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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
2Ory logoOryOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 457.2
3Casdoor logoCasdoorOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted3 of 355.3
  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. Ory logo

    2. 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)
  3. Casdoor logo

    3. 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)

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.