Cybersecurity · head to head
Socket vs authentik
Socket
Cybersecurity
Supply chain security platform detecting and blocking malicious dependencies
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
authentik
Cybersecurity
Open-source identity provider with flexible authentication flows
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Socket team plan requires minimum 5-developer commitment, expensive for small teams; authentik smaller project than Keycloak, with a correspondingly smaller community and fewer integration guides
- They diverge on capability: Socket covers Malware detection, authentik covers Configurable flows.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Socket and authentik actually diverge.
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 Socket
- Malware detection
- Automatic blocking
- AI behavior analysis
- Reachability analysis
- Slack integration
- SBOM support
- SAML SSO
- GitHub Actions scanning
Only in authentik
- Configurable flows
- Protocol support
- Application proxy
- Modern admin interface
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Socket
- Blocking zero-day malware attacks in JavaScript dependenciesnot authentik
- Managing CVE false positives with precomputed reachability analysisnot authentik
- Securing Python and Go supply chains at scalenot authentik
- Automating compliance requirements for regulated industriesnot authentik
- Real-time threat notifications via Slack integrationnot authentik
authentik
- Self-hosted SSO across internal services without commercial identity pricingnot Socket
- Putting authentication in front of applications that have none, via the proxynot Socket
- Teams who tried Keycloak and wanted something less heavynot Socket
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Socket
- Team plan requires minimum 5-developer commitment, expensive for small teams
- Business plan $50/dev/month becomes costly for teams exceeding 20 members
- Enterprise pricing requires custom consultation with no transparent pricing
- Free plan limited to individual developers without team collaboration
- Reachability analysis improvement (90% false positive reduction) only on Enterprise
authentik
- Smaller project than Keycloak, with a correspondingly smaller community and fewer integration guides
- The flow model is flexible but conceptually unfamiliar, and simple setups can feel over-abstracted
- Enterprise support and some governance features sit behind the paid tier
- Self-hosted identity is still yours to secure, patch and keep available
Pricing, plan by plan
Socket
Free- FreeFree
- For individual developers
- Detects 70+ risk types
- Blocks malicious dependencies automatically
- Team$25/month
- Per developer on minimum 5 developers
- Precomputed reachability analysis cuts 60% false positives
- Slack alerts for threats
- Business$50/month
- Per developer on minimum 20 developers
- All Team features
- Compliance integrations with Vanta
- Enterprise$undefined/custom
- Function-level reachability eliminates up to 90% irrelevant CVEs
- Multi-repository system support
- Named account manager
authentik
Free- Open sourceFree
- Full identity provider
- All protocols
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Socket if
- You need malware detection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI, GitHub.
- You also want automatic blocking.
Choose authentik if
- You need configurable flows.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted.
- You also want protocol support.
Questions people ask
- Is Socket or authentik better?
- Neither clearly leads. Socket starts at Free and authentik at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Socket or authentik?
- Socket starts at Free and authentik at Free.
- Does Socket or authentik run on more platforms?
- Socket runs on Web, CLI, GitHub. authentik runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Self-hosted.
- Can I use Socket for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Socket best used for?
- Socket is most often used for blocking zero-day malware attacks in javascript dependencies, managing cve false positives with precomputed reachability analysis, securing python and go supply chains at scale, automating compliance requirements for regulated industries. Of those, blocking zero-day malware attacks in javascript dependencies and managing cve false positives with precomputed reachability analysis are not what authentik is typically brought in for.
- What can Socket do that authentik cannot?
- Socket covers Malware detection, Automatic blocking, AI behavior analysis, Reachability analysis. authentik covers Configurable flows, Protocol support, Application proxy, Modern admin interface.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Socket: How many zero-day attacks does Socket detect?
Socket detects over 100 zero-day attacks weekly across JavaScript, Python, and Go ecosystems.
Sourceauthentik: Is authentik free?
The open-source edition is free and complete for most use. An enterprise tier adds support and additional features.
Socket: What is precomputed reachability analysis?
Socket's precomputed reachability analysis cuts CVE false positives by 60% automatically on Team plans, and up to 90% on Enterprise plans through function-level analysis.
Sourceauthentik: authentik or Keycloak?
authentik is generally reported as easier to run and administer; Keycloak is more established with a larger community and Red Hat behind it.
Socket: Is there a discount for annual billing?
Yes. Socket offers a 20% discount for annual commitments across all subscription tiers.
Sourceauthentik: Can authentik protect apps with no login of their own?
Yes. Its application proxy places authentication in front of services that have no built-in authentication.
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