Question about source code transparency and trust in KeyHelp

[noviro]

Hello KeyHelp Team and Community,

First of all, I want to thank you for providing such a powerful and user-friendly control panel. I can see how much effort and care has gone into making KeyHelp reliable and accessible for so many users.

I do have one question regarding the nature of the project:
Since KeyHelp is free but not open-source (as far as I understand), many users — including myself — are curious about the reasoning behind this choice. In today’s ecosystem, transparency through open-source can help build additional trust and encourage community-driven contributions.

I completely respect that every project has its own strategy and vision. At the same time, I believe many in the community would like to understand:

* Why has the decision been made not to release KeyHelp as open source?
* How can we, as users, be sure about the long-term trust, security, and sustainability of the project without being able to review the source code?

I am asking these questions out of genuine curiosity and with respect for the great work you are already doing. I think an open conversation about this topic would strengthen the community’s trust and engagement even more.

Thank you for your time and for continuing to improve KeyHelp. I (and many others, I believe) would greatly appreciate your perspective on this.

Best regards

[Tobi]

The company behind KeyHelp is the KeyWeb AG located in Erfurt. You may research any public database about the reputation of this company.

Of course my opinion on KeyHelp is not objective, but if I had to choose between a German software development company and a non-European one, I would always choose the domestic product.

Just give KeyHelp a chance and see if your fears come true.

[noviro]

I appreciate the reference to KeyWeb AG and understand that many users value the reliability of a domestic company. However, my original question was more focused on the philosophy and strategy behind the decision not to make KeyHelp open-source.

As someone who deeply respects the work you’ve done, I’m simply trying to understand:

• What are the main reasons for keeping KeyHelp closed-source?
• Are there any plans to increase transparency in other ways (e.g., public audits, security disclosures, community roadmaps)?
• How do you envision building long-term trust with technically-minded users who value code-level transparency?


I ask these questions not out of skepticism, but out of genuine interest in the future of KeyHelp and its relationship with the broader community. I believe that open dialogue strengthens trust and helps users feel more connected to the project’s vision.

Thank you again for your time and dedication.

[technotravel]

Hello from one of the community users.

My 2 cts on this: I am entirely happy with the current model. Not being able myself to check any published code on backdoors or such anyways, I trust the collective experience of the user base to discover anything suspicious or even malicious in the code.

KeyWeb actually does make a few bucks from licenses for a few elements only available in the PRO version of KeyHelp, which are not required for the average user. I am frankly very happy that the developers are getting their paychecks from this company, which lets me hope for continued development and improvements. It also allows for a level of professional support quite unmatched in many opensource projects.

While opensource and code-level transparency are certainly a positive thing, they are by far not a guarantee for the success of a project or for its longevity. And in the case of KeyHelp, the absence of opensource is more than compensated by the degree of ingenious cooperation with the user base to improve the product on a very regular basis (input through this forum).

Kindly allow me this observation: your texts sound quite like they have been composed by ChatGPT or something similar. Nothing wrong about this in principle, but I would find it much more acceptable if you mentioned the use of such tools.

[noviro]

With respect, thank you for your detailed explanation.
Yes, my native language is Persian, and I used ChatGPT to translate the text.

[Tobi]

I ask these questions not out of skepticism, but out of genuine interest in the future of KeyHelp and its relationship with the broader community.

For me the future of KeyHelp is right now!

I came here over eight years ago and I never looked back