Is authentik or Drata better?

Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and Drata at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, authentik or Drata?

authentik has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for authentik and On request for Drata.

Does authentik or Drata run on more platforms?

authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. Drata runs on Web, API.

Can I use authentik for free?

Yes. authentik has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Drata 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 Drata is typically brought in for.

What can authentik do that Drata cannot?

authentik covers Configurable flows, Protocol support, Application proxy, Modern admin interface.

Cybersecurity · head to head

authentik vs Drata

authentik

Cybersecurity

Open-source identity provider with flexible authentication flows

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Drata

Cybersecurity

Agentic trust management with compliance automation.

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

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; Drata no published pricing for any tier; requires contacting sales team for quotes
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which authentik and Drata actually diverge.

Attributes where authentik and Drata differ
Attribute	authentik	Drata
Starting price	Free	On request
Pricing model	Open-source core with a paid enterprise tier	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted	Web, API

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 Drata

Nothing recorded that authentik does not also cover.

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 Drata
Putting authentication in front of applications that have none, via the proxynot Drata
Teams who tried Keycloak and wanted something less heavynot Drata

Drata

SaaS companies automating SOC 2 certification for enterprise salesnot authentik
Organisations managing multi-framework compliance simultaneouslynot authentik
Vendor management programmes requiring third-party security assessmentsnot authentik
Enterprises implementing AI governance and monitoring AI systemsnot authentik
Organisations seeking continuous compliance monitoring rather than point-in-time auditsnot 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

Drata

No published pricing for any tier; requires contacting sales team for quotes
Solution tiers (Startup, Growth, Enterprise) are marketing categories with no corresponding published prices or feature differentiation
No transparency on cost per framework, per user, or based on organisational size
AI questionnaire automation claims 375+ hours saved annually but does not publish per-questionnaire costs or limits
Compared directly with Vanta by customers, but pricing opaque for cost-benefit analysis

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Free

Open sourceFree
- Full identity provider
- All protocols
- Community support

Drata

On request

Startup$undefined/variable
- 'Launch Trust Fast' with automated evidence collection
- SOC 2 and other framework support
- Basic compliance automation
Growth$undefined/variable
- 'Accelerate Trust Smoothly' as teams expand
- Multi-framework compliance
- Enhanced AI automation
Enterprise$undefined/variable
- 'Command Trust at Scale' for complex needs
- Advanced GRC capabilities
- Dedicated support

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 Drata if

You work on Web, API.

Drata review

Questions people ask

Is authentik or Drata better?: Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and Drata at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, authentik or Drata?: authentik has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for authentik and On request for Drata.
Does authentik or Drata run on more platforms?: authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. Drata runs on Web, API.
Can I use authentik for free?: Yes. authentik has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Drata 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 Drata is typically brought in for.
What can authentik do that Drata cannot?: authentik covers Configurable flows, Protocol support, Application proxy, Modern admin interface.

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.

Drata: What compliance frameworks does Drata support?

Drata supports multiple frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS and others, with multi-framework management capabilities.

Source

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.

Drata: Does Drata automate questionnaires?

Yes. Drata's AI uses approved content to draft consistent responses, automating questionnaire completion and saving claimed 375+ hours per year.

Source

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.

Drata: How many customers does Drata have?

Drata serves 8,500+ global customers ranging from startups to enterprises, with a 4.8/5.0 rating on G2.

Source

authentik vs Drata

authentik

Drata

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in authentik

Only in Drata

What people use each for

authentik

Drata

Where each one falls short

authentik

Drata

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Drata

Which should you pick?

Choose authentik if

Choose Drata if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on authentik

More on Drata

Keep looking

Other head to heads