Keycloak vs privacyIDEA
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Keycloak
Open-source identity and access management for modern apps
VS
privacyIDEA
Self-hosted two-factor authentication management
| Feature | Keycloak | privacyIDEA |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 36,058 | ★ 1,751 |
| First released | 2014 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0, Microsoft Entra ID | Duo Security, RSA SecurID |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Keycloak or privacyIDEA better?
Neither is universally better. Keycloak has the larger community, while privacyIDEA is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Keycloak and privacyIDEA free and open-source?
Yes. Keycloak is licensed under Apache-2.0 and privacyIDEA under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Keycloak and privacyIDEA with Docker?
Keycloak: yes. privacyIDEA: yes.