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Cybersecurity · head to head

authentik vs Bitdefender VPN

authentik logo

authentik

Cybersecurity

Open-source identity provider with flexible authentication flows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bitdefender VPN logo

Bitdefender VPN

Cybersecurity

Consumer VPN sold by Bitdefender that runs on network infrastructure licensed from a third party rather than its own.

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only authentik has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: authentik smaller project than Keycloak, with a correspondingly smaller community and fewer integration guides; Bitdefender VPN the network is not Bitdefender's: the servers and the Catapult Hydra protocol are licensed from Aura, formerly Pango and AnchorFree, so the company physically handling your traffic and subject to legal process is a United States based third party, not the Romanian vendor whose brand is on the client.
  • They diverge on capability: authentik covers Configurable flows, Bitdefender VPN covers Suite integration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which authentik and Bitdefender VPN actually diverge.

Attributes where authentik and Bitdefender VPN differ
AttributeauthentikBitdefender VPN
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen-source core with a paid enterprise tiersubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsDocker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hostedWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

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 authentik

  • Configurable flows
  • Protocol support
  • Application proxy
  • Modern admin interface

Only in Bitdefender VPN

  • Suite integration
  • Catapult Hydra transport
  • WireGuard support
  • Kill switch
  • Auto-connect rules
  • Split tunnelling
  • Ad and tracker blocking
  • Free tier included

What people use each for

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

authentik

  • Self-hosted SSO across internal services without commercial identity pricingnot Bitdefender VPN
  • Putting authentication in front of applications that have none, via the proxynot Bitdefender VPN
  • Teams who tried Keycloak and wanted something less heavynot Bitdefender VPN

Bitdefender VPN

  • An existing Bitdefender customer who wants basic tunnel protection on public Wi-Fi without evaluating and buying a second productnot authentik
  • Households wanting one security subscription covering malware protection and casual VPN use across a few devicesnot authentik
  • Hiding browsing activity from an internet service provider or a shared network operator rather than defeating a determined adversarynot authentik
  • Occasional access to region-locked content where a dedicated streaming-focused VPN would be more product than the need justifiesnot authentik

Where each one falls short

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

authentik

  • Smaller project than Keycloak, with a correspondingly smaller community and fewer integration guides
  • The flow model is flexible but conceptually unfamiliar, and simple setups can feel over-abstracted
  • Enterprise support and some governance features sit behind the paid tier
  • Self-hosted identity is still yours to secure, patch and keep available

Bitdefender VPN

  • The network is not Bitdefender's: the servers and the Catapult Hydra protocol are licensed from Aura, formerly Pango and AnchorFree, so the company physically handling your traffic and subject to legal process is a United States based third party, not the Romanian vendor whose brand is on the client.
  • Catapult Hydra is proprietary and closed source, so unlike OpenVPN or WireGuard there is no public implementation for researchers to audit, and a buyer choosing on cryptographic grounds has nothing to inspect.
  • There is no published independent no-logs audit of this service comparable to the Deloitte, PwC and KPMG engagements the standalone VPN vendors commission, so the no-logging position rests on the privacy policies of two separate companies rather than on any external assurance.
  • The free tier bundled with the antivirus suites is capped at a small daily allowance and selects the server for you, so it is a demonstration rather than a usable VPN, and customers who assumed their suite included a VPN find they need a further paid upgrade.
  • Feature depth is well below the dedicated market: no port forwarding, no dedicated IP, no multi-hop, no city-level server selection and no Linux or router client, so routers, NAS devices, consoles and anything needing an inbound connection cannot be covered at all.

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Free
  • Open sourceFree
    • Full identity provider
    • All protocols
    • Community support

Bitdefender VPN

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Bitdefender VPN review.

Which should you pick?

Choose authentik if

  • You need configurable flows.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted.
  • You also want protocol support.
authentik review

Choose Bitdefender VPN if

  • You need suite integration.
  • You also want catapult hydra transport.
Bitdefender VPN review

Questions people ask

Is authentik or Bitdefender VPN better?
Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and Bitdefender VPN at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, authentik or Bitdefender VPN?
authentik has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for authentik and On request for Bitdefender VPN.
Does authentik or Bitdefender VPN run on more platforms?
authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. Bitdefender VPN runs on Web.
Can I use authentik for free?
Yes. authentik has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bitdefender VPN starts at On request.
What is authentik best used for?
authentik is most often used for self-hosted sso across internal services without commercial identity pricing, putting authentication in front of applications that have none, via the proxy, teams who tried keycloak and wanted something less heavy. Of those, self-hosted sso across internal services without commercial identity pricing and putting authentication in front of applications that have none, via the proxy are not what Bitdefender VPN is typically brought in for.
What can authentik do that Bitdefender VPN cannot?
authentik covers Configurable flows, Protocol support, Application proxy, Modern admin interface. Bitdefender VPN covers Suite integration, Catapult Hydra transport, WireGuard support, Kill switch.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

authentik: Is authentik free?

The open-source edition is free and complete for most use. An enterprise tier adds support and additional features.

Bitdefender VPN: Who actually operates the servers?

The underlying VPN network and the Catapult Hydra protocol are licensed from Aura, previously known as Pango and AnchorFree, the operator of Hotspot Shield. Bitdefender identifies the arrangement in its VPN terms. Your traffic therefore passes through a United States based provider's infrastructure.

authentik: authentik or Keycloak?

authentik is generally reported as easier to run and administer; Keycloak is more established with a larger community and Red Hat behind it.

Bitdefender VPN: Is the free version enough?

Only as a taster. It is capped at a small daily traffic allowance and chooses the server itself, which rules out streaming and any sustained use. It exists to demonstrate the feature inside the antivirus suite.

authentik: Can authentik protect apps with no login of their own?

Yes. Its application proxy places authentication in front of services that have no built-in authentication.

Bitdefender VPN: Has the no-logs claim been independently audited?

There is no published independent no-logs audit of this service equivalent to those commissioned by the dedicated VPN providers. If an audited no-logging claim is what you are buying, this is not the product for it.

Bitdefender VPN: Does it work with streaming services?

Sometimes, but it is not built around that use case, there is no per-service server labelling, and there is no commitment to restoring access when a platform blocks a range. A streaming-focused provider is a better fit if that is the reason you want a VPN.

Bitdefender VPN: Can I run it on Linux or a router?

No. There is no Linux client and no router firmware or manual configuration option, so coverage is limited to the Windows, macOS, iOS and Android clients.

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