Authentication & User Management
Best Keycloak Alternatives & Open-Source Competitors in 1970
Keycloak is priced as 100% free open-source (red hat community), starting at $0 (Free Self-Hosted). Here are 4 alternatives, with their pricing, self-hosting effort and trade-offs.
Why teams move away from Keycloak
- High DevOps maintenance burden and Java memory footprint
- Default login UI is dated and requires custom theme development
- Major-version upgrades regularly need migration work on custom themes and providers
Keycloak alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Licence | Starting price | Self-hosting | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keycloak | Open SourceSelf-Hostable | $0 (Free Self-Hosted) | High (Java/Quarkus container, DB setup) | 24k |
| SuperTokens | Open SourceSelf-Hostable | $0 (self-hosted) or free Cloud up to 5,000 MAU | Medium (Docker with Postgres) | 15.3k |
| Okta Auth0 | Proprietary | $35/mo (B2C) / Custom (B2B) | Not available | N/A |
| Clerk | Proprietary | $25/mo | Not available | N/A |
| Kinde | Proprietary | $25/mo (Pro) | Not available | N/A |
The alternatives in detail
SuperTokens
Open source (Apache-2.0) / Cloud usage-based
- Starting price
- $0 (self-hosted) or free Cloud up to 5,000 MAU
- Free tier
- Free self-hosted; Cloud free up to 5,000 MAU
- Self-hosting
- Medium (Docker with Postgres)
Pros
- Open-source auth with email/password, social, passwordless and MFA
- Session handling you can run next to your own user database
- Drop-in frontend SDKs for React, Vue and mobile
Cons
- Security updates and uptime are yours when self-hosting
- Fewer enterprise B2B features (SCIM, deep organisation management) than Auth0
- Smaller documentation and community than Auth0 or Clerk
Okta Auth0
Per Monthly Active User (MAU)
- Starting price
- $35/mo (B2C) / Custom (B2B)
- Free tier
- Free for up to 7,500 active users
- Self-hosting
- Not available
Pros
- Most comprehensive enterprise identity and SAML/SSO federation
- Battle-tested compliance: SOC2, HIPAA, ISO27001
- Extensive rule and action scripting engine
Cons
- Enterprise B2B add-ons (Enterprise SSO, custom domain) are extremely costly
- Complex legacy UI and slow dashboard navigation
- Pricing scales aggressively as user base expands
Clerk
MAU-based Freemium
- Starting price
- $25/mo
- Free tier
- Free up to 10,000 monthly active users
- Self-hosting
- Not available
Pros
- World-class Next.js / React UI components (`<SignIn />`, `<UserProfile />`)
- Flawless multi-session and Passkey / WebAuthn support
- 10-minute developer onboarding with pre-styled widgets
Cons
- Closed source; tightly coupled to modern React/frontend stacks
- Self-hosting is not available
- Pricing is tied to MAU, so products with many dormant sign-ins keep paying for users who never return
Kinde
Per MAU tier plus enterprise features
- Starting price
- $25/mo (Pro)
- Free tier
- Free up to 10,500 MAU
- Self-hosting
- Not available
Pros
- Fast setup with prebuilt sign-in, sign-up and billing flows
- B2B organisations, roles and permissions on standard plans
- Generous free MAU allowance for early products
Cons
- Closed source with no self-hosting option
- Advanced enterprise SSO and audit features cost extra
- Newer ecosystem with fewer integrations than Auth0
Keycloak alternatives: FAQ
Why do teams look for Keycloak alternatives?
The most common reasons are: high DevOps maintenance burden and Java memory footprint; default login UI is dated and requires custom theme development; major-version upgrades regularly need migration work on custom themes and providers.
What is the best open-source alternative to Keycloak?
SuperTokens is the most-starred open-source option in this directory (15.3k GitHub stars). Open-source auth with email/password, social, passwordless and MFA.
Can I self-host a Keycloak alternative?
SuperTokens: Medium (Docker with Postgres).
Is there a free alternative to Keycloak?
SuperTokens: Free self-hosted; Cloud free up to 5,000 MAU. Okta Auth0: Free for up to 7,500 active users. Clerk: Free up to 10,000 monthly active users. Kinde: Free up to 10,500 MAU.