Keycloak vs Auth0

The Swiss Army knife of IAM—if you don't mind sharpening it yourself meets the identity-as-a-service darling that makes auth easy until you hit the enterprise pricing wall. Here's our take.

Keycloak

The Swiss Army knife of IAM—if you don't mind sharpening it yourself.

Pros

• Open-source with robust SSO and OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect support
• Built-in user federation and social login integrations
• Fine-grained authorization policies for complex access control

Cons

• Steep learning curve for advanced configurations
• Can be resource-heavy and tricky to scale in production

Auth0

Nice Pick

The identity-as-a-service darling that makes auth easy until you hit the enterprise pricing wall.

Pros

• Enterprise features
• Many integrations
• Mature
• Customizable
• Quick setup with pre-built login UIs and social logins
• Handles complex protocols like OAuth 2.0 and SAML out-of-the-box
• Scalable for startups to large applications with minimal dev effort

Cons

• Complex
• Expensive
• Overkill for small apps
• Pricing can skyrocket with user counts and advanced features
• Customization beyond basics often requires wrestling with their rules engine

The Verdict

Use Auth0 if: You want enterprise features and can live with complex.

Use Keycloak if: You prioritize open-source with robust sso and oauth 2.0/openid connect support over what Auth0 offers.

The Bottom Line

Auth0 wins

The identity-as-a-service darling that makes auth easy until you hit the enterprise pricing wall.