Comparison

Better Auth vs Keycloak

No clear leader: Better Auth (71.9) and Keycloak (71.8) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Better Auth72
Keycloak72
Score
Vioscale score
Better Auth72 / 100low · 37%
Keycloak72 / 100low · 47%
Pricing
Free tier
Better Auth
Keycloak
Model
Better Authcommercial
Keycloakopen_source
Price level
Better Authmid
Keycloakfree
Transparent
Better Auth
Keycloak
Integrations
Count
Better Auth21
Keycloak10
Adoption
Dependent repos
Better Auth210
Keycloak1,153
Github stars
Better Auth29,704
Keycloak36,428
Package downloads weekly
Better Auth7,379,198
Keycloak1,713,825
Activity
Commits last 30d
Better Auth100
Keycloak100
Release
Cadence days
Better Auth
Keycloak13
History
Better Auth20 items
Keycloak20 items
License
Spdx
Better AuthMIT
KeycloakApache-2.0
Language
Primary
Better AuthTypeScript
KeycloakJava
Market

Capabilities

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

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

What each one is

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

Better Auth

Better Auth is an open-source framework for building authentication directly into TypeScript applications using code-based configuration. It provides 50+ authentication methods and integrates with 20+ JavaScript frameworks, supporting features like social login, passkeys, multi-factor authentication, and enterprise capabilities such as SAML and SCIM. Optional managed infrastructure adds audit logging, security monitoring, and user management dashboards.

Independently observed

Keycloak

Centralized authentication and authorization platform that manages user identity and access control across applications, reducing the need for individual apps to build their own login systems.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

Better Auth

from $20/moHybridFree tier

Free tier available. Pro from $20/month. Enterprise custom pricing.

  • StarterFree
    • User management
    • Audit log
    • Security detection
    • Abuse protection
    • Email templates
    • +1 more
  • Pro$20/month base, plus per-usage overages
    • Unlimited seats
    • User management
    • Audit log with overage
    • Security detection with overage
    • Transactional Email & SMS
    • +5 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Custom usage and retention
    • Custom domain for Dashboard
    • Log drain
    • Dashboard RBAC
    • Custom MSA and DPA
    • +2 more
as of verify ↗

Keycloak

Open sourceFree tier

Free, open-source software

as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
Web
Better Auth
Keycloak
Windows
Better Auth
Keycloak
Linux
Better Auth
Keycloak
CLI
Better Auth
Keycloak
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Better Auth
Keycloak
Self-hosted
Better Auth
Keycloak
On-premise
Better Auth
Keycloak
Hybrid
Better Auth
Keycloak

Integrations

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

In common (2)
  • Google
  • GitHub

Better Auth

21 total - 19 not shared
  • Next.js
  • Nuxt
  • SvelteKit
  • Astro
  • Hono
  • Apple
  • Discord
  • Passkey Authentication
  • Magic Link Authentication
  • Email OTP Authentication
  • Two Factor Authentication
  • Username Authentication
  • One Tap Authentication
  • Phone Number Authentication
  • Anonymous Authentication
  • Bearer Authentication
  • Generic OAuth
  • One Time Token Authentication
  • SIWE Authentication
Independently observed

Keycloak

10 total - 8 not shared
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LDAP
  • Active Directory
  • Kerberos
  • Kubernetes
  • Apache APISIX
  • OpenTelemetry
Independently observed

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

Better Auth vs Keycloak: an evidence-based comparison · Vioscale