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Cybersecurity · head to head

Authelia vs LangChain

Authelia logo

Authelia

Cybersecurity

Open-source authentication and two-factor portal for reverse proxies

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LangChain logo

LangChain

Machine Learning

Build applications with LLMs through composability

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Authelia depends on a reverse proxy: it is not a standalone identity provider; LangChain the free Developer plan of LangSmith is limited to 1 seat
  • They diverge on capability: Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, LangChain covers Chains and agents.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Authelia and LangChain actually diverge.

Attributes where Authelia and LangChain differ
AttributeAutheliaLangChain
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsDocker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hostedLinux, Mac, Windows
CategoryCybersecurityMachine Learning
FoundedUnknown2022

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Authelia

  • Reverse proxy integration
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Access control rules
  • Lightweight backends

Only in LangChain

  • Chains and agents
  • Retrieval-augmented generation
  • Memory management
  • Tool integration
  • Prompt templates
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • Hugging Face

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Authelia

  • Putting a login and 2FA in front of self-hosted services that have nonenot LangChain
  • Adding SSO across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platformnot LangChain
  • Home and small-team infrastructure behind a single reverse proxynot LangChain

LangChain

  • Building LLM applications and agents in Python or JavaScriptnot Authelia
  • Tracing and debugging LLM chains and agent runsnot Authelia
  • Evaluating prompt and model changes against datasetsnot Authelia

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Authelia

  • Depends on a reverse proxy: it is not a standalone identity provider
  • Configuration is YAML-first with no administrative interface, so changes mean editing files
  • Not a full IAM: user management, provisioning and federation are limited compared with Keycloak
  • Scales poorly as an organisation-wide identity solution, which is not its target

LangChain

  • The free Developer plan of LangSmith is limited to 1 seat
  • Base traces are retained for 14 days only; 400 day retention costs extra
  • Included traces are capped at 5,000 per month on Developer and 10,000 per month on Plus, with everything beyond billed pay as you go
  • Self hosted and hybrid deployment of LangSmith is Enterprise only
  • Custom SSO, RBAC and ABAC are Enterprise only
  • A support SLA is Enterprise only
  • Enterprise pricing is by quote with no published rate

Pricing, plan by plan

Authelia

Free
  • AutheliaFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

LangChain

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full framework
    • Community support
  • LangSmith$39/month
    • Debugging
    • Monitoring
    • Testing

Which should you pick?

Choose Authelia if

  • You need reverse proxy integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted.
  • You also want two-factor authentication.
Authelia review

Choose LangChain if

  • You need chains and agents.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Windows.
  • You also want retrieval-augmented generation.
LangChain review

Questions people ask

Is Authelia or LangChain better?
Neither clearly leads. Authelia starts at Free and LangChain at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Authelia or LangChain?
Authelia starts at Free and LangChain at Free.
Does Authelia or LangChain run on more platforms?
Authelia runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. LangChain runs on Linux, Mac, Windows.
Can I use Authelia for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Authelia best used for?
Authelia is most often used for putting a login and 2fa in front of self-hosted services that have none, adding sso across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platform, home and small-team infrastructure behind a single reverse proxy. Of those, putting a login and 2fa in front of self-hosted services that have none and adding sso across a small set of internal tools without a full identity platform are not what LangChain is typically brought in for.
What can Authelia do that LangChain cannot?
Authelia covers Reverse proxy integration, Two-factor authentication, Access control rules, Lightweight backends. LangChain covers Chains and agents, Retrieval-augmented generation, Memory management, Tool integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Authelia: Is Authelia free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

LangChain: Does LangChain charge for its services?

LangChain's main website does not display pricing. However, LangSmith (a related platform) offers both free and paid plans. Visit the dedicated pricing page or contact LangChain for details.

Source
Authelia: Does Authelia need a reverse proxy?

Yes. It integrates through forward authentication with Nginx, Traefik, Caddy or HAProxy rather than sitting in front of traffic itself.

LangChain: How can I learn about LangChain pricing?

Click on the Pricing link in navigation or use the Try LangSmith or Get a demo options to explore pricing for LangChain's commercial offerings.

Source
Authelia: Authelia or Keycloak?

Authelia is far lighter and aimed at protecting self-hosted services behind a proxy. Keycloak is a full identity and access management platform, and much more to run.

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