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Keycloak alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Keycloak: you run, scale and upgrade it yourself, and admin concepts and theming have a steep learning curve. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Keycloak, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Zitadel currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Zitadel logoZitadelOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 466.5
2authentik logoauthentikOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted4 of 462.6
3FusionAuth logoFusionAuthFree plan + paidNoWeb, Self-hosted, Linux +23 of 359.6
4Ory logoOryOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 457.2
5Casdoor logoCasdoorOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted3 of 355.3
6Auth0 logoAuth0Free plan + paidNoWeb4 of 453.6
  1. Zitadel logo

    1. ZitadelTop pick

    Best for: B2B SaaS teams that want multi-tenant identity with the option to self-host

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Keycloak

    Modern open-source alternative with a friendlier UI and a managed cloud if you want it.

    Pros

    • Multi-tenancy and delegated admin built into the core
    • Choice of managed cloud or self-hosting the same code
    • Full audit trail from its event-sourced design

    Cons

    • AGPL licence may need legal review for some companies
    • Smaller community than Keycloak
    • Free cloud tier is limited in daily active users
    Visit Zitadel Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Zitadel a good Keycloak alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    AGPL-3.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    $0/month cloud tier
    Checked Oct 25, 2026zitadel.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro price
    $100/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026zitadel.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data location
    EU, US, Switzerland or Australia
    Checked Oct 25, 2026zitadel.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. authentik logo

    2. authentik

    Best for: Self-hosters and IT teams who want one identity provider for web apps, LDAP and VPNs

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Keycloak

    Easier to configure, with a built-in application proxy, LDAP and RADIUS.

    Pros

    • Covers OIDC, SAML, LDAP, RADIUS and proxy auth in one tool
    • Visual flows and Python policies for custom logic
    • Free open-source edition with no user limits

    Cons

    • Flow and stage concepts take time to learn
    • No managed cloud; you operate it yourself
    • Some enterprise features need a paid licence
    Visit authentik Compare with KeycloakDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is authentik a good Keycloak alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Open-source edition, free
    Checked Oct 25, 2026goauthentik.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    OIDC, SAML, LDAP, SCIM, RADIUS, Kerberos
    Checked Oct 25, 2026goauthentik.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise price
    $5 per user/month, billed annually
    Checked Oct 25, 2026goauthentik.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026goauthentik.io(opens source in a new tab)
  3. FusionAuth logo

    3. FusionAuth

    Best for: Teams that want a full-featured identity server they can self-host for free

    Free plan + paidSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Keycloak

    Self-hostable server with a cleaner API and optional paid support and hosting.

    Pros

    • Free self-hosted Community edition with unlimited users
    • Complete REST API and client libraries
    • Same product whether self-hosted or cloud

    Cons

    • Not open source; premium features need a paid licence
    • Managed hosting plans get expensive quickly
    • You run, upgrade and secure it yourself when self-hosting
    Visit FusionAuth Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is FusionAuth a good Keycloak alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    Community edition, unlimited users
    Checked Oct 25, 2026fusionauth.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Yes, free
    Checked Oct 25, 2026fusionauth.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    Starter from $162/month, billed annually
    Checked Oct 25, 2026fusionauth.io(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Ory logo

    4. Ory

    Best for: Engineering teams that want modular, API-first identity at large scale

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Keycloak

    Headless, API-first components for teams that want to build their own login UI.

    Pros

    • Apache-licensed components you can self-host freely
    • Separate services for login, OAuth2 and permissions
    • Proven at very large scale

    Cons

    • Headless design means building or adapting your own UI
    • Managed plans are priced for businesses, billed annually
    • Several components to learn and operate
    Visit Ory Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Ory a good Keycloak alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0 (Kratos)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    Ory Network Production $770/year
    Checked Oct 25, 2026ory.sh(opens source in a new tab)
    Growth plan
    $9,350/year
    Checked Oct 25, 2026ory.sh(opens source in a new tab)
    Notable user
    OpenAI
    Checked Oct 25, 2026ory.sh(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Casdoor logo

    5. Casdoor

    Best for: Teams that want a light self-hosted SSO server with many social and regional providers

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Keycloak

    Lightweight open-source IAM with a simple web UI and many identity providers.

    Pros

    • Supports OAuth, OIDC, SAML, CAS and LDAP
    • Very wide range of identity providers, including Chinese platforms
    • Flat-fee hosted option with no per-user charges

    Cons

    • Documentation is uneven
    • Admin UI exposes many settings that can overwhelm
    • Smaller Western community than Keycloak
    Visit Casdoor Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Casdoor a good Keycloak alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, CAS, LDAP
    Checked Oct 25, 2026casdoor.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud price
    From $29/month, no per-user fees
    Checked Oct 25, 2026casdoor.org(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Auth0 logo

    6. Auth0

    Best for: Product teams that want a mature hosted login with SDKs for almost every stack

    Free plan + paidWeb

    53.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Keycloak

    Fully managed, so nobody on the team has to run identity servers.

    Pros

    • SDKs and quickstarts for nearly every language and framework
    • Actions allow custom logic in login and sign-up flows
    • Large free tier for consumer apps

    Cons

    • Costs rise sharply once you need B2B or enterprise features
    • Cloud only for most customers; no self-hosted edition
    • Dashboard and docs can be confusing alongside Okta's own products
    Visit Auth0 Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Auth0 a good Keycloak alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Up to 25,000 monthly active users
    Checked Oct 25, 2026auth0.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    Essentials from $35/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026auth0.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    22 days of paid features
    Checked Oct 25, 2026auth0.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Startup program
    Free for a year for eligible startups
    Checked Oct 25, 2026auth0.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Keycloak alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Zitadel logo

Best Keycloak alternative for most people

Zitadel

Modern open-source alternative with a friendlier UI and a managed cloud if you want it.

authentik logo

Best Keycloak alternative for a free option

authentik

Easier to configure, with a built-in application proxy, LDAP and RADIUS.

FusionAuth logo

Best Keycloak alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

FusionAuth

Self-hostable server with a cleaner API and optional paid support and hosting.

Ory logo

Best Keycloak alternative for open source

Ory

Headless, API-first components for teams that want to build their own login UI.

Casdoor logo

Best Keycloak alternative for self-hosting

Casdoor

Lightweight open-source IAM with a simple web UI and many identity providers.

FusionAuth logo

Best Keycloak alternative for Mac

FusionAuth

Self-hostable server with a cleaner API and optional paid support and hosting.

FusionAuth logo

Best Keycloak alternative for Windows

FusionAuth

Self-hostable server with a cleaner API and optional paid support and hosting.

FusionAuth logo

Best Keycloak alternative for Linux

FusionAuth

Self-hostable server with a cleaner API and optional paid support and hosting.

Auth0 logo

Best Keycloak alternative for working in the browser

Auth0

Fully managed, so nobody on the team has to run identity servers.

Keycloak alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Keycloak?

Zitadel ranks first right now. Modern open-source alternative with a friendlier UI and a managed cloud if you want it. authentik and FusionAuth follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Keycloak?

Yes. Zitadel (open source), authentik (open source), FusionAuth (free plan + paid) and Ory (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Keycloak?

Yes: Zitadel, authentik, Ory and Casdoor. Zitadel, authentik and Ory can also be self-hosted.

Which Keycloak alternatives work on Linux?

FusionAuth runs on Linux.

Why do people switch from Keycloak?

The complaints we hear most: you run, scale and upgrade it yourself; admin concepts and theming have a steep learning curve; login pages look dated without custom themes.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Keycloak, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.