Comparison

Authentik vs Keycloak

On the evidence we track, Keycloak leads this comparison with a composite score of 65/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Authentik46
★Keycloak65
Score
vioscaleAI score
Authentik46 / 100medium · 69%
Keycloak65 / 100low · 46%
Pricing
Free tier
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Model
Authentikfreemium
Keycloakopen_source
Price level
Authentiklow
Keycloakfree
Transparent
Authentik✗
Keycloak✓
Integrations
Count
Authentik10
Keycloak8
Reliability
Status page
Authentik✓
Keycloak–
Adoption
Dependent repos
Authentik0
Keycloak678
Github stars
Authentik25,816
Keycloak37,140
Package downloads weekly
Authentik–
Keycloak998,112
Activity
Commits last 30d
Authentik100
Keycloak100
Release
Cadence days
Authentik6
Keycloak13
History
Authentik20 items
Keycloak20 items
License
Spdx
Authentik–
KeycloakApache-2.0
Language
Primary
AuthentikPython
KeycloakJava
Market
Content
Faq
Authentik7 items
Keycloak6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for auth & identity software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Deployment
Hosting
AuthentikCloud + self-hosted
KeycloakCloud + self-hosted
Methods
Social login
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Passwordless
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Passkeys / WebAuthn
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Multi-factor auth
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Enterprise
SAML SSO
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
SCIM provisioning
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
B2B / multi-tenancy
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Standards
OpenID Connect provider
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Delivery
Hosted UI
AuthentikHosted
KeycloakBoth
Access
RBAC
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Licensing
Self-hostable OSS core
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Authentik

authentik is an open-source Identity Provider that consolidates authentication and identity management into one self-hosted platform, supporting standard protocols like OAuth2/OIDC, SAML, LDAP, and RADIUS for modern SSO deployments.

Independently observed

Keycloak

Leader

An open-source identity management solution that allows users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple applications, eliminating the need for individual login handling at the application level.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Authentik

HybridFree tier
  • Open SourceFree
    • OIDC, SAML, LDAP, SCIM, RADIUS, Proxy support
    • OpenID Certified for OpenID Connect
    • Web-based RDP/SSH access
    • B2B and B2C use cases
    • Community Discord support
  • Enterprise-
    • Google Workspace integration
    • Microsoft Entra ID integration
    • Embed external OAuth/SAML sources
    • Chrome Enterprise Device Trust connector
    • Shared Signals Framework support
    • +9 more
  • Enterprise PlusContact sales
    • Invoice-based billing
    • Dedicated, customized support and SLAs
    • Volume discounts
    • Support for multi-instance deployments
    • FIPS compliance for FedRAMP
as of verify ↗

Keycloak

Leader
Open source
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Authentik✓
Keycloak✗
macOS
Authentik✓
Keycloak✗
Windows
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Linux
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
CLI
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Authentik✗
Keycloak✓
Self-hosted
Authentik✓
Keycloak✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (3)
  • OpenID Connect
  • LDAP
  • Kerberos

Authentik

17 total - 14 not shared
  • OAuth2
  • SAML2
  • RADIUS
  • SCIM
  • WS-Federation
  • Microsoft Entra ID
  • Google Workspace
  • Shared Signals Framework (SSF)
  • Chrome Enterprise Device Trust
  • Fleet
  • SAML
  • OAuth2/OIDC
  • Apple Business Manager
  • Google Chrome
Independently observed

Keycloak

Leader
12 total - 9 not shared
  • GitHub
  • Google
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Active Directory
  • Kubernetes
  • Apache APISIX
  • OpenTelemetry
  • SAML 2.0
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Authentik or Keycloak: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.