- Legal review before publication. This is a comparative page. Legal must review every statement about First German Escrow and every comparison before it goes live.
- First German Escrow facts come from First German Escrow's own website only, checked on 7 Oct 2026 with a fetch tool (a model-mediated copy, so click-check each source). Production's article was not used as evidence. Each fact, its URL and the date checked are in import2/comparisons/fge.facts.md.
- The headline and sub are neutral. They name the question that matters, will the software come back and can you prove it, instead of a verdict. No fear lines, no "they fail".
- The summary card repeats four rows of the table below, with the same references.
- Two first-party sites: first-german-escrow.de (German) and intellectualpropertyescrowagent.com (English), both linked from each other.
- Years of experience: the German site says both "more than 26 years" and "23 years". The page says "more than 20 years", which holds either way.
- Cut from production: "a sole proprietorship … with a single phone number and email" (the legal form isn't stated on its site, and the line reads as a criticism), "There's no SaaS … no AI … no hosting-payment continuity" (absolutes about what they lack), "A deposit you haven't tested is a guess" (fear line) and the $249/$139 Codekeeper figures.
- 16 Oct: Continuity Pro added; base Continuity no longer includes Agentic Verification, so the hero row says "Included in the Pro levels".
Codekeeper vs First German Escrow. Compare what you can prove.
Codekeeper and First German Escrow both hold software in escrow. The question that matters comes next: will your software come back, and can you prove it before you need it?
Competitor details checked against First German Escrow's own websites on 7 Oct 2026.
Trusted by 3,500+ teams, from regulated enterprises to fast-growing software vendors
The short answer
It depends on what you need back.
Both hold software in escrow. Here's where each one fits, and the question worth asking any provider.
When First German Escrow may suit you
You want an independent agent with a long record. First German Escrow describes itself as a worldwide, independent escrow agent with more than 20 years' experience1,2. It stores material physically rather than in the cloud, and points disputes to mediation or arbitration rather than the courts1.
When Codekeeper suits you
You want proof the deposit builds before you need it, the option of a recovery we run for you, or a hosted service kept paid and switched on for an agreed period while we recover. Prices are published per application.
The question to ask any provider
“Show me that this deposit rebuilds without the vendor, and give me evidence I can file.” Ask it of every provider on your shortlist, us included.
- Legal review before publication: every row is a comparative claim.
- "Not stated on their website" marks what we couldn't find. It never says they lack it, and the note under the table says so.
- Flagged ⚑: "50+ integrations", "synced daily" and "in over 150 countries" are production claims still open in to-confirm.md. "3,500+ teams" is production's figure too (MESSAGING §6, used unflagged on the home page); confirm it with the others.
- Fact-check, 7 Oct: the Codekeeper column, and the Codekeeper cells in the hero summary, are now word for word the same on all nineteen comparison pages: Resilience recovery shown as best effort, Continuity as "paid and switched on for an agreed period", four rebuilds a year, a Tested Exit Report, and setup of $499 per arrangement ($999 for Continuity). Change them on every page or none.
- Dropped from production's table: base storage, unlimited repositories, 24/7/365 release processing, Assured Recovery, Validated, Verified and Certified, storage upgrades and multi-escrow options. They rest on the old line-up or on claims we can't confirm.
- Most cells say "Not stated on their website". First German Escrow's sites are short and describe a personal, agreement-by-agreement service. That's a fact about its website, not a weakness of its service, and the note under the table says so.
- Active Escrow ("FGE becomes active if deposits or updates are missing") is named in the first row; production didn't describe it fairly.
- 16 Oct: Continuity Pro added on every comparison page; base Continuity no longer includes Agentic Verification, so the verification cells name Continuity Pro.
Side by side
Codekeeper and First German Escrow, row by row.
What each provider offers, from First German Escrow's own websites and Codekeeper's published line-up. Where their site doesn't say, we say so.
Codekeeper prices are list prices per application per month. Rebuilds run on supported technology stacks. "Not stated on their website" means we couldn't find it on First German Escrow's site on 7 Oct 2026, not that they don't offer it. Numbers refer to the sources at the foot of the page.
- Switching strip: production's /switch-to-codekeeper offers a buyout agreement drafted within 24 hours and no payment until the old contract ends. Those terms aren't confirmed, so the strip states none and says "Ask us how switching works". Sales must confirm the offer before any term appears here.
- 16 Oct: Continuity Pro added; base Continuity no longer includes Agentic Verification. The Recoverability Certificate rung names Continuity Pro.
What's different
Proof beats promises.
Having the code is the start. Having it back is the goal. Every Codekeeper protection comes with evidence you can file, and the higher you go, the more it proves.
Software Resilience Certificate
The deposit is held, and an automated check confirms what's in it, with a vault report.
Proves: it's there.
Recoverability Certificate
AI agents rebuild the deposit in the Codekeeper AI Verification Lab, with no help from the vendor, in hours. You also get the run report, an SBOM and an Exit workbook.
Proves: it builds. Agentic Verification
Tested Exit Report
Our specialists rebuild by hand in a clean room and test the business functions you nominate, without the original developers.
Proves: you could exit and keep working. Exit Exercise
Moving from First German Escrow?
Tell us about the agreement you have today, who's party to it and when it ends. We'll plan the move with you and your counterparties.
Sample evidence pack
See what your auditor would receive.
An anonymised set of outputs from a real Agentic Verification run, so you can judge the evidence before you talk to us.
- Recoverability Certificate
- Run report
- SBOM and Exit workbook excerpts
- Switching states no offer terms: the production offer is unconfirmed (see the switching strip).
- Jurisdiction makes no claim about a choice of governing law or hosting region for Codekeeper. Both are open in to-confirm.md; confirm before saying more.
- Legal review of every comparative sentence before publication.
- 16 Oct: Continuity Pro added; base Continuity no longer includes Agentic Verification. The verification answer names Continuity Pro, and the price answer adds Continuity Pro (from $1,699, setup $999).
Questions
Comparing Codekeeper and First German Escrow?
Can we switch from First German Escrow to Codekeeper?
Yes. Tell us about the agreement you have today, who's party to it and when it ends. We'll plan the move with you and your counterparties. Ask us how switching works
How do the agreements differ?
With Codekeeper Escrow, an Escrow Agreement covers the depositor and the beneficiary, and the deposit is released to the beneficiary when a release condition is met. With Resilience, a Resilience Arrangement means the deposit comes to Codekeeper and we run the recovery, best effort, with recovery work billed to the claimants who need it. One claimant is included; more are an add-on. First German Escrow tailors each agreement to the parties and points disputes to mediation or arbitration1.
How do the prices compare?
Codekeeper publishes list prices per application per month. For software applications: Escrow from $199, Escrow Pro from $449, Resilience from $399, Resilience Pro from $649, Continuity from $1,449 and Continuity Pro from $1,699. Setup is $499 per arrangement, or $999 for Continuity and Continuity Pro. Escrow means the deposit is released to you and you run the recovery. Resilience costs more because we do the recovery. Continuity costs more again because we also keep the live environment switched on. We found no price figures on First German Escrow's website; it says its prices are optimised to meet your needs1.
How does verification differ?
Agentic Verification is included in Escrow Pro, Resilience Pro and Continuity Pro, with four rebuilds a year that you start. AI agents rebuild the deposit in the Codekeeper AI Verification Lab, with no help from the vendor, in hours, on supported technology stacks. They run on Codekeeper's own models, so your code stays in our environment. A successful run issues a Recoverability Certificate: it documents the rebuild, and release rights come from the agreement. First German Escrow makes a basic check of every deposit mandatory1.
Does it matter where the provider is based?
First German Escrow is based in Erkelenz, Germany, and stores material physically rather than in the cloud1. If your organisation needs a particular governing law or data location, tell us on a demo and we'll confirm what we can offer before you sign.
Sources
Where these details come from.
Based on information publicly available on 7 Oct 2026. Trademarks belong to their owners. If something has changed, tell us and we'll correct it.
- First German Escrow, home page (in German). Erkelenz address, experience, deposit process and email confirmation, mandatory basic check, physical storage, tailored agreements, mediation and arbitration, prices (no figures given).
- First German Escrow, English site. Worldwide, independent escrow agent; Peace of Mind, Active, Investor and Industrial Escrow.
Checked on 7 Oct 2026 against First German Escrow's own websites.
See the difference on your own applications.
We'll walk through your applications and show you, side by side with First German Escrow, what each protection would cover.