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Keycloak vs Microsoft Entra ID
Short answer: Pick Keycloak if you want open-source SSO and auth management; pick Microsoft Entra ID if you want unified cloud identity and access management. Keycloak is free and open source; Microsoft Entra ID is paid, with a free trial.
KeycloakOpen-source identity and access management
Microsoft Entra IDIdentity and access management from MicrosoftWhich to pick
Pick Keycloak if you want…
- Open-source SSO and auth management
- Self-hosted identity and access management
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 or SAML 2.0 (on Keycloak's list, not Microsoft Entra ID's)
Pick Microsoft Entra ID if you want…
- Unified cloud identity and access management
- Integrations with Microsoft 365 (on Microsoft Entra ID's list, not Keycloak's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Keycloak:Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management solution providing SSO, social login, and fine-grained authorization.
- Microsoft Entra ID:Microsoft Entra ID is a cloud IAM solution that provides SSO, MFA, conditional access and identity protection.
- Best for
- Keycloak:Open-source SSO and auth management
- Microsoft Entra ID:Unified cloud identity and access management
- Who it’s for
- Keycloak:Developers and ops teams needing centralized authentication for apps and services
- Microsoft Entra ID:Enterprises and businesses needing secure sign-in and access control for users and apps.
- Pricing
- Keycloak:Open source
- Microsoft Entra ID:Paid
- Starting price
- Keycloak:Free
- Microsoft Entra ID:—
- Free plan or trial
- Keycloak:Free to use
- Microsoft Entra ID:Free trial
- Plans
- Keycloak:—
- Microsoft Entra ID:Microsoft Entra ID P2 $10.00 user/month, paid yearly
- Open source
- Keycloak:Yes, 37,083 GitHub stars
- Microsoft Entra ID:—
- Works with
- Keycloak:OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0, LDAP, Active Directory
- Microsoft Entra ID:Microsoft 365
Keycloak features
- Single-Sign-On. Users log in once to access multiple applications without re-authenticating.
- Identity Brokering & Social Login. Add social network or external OpenID Connect/SAML providers via the admin console without code changes.
- User Federation. Connect to existing LDAP or Active Directory directories, or custom user stores.
- Admin & Account Consoles. Central UI for managing apps, users, policies and for users to manage profiles and MFA.
- Authorization Services. Define fine-grained permission policies beyond role-based access.
- Standard Protocol Support. Built-in OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 and SAML 2.0 support.
Microsoft Entra ID features
- Single sign-on & passwordless. Enable fast, secure sign-in to cloud and on-prem apps with SSO and passwordless authentication.
- Multi-factor authentication. Phishing-resistant MFA protects accounts and reduces identity compromise risk.
- Conditional & risk-based access. Adaptive policies enforce least-privilege access based on risk signals.
- Privileged identity management. Just-in-time, least-privilege access for privileged accounts and resources.
- Self-service portal. Users can manage passwords, devices and access requests via a self-service UI.
- AI-enhanced security insights. Security Copilot helps investigate risky users, anomalies and policy gaps with natural language prompts.
Keycloak vs Microsoft Entra ID FAQ
What is the difference between Keycloak and Microsoft Entra ID?+
Keycloak: Open-source IAM offering SSO, federation and admin UI, can be self-hosted versus Microsoft’s managed service.
Should I use Keycloak or Microsoft Entra ID?+
Pick Keycloak if you want open-source SSO and auth management, self-hosted identity and access management or a free, open-source tool. Pick Microsoft Entra ID if you want unified cloud identity and access management or integrations with Microsoft 365 (on Microsoft Entra ID's list, not Keycloak's).
Is Keycloak or Microsoft Entra ID free?+
Keycloak is free and open source. Microsoft Entra ID is paid, with a free trial.
Is Keycloak or Microsoft Entra ID open source?+
Keycloak is open source (keycloak/keycloak on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for Microsoft Entra ID.
Do Keycloak and Microsoft Entra ID integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Keycloak lists OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0, LDAP and 1 more; Microsoft Entra ID lists Microsoft 365.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.