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Spellwarden vs Zitadel
Short answer: Pick Spellwarden if you want static security scanning for AI agents; pick Zitadel if you want API-first multi-tenant identity infrastructure. Both have a free plan.
SpellwardenSecurity checks for agent skills and MCP servers
ZitadelOpen-source identity infrastructure with SSO and multi-tenancyWhich to pick
Pick Spellwarden if you want…
- Static security scanning for AI agents
- Integrations with Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code (on Spellwarden's list, not Zitadel's)
Pick Zitadel if you want…
- API-first multi-tenant identity infrastructure
- Identity and SSO
- Integrations with Google, Microsoft or GitHub (on Zitadel's list, not Spellwarden's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Spellwarden:Spellwarden scans AI agent skills and MCP servers for security issues and enforces policies.
- Zitadel:ZITADEL is an open-source, multi-tenant identity platform offering SSO, passwordless login and role-based access via APIs.
- Best for
- Spellwarden:Static security scanning for AI agents
- Zitadel:API-first multi-tenant identity infrastructure
- Who it’s for
- Spellwarden:Teams building or operating AI agents and MCP gateways.
- Zitadel:Developers building consumer, B2B or employee applications needing authentication and authorization.
- Pricing
- Spellwarden:Freemium
- Zitadel:Freemium
- Free plan or trial
- Spellwarden:Free trial
- Zitadel:Free trial
- Plans
- Spellwarden:—
- Zitadel:FREE US$0/Month · PRO US$100/Month per month
- Open source
- Spellwarden:Yes, 3 GitHub stars
- Zitadel:Yes, 15,146 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Spellwarden:Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Kong, Zuplo MCP Gateway, OpenTelemetry
- Zitadel:Google, Microsoft, GitHub, REST API, gRPC
Spellwarden features
- Skill & Server Scanning. Scans SKILL.md packages, MCP servers and A2A agent cards with 65 static rules.
- Policy Packs. Exports enforcement rule packs to Claude Code hooks, Kong and Zuplo MCP Gateway.
- Eval Suites. Runs paired evaluations and grades skill impact before deployment.
- Runtime Tracing. Matches OpenTelemetry traces to scans to show what agents actually use.
- Private MCP Registry. Curates and admits only vetted, auth-enabled entries for MCP servers.
- CI Integration. GitHub Action and GitLab component add code-scanning alerts to PRs/MRs.
Zitadel features
- Hosted login UI. Customizable hosted login page with social and passwordless options.
- API-first authentication. REST and gRPC APIs to embed login flows directly in applications.
- Role-Based Access Control. Define permissions per role for fine-grained authorization.
- Multi-tenant core. Create unlimited organizations and projects to isolate customers.
- Extensible actions. Run workflow scripts on predefined events without deploying code.
- Multi-factor & Passkeys. Enforce MFA or passwordless passkey authentication for stronger security.
Spellwarden vs Zitadel FAQ
What is the difference between Spellwarden and Zitadel?+
Zitadel: Identity infrastructure, unrelated to security scanning of AI agents.
Should I use Spellwarden or Zitadel?+
Pick Spellwarden if you want static security scanning for AI agents or integrations with Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code (on Spellwarden's list, not Zitadel's). Pick Zitadel if you want API-first multi-tenant identity infrastructure, identity and SSO or integrations with Google, Microsoft or GitHub (on Zitadel's list, not Spellwarden's).
Is Spellwarden or Zitadel free?+
Spellwarden has a free plan and paid plans. Zitadel has a free plan and paid plans.
Is Spellwarden or Zitadel open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Spellwarden (spellwarden-ai/spellwarden on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license) and Zitadel (zitadel/zitadel on GitHub, AGPL-3.0 license).
Do Spellwarden and Zitadel integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Spellwarden lists Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, GitHub Actions and 4 more; Zitadel lists Google, Microsoft, GitHub, REST API and 1 more.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.