Authentik vs Keycloak: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Auth0, Okta. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| Authentik | Keycloak | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Auth & Identity | Auth & Identity |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~25.3k | ~36.5k |
| Tech stack | Python, Go, PostgreSQL | Java, Quarkus |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Auth0, Okta |
Keycloak has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
Authentik
Flexible identity platform, a modern alternative to Okta/Auth0.
Pros
- Visual authentication flow editor and an application proxy with no code changes
Things to consider
- Requires Postgres and Redis in addition to the server itself
Keycloak
Open source SSO and identity management, an alternative to Auth0/Okta.
Pros
- Permissive Apache-2.0 license, with 36k+ GitHub stars and a verified deployment
Things to consider
- Higher memory usage than lighter alternatives
Key features
Authentik
- Visual authentication flow editor
- Application proxy with no code changes
- MFA and conditional access policies
Keycloak
- SSO and LDAP/Active Directory federation
- Social login (Google, GitHub...)
- Granular role and permission management
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