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authentik is a commercial multi-factor authentication and single sign-on tool by authentik. Keycloak is a commercial multi-factor authentication and single sign-on tool by keycloak. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best multi-factor authentication and single sign-on fit for your security stack.
Based on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, company size fit, deployment model, here is our conclusion:
Startups and SMBs that need SSO and MFA without vendor lock-in should run authentik; the open-source model means you own the codebase, avoid licensing creep as you scale, and can self-host or go hybrid without renegotiating contracts. It covers NIST PR.AA identity management and access control natively, and the built-in application proxy handles remote access to RDP, SSH, and VNC without bolting on a separate tool. Expect to staff more ops lift than a SaaS alternative; this is not the tool for teams wanting a hands-off managed identity service.
Startups and mid-market teams building custom applications need Keycloak because it's open-source IAM you can actually modify without vendor lock-in, and self-host it on infrastructure you already control. The tool supports OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML protocols out of the box, plus passkey-based MFA and multi-tenancy through its Organizations feature, covering NIST CSF 2.0's Identity Management function without licensing per user. Skip this if your organization needs managed SaaS convenience and hands-off operations; Keycloak requires DevOps capacity to deploy, patch, and maintain in production.
Open-source identity provider with SSO, MFA, and application proxy capabilities
Open-source IAM solution for SSO, MFA, and identity federation
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Common questions about comparing authentik vs Keycloak for your multi-factor authentication and single sign-on needs.
authentik: Open-source identity provider with SSO, MFA, and application proxy capabilities. built by authentik. headquartered in United States. Core capabilities include Multi-factor authentication, Single sign-on with OAuth2/OIDC and SAML2 support, Application proxy..
Keycloak: Open-source IAM solution for SSO, MFA, and identity federation. built by keycloak. headquartered in United States. Core capabilities include Single sign-on (SSO), Multi-factor authentication with passkeys and recovery codes, Identity federation with external providers..
Both serve the Multi-Factor Authentication and Single Sign-On market but differ in approach, feature depth, and target audience.
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