Domain, IP, and hardware locking; trial version creation with expiration dates; and support for the latest PHP versions (up to 8.4).

SourceGuardian is a strong competitor to ionCube, offering a dual-layer process that both obfuscates and encrypts your code.

Developers who need granular control over licensing and high-security encryption. 4. Better PHP Obfuscator – Best for Modern PHP 8+

PHP Obfuscation vs Encryption: Which Works Best? - SourceGuardian

Advanced script locking (limiting execution to specific servers or dates) and a robust Command Line Interface (CLI) for CI/CD integration.