Is authentik or GovQA better?

Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and GovQA at $400/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, authentik or GovQA?

authentik has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for authentik and $400/month for GovQA.

Does authentik or GovQA run on more platforms?

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

Can I use authentik for free?

Yes. authentik has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GovQA starts at $400/month.

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 GovQA is typically brought in for.

What can authentik do that GovQA cannot?

authentik covers Configurable flows, Protocol support, Application proxy, Modern admin interface. GovQA covers FOIA Management, Subpoena Processing, e-Discovery, Constituent Portal.

Cybersecurity · head to head

authentik vs GovQA

authentik

Cybersecurity

Open-source identity provider with flexible authentication flows

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Full review Website

GovQA

Government

Government Request Management

From: $400/month
Free plan: No

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; GovQA pricing not published on vendor website; government contracting and custom quote model obscures list pricing
They diverge on capability: authentik covers Configurable flows, GovQA covers FOIA Management.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which authentik and GovQA actually diverge.

Attributes where authentik and GovQA differ
Attribute	authentik	GovQA
Starting price	Free	$400/month
Pricing model	Open-source core with a paid enterprise tier	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted	Web
Category	Cybersecurity	Government
Founded	Unknown	1999

Identical on both: 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 authentik

Configurable flows
Protocol support
Application proxy
Modern admin interface

Only in GovQA

FOIA Management
Subpoena Processing
e-Discovery
Constituent Portal
Reporting
Document Management
Email
Court Systems

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

GovQA

Public records request management and legal compliance automationnot authentik
Digital communication delivery to residents and constituentsnot authentik
Service request management for government agencies and local departmentsnot authentik
Agenda and meeting management for city councils and boardsnot authentik
Business licensing and permitting workflow automationnot 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

GovQA

Pricing not published on vendor website; government contracting and custom quote model obscures list pricing
Requires booking a demo to learn pricing and deployment options

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Free

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

GovQA

$400/month

Request Management$400/month
- FOIA Management
- e-Discovery
- Constituent Portal

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 GovQA if

You need foia management.
You also want subpoena processing.

GovQA review

Questions people ask

Is authentik or GovQA better?: Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and GovQA at $400/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, authentik or GovQA?: authentik has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for authentik and $400/month for GovQA.
Does authentik or GovQA run on more platforms?: authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. GovQA runs on Web.
Can I use authentik for free?: Yes. authentik has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GovQA starts at $400/month.
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 GovQA is typically brought in for.
What can authentik do that GovQA cannot?: authentik covers Configurable flows, Protocol support, Application proxy, Modern admin interface. GovQA covers FOIA Management, Subpoena Processing, e-Discovery, Constituent Portal.

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.

GovQA: What does GovQA (formerly Granicus) cost?

Granicus does not display pricing on its website. The vendor requires customers to schedule a demo or contact sales to receive cost estimates.

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.

GovQA: Does Granicus offer Government Experience Agent (GXA) pricing separately?

Granicus lists Government Experience Agent as a feature of its Government Experience Cloud platform, but separate licensing costs are not published.

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.

GovQA: How many users can access Granicus services under one license?

Granicus does not specify user seat counts, unlimited user models, or per-agency pricing on its website. Licensing terms vary by government size and jurisdiction.

Source

authentik vs GovQA

authentik

GovQA

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in authentik

Only in GovQA

What people use each for

authentik

GovQA

Where each one falls short

authentik

GovQA

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

GovQA

Which should you pick?

Choose authentik if

Choose GovQA if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on authentik

More on GovQA

Keep looking

Other head to heads