Is authentik or WorkOS better?

Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and WorkOS at $125/one-time per connection, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, authentik or WorkOS?

authentik has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for authentik and $125/one-time per connection for WorkOS.

Does authentik or WorkOS run on more platforms?

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

Can I use authentik for free?

Yes. authentik has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. WorkOS starts at $125/one-time per connection.

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 WorkOS is typically brought in for.

What can authentik do that WorkOS cannot?

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

Cybersecurity · head to head

authentik vs WorkOS

authentik

Cybersecurity

Open-source identity provider with flexible authentication flows

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

WorkOS

Cybersecurity

Developer platform for enterprise-ready authentication and identity.

From: $125/one-time per connection
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; WorkOS authKit free tier limited to 1 million monthly active users; additional millions cost $2,500/month
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which authentik and WorkOS actually diverge.

Attributes where authentik and WorkOS differ
Attribute	authentik	WorkOS
Starting price	Free	$125/one-time per connection
Pricing model	Open-source core with a paid enterprise tier	usage-based
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 WorkOS

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

WorkOS

SaaS applications needing rapid enterprise SSO deploymentnot authentik
Companies selling to mid-market and enterprise customersnot authentik
Applications requiring SCIM directory sync with corporate identity systemsnot authentik
Product teams needing audit logs for compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001)not authentik
Platforms with multiple identity provider requirementsnot 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

WorkOS

AuthKit free tier limited to 1 million monthly active users; additional millions cost $2,500/month
Per-connection pricing for SSO and Directory Sync ($125–$50 each) scales poorly for enterprises with many identity providers
Audit logs require separate subscription at $125/month per SIEM connection or $99/month per 1 million events
Radar fraud protection billed separately at $100/month per 50,000 additional checks beyond 1,000 free checks
Custom domain feature requires $99/month subscription
Requires annual commitment for SLA and support guarantees; pay-as-you-go tier lacks uptime guarantee

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

Free

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

WorkOS

$125/one-time per connection

Pay as You Go$undefined/variable
- Per-connection pricing from $125 to $50 with volume discounts
- Up to 60% discount at scale
- Quick deployment
Annual Credits$undefined/variable
- Custom pricing with volume discounts
- 99.99% uptime SLA
- Guided migration

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 WorkOS if

You work on Web, API.

WorkOS review

Questions people ask

Is authentik or WorkOS better?: Neither clearly leads. authentik starts at Free and WorkOS at $125/one-time per connection, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, authentik or WorkOS?: authentik has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for authentik and $125/one-time per connection for WorkOS.
Does authentik or WorkOS run on more platforms?: authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted. WorkOS runs on Web, API.
Can I use authentik for free?: Yes. authentik has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. WorkOS starts at $125/one-time per connection.
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 WorkOS is typically brought in for.
What can authentik do that WorkOS 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.

WorkOS: How quickly can I implement WorkOS SSO?

Developers can implement single sign-on in minutes instead of months. Multiple customers report setting up SSO in less than a week, with WorkOS handling the complexity of SAML and OIDC protocols.

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.

WorkOS: What SDKs does WorkOS provide?

WorkOS offers SDKs for Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, PHP, Java, and .NET.

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.

WorkOS: Does WorkOS support SCIM provisioning?

Yes. WorkOS supports SCIM provisioning integration with systems like Okta and Entra ID for automated user management.

Source

authentik vs WorkOS

authentik

WorkOS

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in authentik

Only in WorkOS

What people use each for

authentik

WorkOS

Where each one falls short

authentik

WorkOS

Pricing, plan by plan

authentik

WorkOS

Which should you pick?

Choose authentik if

Choose WorkOS if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on authentik

More on WorkOS

Keep looking

Other head to heads