Authentik
Flexible identity provider
The Lens
By Erik Loyd, SaaS CEO and former COO/CFO of an AWS Premier Partner.
Updated Jun 2026
SSO (single sign-on), multi-factor auth, user directories, all in one place.
The open source version is extremely capable. You get SAML, OAuth2/OIDC, LDAP, SCIM, and proxy authentication. The admin UI is clean and modern. You can set up enrollment flows, password recovery, and MFA without touching code. For a homelab or small company, this replaces paid services like Okta or Auth0.
Authentik Enterprise adds features like long-term support, AI-powered risk assessment, and enterprise support starting at $5/user/mo with a 100-user minimum ($500/mo floor). Solo/homelab: the open source version is fantastic. Small teams: same. Growing teams needing vendor support: Enterprise makes sense at $5/user/mo. Large orgs: serious Okta alternative at a fraction of the cost.
The catch: initial setup has a learning curve. Authentik uses a flow-based system for authentication logic that's powerful but not intuitive at first. Plan to spend a weekend getting it right. Docker Compose is the recommended deployment; you'll run Postgres, Redis, and the Authentik containers.
Free vs Self-Hosted vs Paid
open coreFree Tier (Self-Hosted)
The open source Authentik includes: SAML, OAuth2/OIDC, LDAP provider, SCIM provisioning, proxy authentication, MFA (TOTP, WebAuthn, Duo), customizable flows, user/group management, application catalog, and a full admin dashboard. No user limits.
Self-Hosted Setup
Docker Compose with Postgres and Redis. Minimum 2 CPU cores, 4GB RAM recommended. The flow designer and admin UI are web-based. Outposts (LDAP, proxy, RADIUS) run as separate containers. Moderate ops burden, not a single binary, but well-documented.
Paid Tier: Enterprise
- $5/user/mo (100-user minimum = $500/mo floor)
- Long-term support releases
- AI-based risk detection
- Enterprise support with SLAs
- Web3 authentication
- Enterprise RAC (Remote Access Control)
The Math
Self-hosted open source: $20-40/mo VPS + 4-6 hours/mo ops. Okta at $6-15/user/mo for 100 users: $600-1,500/mo. Authentik Enterprise at $500/mo is cheaper than Okta and you own the data. The open source version at $20-40/mo is absurdly cheap for what you get.
Verdict
The open source version replaces paid identity providers for most teams. Enterprise is worth it at scale for SLA support and risk detection.
Open source replaces Okta/Auth0 for most teams at $0. Enterprise at $5/user/mo ($500/mo min) is still cheaper than competitors.
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