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Developer Tools · head to head

Keycloak vs Sourcegraph

Keycloak logo

Keycloak

Developer Tools

Open-source identity and access management server.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sourcegraph logo

Sourcegraph

Developer Tools

Code search and intelligence platform for large codebases with Cody AI assistant

From
$16000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Keycloak has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Keycloak requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain; Sourcegraph enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Keycloak and Sourcegraph actually diverge.

Attributes where Keycloak and Sourcegraph differ
AttributeKeycloakSourcegraph
Starting priceFree$16000/year
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsSelf-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, APICloud, Self-hosted

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).

What people use each for

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

Keycloak

  • Organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residencynot Sourcegraph
  • Companies with existing LDAP/Active Directory systems needing federated authenticationnot Sourcegraph
  • Open-source projects and communities requiring free IAM without licensing costsnot Sourcegraph
  • Enterprises building custom identity workflows requiring fine-grained authorisationnot Sourcegraph
  • Teams with sufficient operational expertise to manage infrastructurenot Sourcegraph

Sourcegraph

  • Large-scale code migrations across hundreds of repositoriesnot Keycloak
  • Enterprise governance and code ownership trackingnot Keycloak
  • AI-assisted bug hunting and security pattern detectionnot Keycloak
  • Onboarding engineers into large unfamiliar codebasesnot Keycloak
  • Regulatory compliance and code audit trailsnot Keycloak

Where each one falls short

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

Keycloak

  • Requires self-hosted deployment and operational expertise to install, configure and maintain
  • No managed cloud option provided by Red Hat; organisations must operate infrastructure themselves or use third-party distributions
  • Clustering and high-availability configurations require additional operational knowledge
  • Community support only; commercial support requires third-party vendors or distributions

Sourcegraph

  • Enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams
  • No free tier or standard plan published; all options require custom sales engagement
  • Complex enterprise-only positioning limits adoption compared to GitHub Copilot's pervasiveness
  • Requires indexing entire codebase; not suitable for small or ephemeral projects

Pricing, plan by plan

Keycloak

Free
  • Open-sourceFree
    • Full platform functionality
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Community support

Sourcegraph

$16000/year
  • Enterprise$16000/year
    • Scales with team size
    • Credits for AI features per user
    • Deep Search

Which should you pick?

Choose Keycloak if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API.
Keycloak review

Choose Sourcegraph if

  • You work on Cloud, Self-hosted.
Sourcegraph review

Questions people ask

Is Keycloak or Sourcegraph better?
Neither clearly leads. Keycloak starts at Free and Sourcegraph at $16000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Keycloak or Sourcegraph?
Keycloak has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Keycloak and $16000/year for Sourcegraph.
Does Keycloak or Sourcegraph run on more platforms?
Keycloak runs on Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, API. Sourcegraph runs on Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use Keycloak for free?
Yes. Keycloak has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sourcegraph starts at $16000/year.
What is Keycloak best used for?
Keycloak is most often used for organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residency, companies with existing ldap/active directory systems needing federated authentication, open-source projects and communities requiring free iam without licensing costs, enterprises building custom identity workflows requiring fine-grained authorisation. Of those, organisations requiring self-hosted identity infrastructure for compliance or data residency and companies with existing ldap/active directory systems needing federated authentication are not what Sourcegraph is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Keycloak: What protocols does Keycloak support?

Keycloak supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 and SAML 2.0 protocols for authentication and authorisation.

Source
Keycloak: Can Keycloak integrate with existing user directories?

Yes. Keycloak supports user federation with LDAP and Active Directory systems, allowing organisations to leverage existing user directories.

Source
Keycloak: Is Keycloak free?

Yes. Keycloak is fully open-source and free to deploy and use. No licensing fees are required.

Source
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