Is Authy or Keygen better?

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

Which is cheaper, Authy or Keygen?

Authy starts at Free and Keygen at Free.

Does Authy or Keygen run on more platforms?

Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.

Can I use Authy for free?

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

What is Authy best used for?

Authy is most often used for an individual who wants two-factor authentication on personal accounts and needs it to survive losing or replacing a phone, a small team sharing access to a service account where the same tokens must be available on more than one handset, replacing sms-based codes with totp for someone who would abandon two-factor entirely if recovery were difficult, consolidating tokens scattered across several apps onto one device list with recognisable names and icons. Of those, an individual who wants two-factor authentication on personal accounts and needs it to survive losing or replacing a phone and a small team sharing access to a service account where the same tokens must be available on more than one handset are not what Keygen is typically brought in for.

What can Authy do that Keygen cannot?

Authy covers Encrypted cloud backup, Multi-device sync, Standard TOTP, Offline code generation.

Cybersecurity · head to head

Authy vs Keygen

Authy

Cybersecurity

Twilio's free authenticator app with encrypted cloud backup, mobile only since the desktop clients were withdrawn in 2024.

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Keygen

Cybersecurity

Open, source-available software licensing API

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Authy there is no export function for stored TOTP secrets, so moving to a different authenticator means disabling and re-enrolling two-factor authentication on every account individually, which is the reason most users stay rather than a reason anyone should choose it.; Keygen specific Active Licensed User (ALU) pricing not listed; requires interactive pricing calculator
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Authy and Keygen actually diverge.

Attributes where Authy and Keygen differ
Attribute	Authy	Keygen
Pricing model	free	usage-based

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), 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 Authy

Encrypted cloud backup
Multi-device sync
Standard TOTP
Offline code generation
App lock
Multi-device toggle
Token organisation
Free with no account tier

Only in Keygen

Nothing recorded that Authy does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Authy

An individual who wants two-factor authentication on personal accounts and needs it to survive losing or replacing a phonenot Keygen
A small team sharing access to a service account where the same tokens must be available on more than one handsetnot Keygen
Replacing SMS-based codes with TOTP for someone who would abandon two-factor entirely if recovery were difficultnot Keygen
Consolidating tokens scattered across several apps onto one device list with recognisable names and iconsnot Keygen

Keygen

Software licensing and distributionnot Authy
Product release managementnot Authy
API-based license verificationnot Authy

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Authy

There is no export function for stored TOTP secrets, so moving to a different authenticator means disabling and re-enrolling two-factor authentication on every account individually, which is the reason most users stay rather than a reason anyone should choose it.
The Windows, macOS and Linux desktop applications were discontinued in 2024 and stopped working, so any workflow that depended on copying codes on a computer now requires a phone in hand, and users who held tokens only on a desktop client had to restore from backup or re-enrol.
The account is keyed to a phone number, so an attacker who takes over that number through a SIM swap can begin the device registration flow, and the only remaining control is the backup password that most users set once and cannot recall.
In 2024 an unauthenticated Twilio endpoint allowed attackers to confirm which numbers from a supplied list were registered Authy accounts, exposing around 33 million phone numbers, which disclosed no codes but handed phishers a validated list of people known to use two-factor authentication.
It is a free consumer application inside a company that has already retired the paid Authy developer API it once supported, so it carries no revenue of its own, and users should treat its continued existence as a business decision rather than a roadmap commitment.

Keygen

Specific Active Licensed User (ALU) pricing not listed; requires interactive pricing calculator
Whitelabel API add-on costs $995/year per domain

Pricing, plan by plan

Authy

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Authy review.

Keygen

Free

DevFree
- Up to 100 Active Licensed Users
- 10 product releases
- Core licensing API only
Std$null/month
- Scaling with licensing volume
- Distribution API (OCI/Docker, npm, Rubygems, PyPI, Tauri)
- Flat monthly/yearly fees
Enterprise$null/month
- Audit logs
- SAML/SSO
- IP filtering

Which should you pick?

Choose Authy if

You need encrypted cloud backup.
You want to start without paying.
You also want multi-device sync.

Authy review

Choose Keygen if

You want to start without paying.

Keygen review

Questions people ask

Is Authy or Keygen better?: Neither clearly leads. Authy starts at Free and Keygen at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Authy or Keygen?: Authy starts at Free and Keygen at Free.
Does Authy or Keygen run on more platforms?: Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Authy for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Authy best used for?: Authy is most often used for an individual who wants two-factor authentication on personal accounts and needs it to survive losing or replacing a phone, a small team sharing access to a service account where the same tokens must be available on more than one handset, replacing sms-based codes with totp for someone who would abandon two-factor entirely if recovery were difficult, consolidating tokens scattered across several apps onto one device list with recognisable names and icons. Of those, an individual who wants two-factor authentication on personal accounts and needs it to survive losing or replacing a phone and a small team sharing access to a service account where the same tokens must be available on more than one handset are not what Keygen is typically brought in for.
What can Authy do that Keygen cannot?: Authy covers Encrypted cloud backup, Multi-device sync, Standard TOTP, Offline code generation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Authy: Is Authy still supported?

The mobile apps for iOS and Android are still available and functional. The desktop applications were withdrawn in 2024 and the Authy developer API has been retired in favour of Twilio Verify, so the surrounding product has been shrinking.

Keygen: Does Keygen have a free tier?

Yes, the Dev tier is free and supports up to 100 Active Licensed Users with 10 product releases and core licensing API access.

Source

Authy: Can I export my tokens?

No. There is no export of the underlying secrets, by design. Migrating to another authenticator means going to each service, disabling two-factor authentication and setting it up again with the new app.

Keygen: How is Keygen pricing calculated?

Keygen uses scalable, flat monthly or yearly fees based on your licensing volume (Active Licensed Users). No revenue share or transaction fees are charged.

Source

Authy: What happened to the desktop app?

Twilio announced its discontinuation in March 2024 and the applications stopped working later that year. There is no replacement desktop client; the mobile apps are the product now.

Keygen: Does Keygen charge for additional features like SSO?

SAML/SSO is included in Enterprise tiers. Whitelabel API support costs $995/year per domain. Premium Support SLA is $995/month for Enterprise.

Source

Authy: Is multi-device sync safe to leave on?

It is the feature most worth understanding. Leaving new device registration enabled means anyone who controls your phone number can attempt to add a device. The usual advice is to turn the multi-device setting off once your devices are registered and turn it on only when you need to add one.

Authy: What if I lose my phone and forget the backup password?

The secrets are encrypted with that password and Twilio does not hold it, so they cannot be recovered. You would fall back to each individual service's account recovery process, which is exactly the situation the backup was meant to avoid.

Authy vs Keygen

Authy

Keygen

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Authy

Only in Keygen

What people use each for

Authy

Keygen

Where each one falls short

Authy

Keygen

Pricing, plan by plan

Authy

Keygen

Which should you pick?

Choose Authy if

Choose Keygen if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Authy

More on Keygen

Keep looking

Other head to heads