Authentication & User Management
Keycloak Pricing Explained: Tiers, Limits & Hidden Costs
Open SourceSelf-Hostable
- Starting price
- $0 (Free Self-Hosted)
- Pricing model
- 100% Free Open-Source (Red Hat Community)
- Free tier
- Unlimited users, unlimited realms, 100% free
Keycloak plans and limits
| Tier | What you get |
|---|---|
| Free | Unlimited users, unlimited realms, 100% free |
| Paid entry point | $0 (Free Self-Hosted) |
| How the bill grows | 100% Free Open-Source (Red Hat Community) |
| Self-hosted | Available. Setup effort: High (Java/Quarkus container, DB setup) |
Hidden costs to budget for
- 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 Keycloak costs as you grow
Both are free to self-host, so the comparison is operational: Keycloak needs a Java engineer and a hardened cluster, SuperTokens runs as a service beside your app with less to operate.
Keycloak vs SuperTokensCheaper alternatives to Keycloak
SuperTokensAUTHOpen SourceSelf-HostableFrom $0 (self-hosted) or free Cloud up to 5,000 MAUOkta Auth0AUTHProprietaryFrom $35/mo (B2C) / Custom (B2B)ClerkAUTHProprietaryFrom $25/moKindeAUTHProprietaryFrom $25/mo (Pro)
Compare all Keycloak alternatives Keycloak pricing: FAQ
How much does Keycloak cost?
Keycloak uses 100% Free Open-Source (Red Hat Community) pricing. Paid usage starts at $0 (Free Self-Hosted).
Does Keycloak have a free tier?
Unlimited users, unlimited realms, 100% free.
What are the hidden costs of 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.
What are cheaper alternatives to Keycloak?
SuperTokens ($0 (self-hosted) or free Cloud up to 5,000 MAU), Okta Auth0 ($35/mo (B2C) / Custom (B2B)), Clerk ($25/mo), Kinde ($25/mo (Pro)).