Open Source Alternatives

Open Source Auth Alternatives to WorkOS

Enterprise-readiness platform: SSO, SCIM directory sync, and audit logs for B2B SaaS.

2 drop-in replacements

workos.com ↗

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Updated May 2026

What you gain

✓No per-enterprise-connection pricing for SSO and SCIM
✓SAML and directory-sync config stays in your own system
✓Self-hosted identity so enterprise customer data stays in your network
✓No vendor lock-in on your SSO integrations

What you give up

△No single API normalizing dozens of SAML and OIDC identity providers
△No managed SCIM directory-sync connectors for Okta, Azure AD, and others
△No prebuilt admin portal for enterprise customers to self-configure SSO
△More work supporting each enterprise customer's identity quirks

Switching Cost

WorkOS exists because wiring SAML and SCIM for every enterprise customer is painful, and that pain is exactly what you take back on. Authentik and ZITADEL both speak SAML, OIDC, and SCIM, so the protocols are covered, but WorkOS's single normalized API and self-serve admin portal are the convenience you rebuild. A team with a couple of SSO customers can move in a week. A SaaS with many enterprise connections and a self-serve SSO setup flow should budget several weeks and a real plan for onboarding each identity provider. The hidden cost is per-customer SSO support landing on your team.

Quick Compare

	Authentik	ZITADEL
Overlap	70%	70%
Migration	moderate	moderate
License	MIT + Enterprise	GNU Affero General Public License v3.0
Best for	Teams with DevOps	Small teams

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Drop-in Replacements

Ranked by feature coverage

Authentik

8170% coverage

Flexible identity provider

SSO (single sign-on), multi-factor auth, user directories, all in one place. The open source version is extremely capable.

21.7k ★+156/wkPythonMIT + Enterprise

ZITADEL

7370% coverage

Identity infrastructure, simplified

ZITADEL is a self-contained identity platform: login, signup, SSO, multi-factor auth, user roles, all in one. It's an alternative to Auth0 or Clerk that you can self-host for free.

13.9k ★+90/wkGoGNU Affero General Public License v3.0

What open source can't replace

Authentik and ZITADEL both handle SAML, OIDC, and SCIM, so they replace WorkOS's protocol layer. What they don't replace is WorkOS's single normalized API across identity providers and the self-serve admin portal your enterprise customers use.