Softwr

Government · head to head

Incode vs Ory Kratos

Incode logo

Incode

Government

Financial & HR Software for Government

From
$700/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: Incode incode is now sold as Tyler ERP Pro and tylertech.com/products/incode redirects to the ERP Pro product page; Ory Kratos headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
  • They diverge on capability: Incode covers General Ledger, Ory Kratos covers Headless API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Incode and Ory Kratos differ
AttributeIncodeOry Kratos
Starting price$700/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen-source self-hosted, with a paid managed network
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, DesktopLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded1966Unknown

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 Incode

  • General Ledger
  • Accounts Payable
  • Payroll Management
  • Utility Billing
  • Budget Management
  • Bank Integrations
  • ADP
  • Third-party Payroll

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.

Incode

  • Financial management and ERP for small and mid-sized local governmentsnot Ory Kratos
  • Utility billing, payroll and human resources for city and county administrationnot Ory Kratos
  • Court and public safety records for municipalitiesnot Ory Kratos

Ory Kratos

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

Where each one falls short

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

Incode

  • Incode is now sold as Tyler ERP Pro and tylertech.com/products/incode redirects to the ERP Pro product page
  • No pricing is published; Tyler routes all enquiries through contact and demo requests with no published rate, minimum or cost driver
  • The product is sold only to public sector organisations

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

Incode

$700/month
  • Municipal Suite$700/month
    • Financial Management
    • HR/Payroll
    • Utility Billing

Ory Kratos

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Incode if

  • You need general ledger.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want accounts payable.
Incode 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 Incode or Ory Kratos better?
Neither clearly leads. Incode starts at $700/month and Ory Kratos at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Incode or Ory Kratos?
Ory Kratos has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $700/month for Incode and Free for Ory Kratos.
Does Incode or Ory Kratos run on more platforms?
Incode runs on Web, Desktop. 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. Incode starts at $700/month.
What is Incode best used for?
Incode is most often used for financial management and erp for small and mid-sized local governments, utility billing, payroll and human resources for city and county administration, court and public safety records for municipalities. Of those, financial management and erp for small and mid-sized local governments and utility billing, payroll and human resources for city and county administration are not what Ory Kratos is typically brought in for.
What can Incode do that Ory Kratos cannot?
Incode covers General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Payroll Management, Utility Billing. Ory Kratos covers Headless API, Self-service flows, Multi-factor authentication, Pluggable identity schemas.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ory Kratos: Is Ory Kratos free?

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

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.

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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