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Security & identity

Better Auth vs Keycloak

Better Auth and Keycloak are both security & identity tools. Better Auth is aimed at developers, while Keycloak is aimed at enterprise and developers. Both have a free plan.

Better Auth

Framework-agnostic TypeScript authentication

Keycloak

Open-source identity and access management

PricingOpen source · $20Open source
Starting price$20/moNot published
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forDevelopersEnterprise, Developers
Platformswebweb
CountryUS · 2024US · 2014
Rating——

Choose Better Auth if

TypeScript developers who want complete ownership and flexibility without paying per user.

  • Free and MIT licensed; you own user data
  • Comprehensive plugin set rivals hosted providers
  • Excellent TypeScript DX

Look elsewhere if: Teams that want hosted UI and zero maintenance (Clerk) or heavy enterprise SSO today (Auth0).

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Choose Keycloak if

Organizations needing self-hosted enterprise IAM.

  • Free and open source
  • Enterprise-grade features
  • Full control over identity data

Look elsewhere if: Startups wanting simple hosted auth (Clerk, Auth0).

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Better Auth vs Keycloak pricing

Better Auth

  • Open source$0MIT library, self-hosted, no per-user fees
  • Starter$0Managed infra: 1 dashboard seat, 10k audit logs/mo
  • Pro$20/moUnlimited seats, 20k audit logs/mo, 1 SSO connection
  • EnterpriseCustomCustom limits, log drain, Slack support

Keycloak

  • Open source$0Apache 2.0, self-hosted
  • Red Hat buildCustomCommercial support subscription

Better Auth · Key features

  • Email/password, OAuth, magic link, passkeys and OTP
  • Plugins: organizations, teams, 2FA, admin, multi-session, API keys
  • Database adapters for Drizzle, Prisma, Kysely and more
  • Framework integrations: Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Hono, Express
  • Typed client hooks for React, Vue and Svelte
  • Rate limiting, session management and CLI migrations

Cons

  • You host and secure it yourself
  • No prebuilt UI components (bring your own)
  • Younger project; APIs still evolving

Keycloak · Key features

  • SSO via OIDC and SAML
  • User federation with LDAP/AD
  • Identity brokering and social login
  • MFA and password policies
  • Fine-grained authorization
  • Admin and account consoles

Cons

  • Operationally complex
  • UI and theming are dated
  • Upgrades require care

Better Auth vs Keycloak: FAQ

Do Better Auth and Keycloak have a free plan?

Yes, both Better Auth and Keycloak have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?

Better Auth alternativesKeycloak alternativesSecurity & identity