Alternatives to Zitadel
Go-based open-source identity platform with built-in multi-tenant organizations
Zitadel ranks #3 of 12 in Authentication & identity providers, with an Alt Score of 93. It is licensed under AGPL-3.0, freemium from US$100/mo and available on Linux, macOS and Web. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Zitadel is an open-source identity and access management platform, written in Go, offering OIDC/OAuth2/SAML, MFA, passwordless, and a native multi-tenant 'organizations' concept designed for SaaS products. It can be self-hosted or used as a managed cloud service. It differentiates from Java-based Keycloak by being lighter-weight and from Auth0 by being fully open source with a generous free cloud tier.
Development teams building B2B SaaS, enterprise, or consumer applications that need customer and workforce identity and access management, including organizations that require self-hosting for data-residency or compliance reasons.
An open-source (AGPL-3.0) identity platform providing single sign-on, MFA, passkey/WebAuthn passwordless login, social and enterprise identity brokering via OIDC, SAML, and LDAP, SCIM 2.0 user provisioning, role-based access control, and a native multi-tenant B2B organization model, delivered as either a managed cloud service or a self-hosted deployment running the same codebase.
ZITADEL runs as an API-first server (gRPC, connectRPC, and REST) backed by PostgreSQL, recording every change as an immutable event to produce a complete audit trail. Applications integrate through a hosted or customizable login UI and authenticate users via OIDC or SAML, while access and role management can be delegated down through a hierarchy of Identity System, Organizations, and Projects.
Where Zitadel stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Zitadel
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
FusionAuth is a developer-focused authentication and user management platform that can be self-hosted for free (Community Edition) or run as a managed cloud service.
Ory is an open-source identity platform composed of modular services — Kratos for identity/authentication, Hydra for OAuth2/OIDC, and Keto for permissions — that can be self-hosted or consumed as a ma.
Auth0 (an Okta company) is a developer-focused identity platform providing authentication, authorization, social and enterprise SSO, MFA, and user management via drop-in SDKs and a hosted login, for w.
Clerk is a developer-first authentication and user-management platform with pre-built React/Next.js UI components, social and passwordless login, passkeys, MFA, and B2B organizations, designed to add.
Frontegg is a B2B-focused identity platform that bundles authentication, tenant/org management, roles and entitlements, and a pre-built admin portal for end customers.
Stytch is a developer platform for authentication and fraud prevention, offering passwordless and passkey login, social and enterprise SSO, B2B multi-tenant auth, and device fingerprinting through API.
Descope is a customer identity and access management (CIAM) platform that lets developers build authentication journeys (social login, passwordless, MFA, passkeys) with a visual no-code/low-code flow.
WorkOS is a platform of enterprise-readiness APIs — SAML/OIDC single sign-on, SCIM directory sync, audit logs, and its AuthKit user management — that lets B2B SaaS apps add the features enterprise cus.
Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management server (a CNCF project) offering single sign-on, social and enterprise SSO, user federation, MFA, and fine-grained authorization, self-hosted.
Amazon Cognito is AWS's managed customer identity and access management service, providing user pools for sign-up/sign-in, social and enterprise SSO federation, MFA, and native passkey support, plus f.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Authentication & identity providers checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Authentication & identity providers checklist | Zitadel | FusionAuth | Ory | Auth0 | Clerk | Frontegg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Social login | ||||||
| Passwordless / magic links | ||||||
| Passkeys / WebAuthn | ||||||
| MFA | ||||||
| Enterprise SSO (SAML / OIDC) | ||||||
| SCIM provisioning | ||||||
| B2B org / multi-tenant | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Pre-built UI components | ||||||
| RBAC / permissions | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Generous free tier (MAUs) |
Every fact and feature listed for Zitadel is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License AGPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-30
Zitadel moved from Apache-2.0 to AGPL-3.0 starting with V3 (per zitadel.com/license-faq). LICENSING.md notes Apache-2.0/MIT exceptions for specific directories, but the repo's top-level LICENSE file i
GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 19 November 2007
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zitadel/zitadel/main/LICENSE -
Starts at US$100/mo verified 2026-07-30
Cheapest paid (non-free) cloud tier; Enterprise tier is custom-quoted.
PRO Our cloud plan that scales with your needs. US$ 100 /Month
https://zitadel.com/pricing -
Platforms Linux, macOS, Web verified 2026-07-30
Self-hosted deploy targets are Linux/macOS (plus Docker Compose/Kubernetes, not in the platform vocabulary); ZITADEL Cloud is also offered as a browser-based SaaS console (see README 'ZITADEL Cloud (S
Choose your platform and run ZITADEL with the most minimal configuration possible. Linux MacOS Docker Compose Kubernetes
https://zitadel.com/docs/self-hosting/deploy/overview -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-30
Same page also lists a paid PRO tier (US$100/mo) and a custom-quote ENTERPRISE tier alongside the Free plan.
FREE Try out all features US$ 0 /Month
https://zitadel.com/pricing -
Status active verified 2026-07-30
Latest tagged release (v4.16.2) was published 2026-07-29, one day before this research — active, frequent release cadence.
v4.16.2
https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.16.2 -
Social login Yes verified 2026-07-30
Shown as options on the hosted login preview under the 'Hosted Login' feature section.
Login with Google Login with Microsoft Sign in with Github
https://zitadel.com/features -
Passwordless / magic links Yes verified 2026-07-30
Zitadel's passwordless method is passkey/WebAuthn-based; no separate emailed 'magic link' sign-in flow was found in the docs (Passwordless Registration Link APIs enroll a passkey rather than log a use
Replace passwords with a phishing resistant and convenient authentication with Passkeys.
https://zitadel.com/features -
Passkeys / WebAuthn Yes verified 2026-07-30
Complies with FIDO2/WebAuthn standards per the same page.
Passkeys, replacing traditional passwords, leverage public-key cryptography similar to FIDO2 and WebAuthn.
https://zitadel.com/docs/concepts/features/passkeys -
MFA Yes verified 2026-07-30
MFA: OTP, U2F, OTP Email, OTP SMS
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zitadel/zitadel/main/README.md -
Enterprise SSO (SAML / OIDC) Yes verified 2026-07-30
OIDC support is confirmed separately: README states 'OpenID Connect certified'.
SAML stands for Security Assertion Markup Language. It is a standard commonly used for identity federation and single sign-on (SSO).
https://zitadel.com/docs/guides/integrate/login/saml -
SCIM provisioning Yes verified 2026-07-30
Documented as 'SCIM v2.0 (Preview)' as of this writing.
The Zitadel SCIM v2 service provider interface enables integration of identity and access management (instance) systems with Zitadel, following the System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) v
https://zitadel.com/docs/apis/scim2 -
B2B org / multi-tenant Yes verified 2026-07-30
Strict multi-tenant hierarchy — Identity System → Organizations → Projects, with isolated data and policy scoping at multiple levels
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zitadel/zitadel/main/README.md -
Self-hostable Yes verified 2026-07-30
Choose your platform and run ZITADEL with the most minimal configuration possible.
https://zitadel.com/docs/self-hosting/deploy/overview -
Pre-built UI components Yes verified 2026-07-30
Refers to Zitadel's hosted/customizable Login UI rather than an installable frontend component library.
Easily authenticate your users with a customizable hosted login page.
https://zitadel.com/features -
RBAC / permissions Yes verified 2026-07-30
A role assignment combines a user of your organization with one or multiple roles.
https://zitadel.com/docs/guides/manage/console/roles -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-30
ZITADEL is an open-source identity and access management platform built for teams that need more than basic auth.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zitadel/zitadel/main/README.md -
Generous free tier (MAUs) No verified 2026-07-30
Zitadel's free tier is metered in Daily Active Users, not Monthly Active Users, and is capped at 100 DAU — the paid Pro tier ($100/mo) is what includes 25,000 DAU/month. This doesn't match the checkli
100 Daily Active Users
https://zitadel.com/pricing
FAQ
Yes. FusionAuth, Auth0 and Clerk have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Ory and Keycloak — every license claim links its source.