Is authentik or Stytch better?

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

Which is cheaper, authentik or Stytch?

authentik starts at Free and Stytch at Free.

Does authentik or Stytch run on more platforms?

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

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 Stytch is typically brought in for.

What can authentik do that Stytch cannot?

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

Cybersecurity · head to head

authentik vs Stytch

authentik

Cybersecurity

Open-source identity provider with flexible authentication flows

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Stytch

Cybersecurity

Identity platform with passwordless auth, passkeys and bot detection.

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; Stytch free tier limited to 10,000 monthly active users; scaling beyond this requires custom pricing negotiation
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which authentik and Stytch actually diverge.

Attributes where authentik and Stytch differ
Attribute	authentik	Stytch
Pricing model	Open-source core with a paid enterprise tier	freemium
Platforms	Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted	Web, API

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Stytch

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

Stytch

Applications prioritising passwordless and passkey authenticationnot authentik
SaaS platforms requiring AI agent authentication and machine-to-machine flowsnot authentik
Companies with emerging identity needs such as bot detection and device intelligencenot authentik
Organisations building with Next.js and React requiring modern auth patternsnot authentik
Applications needing transparent pricing without surprise tiers or feature gatingnot 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

Stytch

Free tier limited to 10,000 monthly active users; scaling beyond this requires custom pricing negotiation
Fraud prevention capabilities billed at $0.005 per fingerprint for usage exceeding 10,000 free checks
Additional SSO or SCIM connections beyond the 5 included in free tier cost $125 each
Brand customisation and email removal require one-time payment of $99
HIPAA and advanced fraud protection only available in Enterprise tier
No native UI builder; requires custom frontend development for fully-branded auth flows

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Free

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

Stytch

Free

FreeFree
- 10,000 monthly active users and AI agents
- Unlimited organisations
- 5 SSO or SCIM connections
Scaled$undefined/variable
- Usage-based pricing for users exceeding 10,000
- All free tier features
- Volume discounts available
Enterprise$undefined/variable
- Custom pricing
- Discounted volume rates
- Enterprise support 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 Stytch if

You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, API.

Stytch review

Questions people ask

Is authentik or Stytch better?: Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and Stytch at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, authentik or Stytch?: authentik starts at Free and Stytch at Free.
Does authentik or Stytch run on more platforms?: authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. Stytch runs on Web, API.
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 Stytch is typically brought in for.
What can authentik do that Stytch 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.

Stytch: What is included in Stytch's free tier?

The free tier includes 10,000 monthly active users (human and AI agents), unlimited organisations, 5 SSO or SCIM connections, and 1,000 machine-to-machine tokens with full authentication features.

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.

Stytch: Does Stytch support AI agent authentication?

Yes. Stytch provides native AI agent authentication and authorisation, with support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for authenticating AI agents accessing external systems.

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.

Stytch: What fraud prevention features does Stytch offer?

Stytch includes bot detection with 99.99% accuracy, device fingerprinting, invisible CAPTCHA, and zero-day device intelligence built into all tiers.

Source

authentik vs Stytch

authentik

Stytch

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in authentik

Only in Stytch

What people use each for

authentik

Stytch

Where each one falls short

authentik

Stytch

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Stytch

Which should you pick?

Choose authentik if

Choose Stytch if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on authentik

More on Stytch

Keep looking

Other head to heads