Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

Logto vs Ory Kratos

Logto logo

Logto

Cybersecurity

Open-source identity and authentication infrastructure for apps and APIs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ory Kratos logo

Ory Kratos

Cybersecurity

Headless identity and user management API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Logto advanced features like RBAC, organizations, MFA, and enterprise SSO are billed as separate paid add-ons rather than included in Pro.; Ory Kratos headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
  • They diverge on capability: Logto covers Prebuilt sign-in UI, Ory Kratos covers Headless API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Logto and Ory Kratos differ
AttributeLogtoOry Kratos
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen-source self-hosted, with a paid managed network
Platformsweb, apiLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Logto

  • Prebuilt sign-in UI
  • Social connectors
  • Role-based access control
  • Machine-to-machine apps
  • Audit logs

Only in Ory Kratos

  • Headless API
  • Self-service flows
  • Pluggable identity schemas

Both cover

  • Multi-factor authentication

What people use each for

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

Logto

  • Adding sign-in to a new SaaS productnot Ory Kratos
  • Implementing SSO for B2B customersnot Ory Kratos
  • Securing internal APIs with M2M tokensnot Ory Kratos
  • Adding RBAC and organizations to a multi-tenant appnot Ory Kratos

Ory Kratos

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

Where each one falls short

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

Logto

  • Advanced features like RBAC, organizations, MFA, and enterprise SSO are billed as separate paid add-ons rather than included in Pro.
  • Enterprise pricing is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • Token-based billing can make cost forecasting harder than flat per-MAU pricing for high-traffic apps.

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

Logto

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 50,000 MAU
    • 50K tokens included
    • 3 applications
  • Pro$24/month
    • Unlimited MAU and applications
    • 3 included API resources
    • Passkey sign-in

Ory Kratos

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Logto if

  • You need prebuilt sign-in ui.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want social connectors.
Logto 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 Logto or Ory Kratos better?
Neither clearly leads. Logto starts at Free and Ory Kratos at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Logto or Ory Kratos?
Logto starts at Free and Ory Kratos at Free.
Does Logto or Ory Kratos run on more platforms?
Logto runs on web, api. Ory Kratos runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
Can I use Logto for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Logto best used for?
Logto is most often used for adding sign-in to a new saas product, implementing sso for b2b customers, securing internal apis with m2m tokens, adding rbac and organizations to a multi-tenant app. Of those, adding sign-in to a new saas product and implementing sso for b2b customers are not what Ory Kratos is typically brought in for.
What can Logto do that Ory Kratos cannot?
Logto covers Prebuilt sign-in UI, Social connectors, Role-based access control, Machine-to-machine apps. Ory Kratos covers Headless API, Self-service flows, Pluggable identity schemas. Both handle Multi-factor authentication.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Logto: What does Logto cost?

Logto offers a Free plan at $0/month, a Pro plan starting at $24/month with 50K free tokens included, and a custom-priced Enterprise plan. Extra add-ons like RBAC or MFA are billed separately on Pro.

Source
Ory Kratos: Is Ory Kratos free?

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

Logto: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes. The Free plan supports up to 50,000 monthly active users, 3 total applications, 1 machine-to-machine app, 3 social connectors, 1 webhook, and 3-day audit log retention.

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.

Logto: How is usage metered?

Logto uses token-based billing: only access tokens issued for authentication and authorization activity are counted, rather than charging purely per MAU.

Source
Ory Kratos: Does Kratos do OAuth2?

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

Share

Related pages

More on Logto

More on Ory Kratos

Keep looking

Other head to heads