Comparison

Descope vs Keycloak

On the evidence we track, Descope leads this comparison with a composite score of 91/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Descope91
Keycloak72
Score
Vioscale score
Descope91 / 100medium · 72%
Keycloak72 / 100low · 47%
Pricing
Free tier
Descope
Keycloak
Model
Descopefreemium
Keycloakopen_source
Price level
Descopelow
Keycloakfree
Transparent
Descope
Keycloak
Integrations
Count
Descope50
Keycloak10
Security
Disclosure policy
Descope
Keycloak
Fedramp
Descope
Keycloak
Gdpr
Descope
Keycloak
Hipaa
Descope
Keycloak
Iso27001
Descope
Keycloak
Pci
Descope
Keycloak
Scorecard
Descope
Keycloak7.9
Soc2
Descope
Keycloak
Reliability
Sla pct
Descope99.99
Keycloak
Status page
Descope
Keycloak
Adoption
Dependent repos
Descope
Keycloak1,153
Github stars
Descope
Keycloak36,428
Package downloads weekly
Descope
Keycloak1,713,825
Activity
Commits last 30d
Descope
Keycloak100
Release
Cadence days
Descope
Keycloak13
History
Descope
Keycloak20 items
License
Spdx
Descope
KeycloakApache-2.0
Language
Primary
Descope
KeycloakJava
Market
Availability

Capabilities

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

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

What each one is

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

Descope

Leader

Descope is an identity and access management platform that enables developers to build and customize authentication flows for customers, partners, AI agents, and MCP servers. It offers drag-and-drop workflows, passwordless authentication, MFA, SSO, and token management with features designed to reduce friction while preventing account takeover.

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.

Descope

Leader
HybridFree tier

Usage-based pricing with Monthly Active Consents (MAC), Monthly Active Tokens (MATK), and M2M Exchanges. Free tier available.

  • Free ForeverFree
  • Pro-
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
Descope
Keycloak
iOS
Descope
Keycloak
Android
Descope
Keycloak
Windows
Descope
Keycloak
Linux
Descope
Keycloak
CLI
Descope
Keycloak
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Descope
Keycloak
Self-hosted
Descope
Keycloak
On-premise
Descope
Keycloak
Hybrid
Descope
Keycloak

Integrations

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

In common (1)
  • Facebook

Descope

Leader
10 total - 9 not shared
  • Vercel
  • OpenAI
  • Google Calendar
  • MCP servers
  • Email/SMS platforms
  • CRM platforms
  • CDP platforms
  • Audit solutions
  • Fraud detection systems
Independently observed

Keycloak

10 total - 9 not shared
  • GitHub
  • Google
  • 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.