Keycloak vs ZITADEL: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Keycloak: Open-source IAM solution for SSO, MFA, and identity federation. built by Keycloak. Core capabilities include Single sign-on (SSO), Multi-factor authentication with passkeys and recovery codes, Identity federation with external providers..

ZITADEL: Open-source, multi-tenant identity platform for authn, authz, and SSO. built by ZITADEL. Core capabilities include Hosted login page with customizable branding, Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforcement, Passwordless authentication via Passkeys..

Both serve the Access Management market but differ in approach, feature depth, and target audience.

Both tools share capabilities in single sign-on (sso). Keycloak differentiates with Multi-factor authentication with passkeys and recovery codes, Identity federation with external providers, OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0 protocol support. ZITADEL differentiates with Hosted login page with customizable branding, Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforcement, Passwordless authentication via Passkeys.

Keycloak is developed by Keycloak. ZITADEL is developed by ZITADEL. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

Keycloak and ZITADEL serve similar Access Management use cases: both cover Authentication, Authorization, MFA. Review the feature comparison above to determine which fits your requirements.