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Government · head to head

Granicus vs Ory Kratos

Granicus logo

Granicus

Government

Digital Government Experiences Platform

From
$500/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Ory Kratos logo

Ory Kratos

Cybersecurity

Headless identity and user management API

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ory Kratos has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Granicus pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly available; Ory Kratos headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
  • They diverge on capability: Granicus covers Citizen Communications, Ory Kratos covers Headless API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Granicus and Ory Kratos actually diverge.

Attributes where Granicus and Ory Kratos differ
AttributeGranicusOry Kratos
Starting price$500/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen-source self-hosted, with a paid managed network
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, MobileLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded1999Unknown

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 Granicus

  • Citizen Communications
  • Meeting Management
  • Digital Forms
  • Website Management
  • Records Management
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft 365
  • Google Workspace

Only in Ory Kratos

  • Headless API
  • Self-service flows
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • Pluggable identity schemas

What people use each for

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

Granicus

  • Citizen Servicesnot Ory Kratos
  • Records Managementnot Ory Kratos
  • Public Safetynot Ory Kratos
  • Civic Engagementnot Ory Kratos

Ory Kratos

  • Products needing complete control over the look and flow of authenticationnot Granicus
  • Applications that must not hand user identity data to a third partynot Granicus
  • Teams building identity as infrastructure across several servicesnot Granicus

Where each one falls short

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

Granicus

  • Pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly available
  • Complex sales process for government agencies
  • Integration with legacy government systems can be challenging

Ory Kratos

  • Headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
  • More moving parts than a monolithic IAM: Kratos handles identity, and OAuth2 needs Ory Hydra alongside
  • Documentation assumes real familiarity with identity concepts and is not a gentle introduction
  • Self-hosting identity carries the security and availability burden that hosted providers absorb

Pricing, plan by plan

Granicus

$500/month
  • Government Starter$500/month
    • Communications Cloud
    • Meeting Management
    • Digital Services

Ory Kratos

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Full identity server
    • All flows
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Granicus if

  • You need citizen communications.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want meeting management.
Granicus review

Choose Ory Kratos if

  • You need headless api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
  • You also want self-service flows.
Ory Kratos review

Questions people ask

Is Granicus or Ory Kratos better?
Neither clearly leads. Granicus starts at $500/month and Ory Kratos at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Granicus or Ory Kratos?
Ory Kratos has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/month for Granicus and Free for Ory Kratos.
Does Granicus or Ory Kratos run on more platforms?
Granicus runs on Web, Mobile. Ory Kratos runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
Can I use Ory Kratos for free?
Yes. Ory Kratos has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Granicus starts at $500/month.
What is Granicus best used for?
Granicus is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what Ory Kratos is typically brought in for.
What can Granicus do that Ory Kratos cannot?
Granicus covers Citizen Communications, Meeting Management, Digital Forms, Website Management. Ory Kratos covers Headless API, Self-service flows, Multi-factor authentication, Pluggable identity schemas.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Granicus: How many government agencies use Granicus?

Over 5,500 federal, state, and local government agencies use Granicus, reaching more than 300 million citizen subscribers.

Source
Ory Kratos: Is Ory Kratos free?

Yes, open source and free to self-host. Ory Network is a paid managed service.

Granicus: What does Granicus Engagement Cloud provide?

Granicus Engagement Cloud combines government communications, website management, meeting and agenda management, records management, and citizen service digitization.

Source
Ory Kratos: What does headless mean here?

Kratos provides identity flows as APIs and no user interface. You build the login, registration and recovery screens yourself.

Granicus: What are the main features of Granicus?

Granicus provides tools for managing public communications, citizen feedback collection, community event management, online surveys, event registration, and live-streaming capabilities.

Source
Ory Kratos: Does Kratos do OAuth2?

No. Kratos handles user identity; OAuth2 and OpenID Connect provider functionality is Ory Hydra, a separate component.

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