Is authentik or Gravitee better?

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

Which is cheaper, authentik or Gravitee?

authentik starts at Free and Gravitee at Free.

Does authentik or Gravitee run on more platforms?

authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. Gravitee runs on Cloud, On-premise, Kubernetes.

Can I use authentik for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

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 Gravitee is typically brought in for.

What can authentik do that Gravitee cannot?

authentik covers Configurable flows, Protocol support, Application proxy, Modern admin interface. Gravitee covers API Gateway, Developer Portal, Analytics Dashboard, Kubernetes.

Cybersecurity · head to head

authentik vs Gravitee

authentik

Cybersecurity

Open-source identity provider with flexible authentication flows

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Gravitee

APIs

Open source API management platform for event-native APIs

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: authentik smaller project than Keycloak, with a correspondingly smaller community and fewer integration guides; Gravitee the entry paid API management tier is $2,500 a month and includes a single production gateway
They diverge on capability: authentik covers Configurable flows, Gravitee covers API Gateway.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which authentik and Gravitee actually diverge.

Attributes where authentik and Gravitee differ
Attribute	authentik	Gravitee
Pricing model	Open-source core with a paid enterprise tier	freemium
Platforms	Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted	Cloud, On-premise, Kubernetes
Category	Cybersecurity	APIs
Founded	Unknown	2015

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 authentik

Configurable flows
Protocol support
Application proxy
Modern admin interface

Only in Gravitee

API Gateway
Developer Portal
Analytics Dashboard
Kubernetes
Docker
Kafka
LDAP
Cloud support

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

Gravitee

API gateway and lifecycle managementnot authentik
Exposing Kafka event streams as managed APIsnot authentik
Protocol mediation between event brokers and clientsnot authentik
Self-hosting an open source API gatewaynot authentik
Access control and authentication in front of internal APIsnot 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

Gravitee

The entry paid API management tier is $2,500 a month and includes a single production gateway
Event management is priced separately, starting at $1,250 a month for the Comet tier
Tiers are gated on gateway and broker counts, so scaling horizontally means moving tier rather than paying incrementally
Data logging masking and other enterprise features are withheld from the lowest paid tier
24/7 support requires the top Universe tier

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Free

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

Gravitee

Free

CommunityFree
- API Gateway
- Basic analytics
- Community support
Enterprise$1500/monthly
- Advanced features
- SLA support
- SSO integration
Custom$undefined/monthly
- Custom deployment
- Dedicated support
- Premium SLA

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 Gravitee if

You need api gateway.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Cloud, On-premise, Kubernetes.
You also want developer portal.

Gravitee review

Questions people ask

Is authentik or Gravitee better?: Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and Gravitee at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, authentik or Gravitee?: authentik starts at Free and Gravitee at Free.
Does authentik or Gravitee run on more platforms?: authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. Gravitee runs on Cloud, On-premise, Kubernetes.
Can I use authentik for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Gravitee is typically brought in for.
What can authentik do that Gravitee cannot?: authentik covers Configurable flows, Protocol support, Application proxy, Modern admin interface. Gravitee covers API Gateway, Developer Portal, Analytics Dashboard, Kubernetes.

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.

Gravitee: What is Gravitee's pricing model?

Gravitee uses a tiered subscription model with monthly flat pricing. The Planet tier for API Management starts at $2,500/month with one production gateway, while the Comet tier for Event Management starts at $1,250/month.

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.

Gravitee: Are there hidden fees with Gravitee?

No. Gravitee explicitly states there are no hidden fees, and all tiers include unlimited users and unlimited APIs under management.

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.

Gravitee: What does higher tier pricing include in Gravitee?

Higher tiers add more production gateways, enterprise plugins, and enhanced support levels ranging from Gold to Platinum/Diamond support.

Source

authentik vs Gravitee

authentik

Gravitee

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in authentik

Only in Gravitee

What people use each for

authentik

Gravitee

Where each one falls short

authentik

Gravitee

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Gravitee

Which should you pick?

Choose authentik if

Choose Gravitee if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on authentik

More on Gravitee

Keep looking

Other head to heads