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Technology · head to head

Monday.com vs Ory Kratos

Monday.com logo

Monday.com

Technology

A platform built for a new way of working

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: Monday.com expensive at scale with 3-seat minimum and costs increasing quickly with team size; Ory Kratos headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
  • They diverge on capability: Monday.com covers Customizable workflows, Ory Kratos covers Headless API.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Monday.com and Ory Kratos actually diverge.

Attributes where Monday.com and Ory Kratos differ
AttributeMonday.comOry Kratos
Pricing modelUnknownOpen-source self-hosted, with a paid managed network
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted
CategoryTechnologyCybersecurity
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Monday.com

  • Customizable workflows
  • Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar)
  • Automation engine
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Mobile apps
  • Forms
  • Dashboards
  • Workload management

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.

Monday.com

  • Project managementnot Ory Kratos
  • Sales CRMnot Ory Kratos
  • Marketing campaignsnot Ory Kratos
  • HR processesnot Ory Kratos
  • IT ticketingnot Ory Kratos

Ory Kratos

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

Where each one falls short

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

Monday.com

  • Expensive at scale with 3-seat minimum and costs increasing quickly with team size
  • Limited free plan with only 2 users and 3 boards
  • Mobile app provides reduced functionality compared to web version
  • Email CC/BCC limitations for looping in stakeholders without full board access
  • WorkForms can only create new items, not update existing ones

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

Monday.com

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Monday.com review.

Ory Kratos

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Monday.com if

  • You need customizable workflows.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multiple views (kanban, gantt, calendar).
Monday.com 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 Monday.com or Ory Kratos better?
Neither clearly leads. Monday.com 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, Monday.com or Ory Kratos?
Monday.com starts at Free and Ory Kratos at Free.
Does Monday.com or Ory Kratos run on more platforms?
Monday.com runs on Web, iOS, Android. Ory Kratos runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
Can I use Monday.com for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Monday.com best used for?
Monday.com is most often used for project management, sales crm, marketing campaigns, hr processes. Of those, project management and sales crm are not what Ory Kratos is typically brought in for.
What can Monday.com do that Ory Kratos cannot?
Monday.com covers Customizable workflows, Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar), Automation engine, Real-time collaboration. Ory Kratos covers Headless API, Self-service flows, Multi-factor authentication, Pluggable identity schemas.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Monday.com: Does Monday.com have a free plan?

Yes, Monday.com offers a free plan limited to 2 users and 3 boards. Paid plans start at around $9 per seat per month and require a minimum of 3 seats.

Source
Ory Kratos: Is Ory Kratos free?

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

Monday.com: Can I use Monday.com on mobile?

Monday.com is available on iOS and Android, but the mobile app lacks the full depth of the desktop version, making complex board management more difficult on the go.

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.

Monday.com: Does Monday.com support offline work?

Monday.com is primarily a cloud-based platform and does not have robust offline capabilities. You need an internet connection to access and edit boards.

Source
Ory Kratos: Does Kratos do OAuth2?

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

Monday.com: What is Monday.com's pricing based on?

Pricing is based on the number of seats and which product module you choose (Work Management, Sales CRM, Dev, or Service). Each module has different features and pricing.

Source
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