with one of two license types. Both unlock the full gateway; they
differ in how updates and long-term use work. This page covers the two license types, the one
license-gated feature, what happens if the license is inactive, and where to enter and manage your
key.

## The two license types

| Type | What you get | Updates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Leased** | Works while the license is active. | Updates included for as long as it stays active. |
| **Lifetime** | Perpetual use of the installed version — you own it forever. | Newer versions need an active **Support & Updates** plan. |

## The license-gated feature

The license-gated feature is **payment processing itself**. The license check runs **locally in
the background**, so a brief outage of the licensing server never disrupts your storefront, and
you can tolerate short interruptions without any effect. If the license is genuinely inactive, the
gateway stops accepting **new** payments until you renew or re-enter your key.

## What your customers see if the license lapses

If the license is inactive, the gateway fails safe rather than showing a broken checkout:

* **New payments are blocked.** On the invoice page the customer sees:

  ::: warning Shown to the customer
  Online payment is temporarily unavailable. Please contact us to complete your order.
  :::

  The **Gateway Log** records *"Payment blocked - license not active"* (at most once an hour, so
  it never floods the log).

* **Payments already in progress are never lost.** If a customer has already paid at Zoho, that
  payment is still **verified and recorded** even while the license is inactive — the invoice is
  marked paid as normal. The Gateway Log notes *"License Not Active - proceeding to
  verify/record payment"* for those cases.

Renewing or re-entering your key restores new payments immediately.

::: tip
Because in-progress payments are always recorded, a lapsed license never causes a customer to be
charged without their invoice being marked paid.
:::

## Where to enter and manage your key

Your license key lives in the gateway configuration, not in an Addons panel. Go to **Setup →
Payment Gateways → Zoho Payments** and enter your key in the **License Key** field, then **Save
Changes**.

![License Key field in the Zoho Payments gateway configuration](/zoho-payments-whmcs/img/zoho-payments-licensing-license-key.png)
*Setup → Payment Gateways → Zoho Payments*

You can get your key from your account at [relyweb.co](https://relyweb.co). After saving, place a
test order in **Test Mode** to confirm payments are accepted.

## Related pages

* [Installation](/zoho-payments-whmcs/installation) — where entering your key fits in setup
* [Configuration](/zoho-payments-whmcs/configuration) — every gateway field explained
* [Updating](/zoho-payments-whmcs/updating) — how license type affects updates
* [Error reference](/zoho-payments-whmcs/errors) — the exact licensing messages