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Head-to-head · Identity and Access Management Software

Keycloak vs Amazon Cognito

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Keycloak #4 in Identity and Access Management Software 9.0/10 Open source ✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Keycloak
Amazon Cognito #6 in Identity and Access Management Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Amazon Cognito

Keycloak leads on 0 checks, Amazon Cognito on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreKeycloak · 9.0/10
  • Free planonly Amazon Cognito
  • Most featuresKeycloak · 2 of 3

Keycloak scores higher on our rubric for identity and access management software: 9.0 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.

Keycloak is the better fit for self-hosted open-source SSO and federation. Amazon Cognito is the better fit for low-cost application authentication on AWS.

  • Keycloak fits best

    Self-hosted open-source SSO and federation

  • Amazon Cognito fits best

    Low-cost application authentication on AWS

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Keycloak 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Amazon Cognito 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.8
Ranking #4 in Identity and Access Management Software #6 in Identity and Access Management Software
Best for Self-hosted open-source SSO and federation Low-cost application authentication on AWS
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Open source $0.0055/user/mo
Free plan Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop, Self-hosted Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web, Windows, Linux Web, iOS, Android
Integrations 10 integrations 13 integrations
Features Keycloak 2/3 · Amazon Cognito 1/3
Directory sync ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Lifecycle provisioning ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Adaptive access policies Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
SSO protocols OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0 SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), OAuth 2.0
MFA methods TOTP, HOTP, WebAuthn/passkeys, recovery codes Email, SMS, TOTP authenticator apps, WebAuthn passkeys with user verification
Included users Not checked yet 10000 users
Our review
Pros
  • Supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0
  • Combines LDAP, Active Directory, MFA, passkeys, and social login
  • Provides fine-grained authorization and SCIM user and group management APIs
  • Free plan with 10,000 MAUs for eligible Lite and Essentials accounts
  • OAuth, OIDC, SAML, social login, MFA, and passwordless access
  • Identity pools issue temporary credentials for AWS resource access
Cons
  • Deployment and ongoing administration are managed by the organization
  • SCIM support is a preview feature and disabled by default
  • Requires self-hosted infrastructure such as virtual machines or containers
  • Usage-based pricing can vary with monthly active users
  • Plus has no free tier and adds cost for threat protection
  • Developer-oriented customer IAM rather than a workforce directory
Our verdict

Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management server for web applications, REST services, and other applications. It is designed for organizations that want to manage authentication and access controls themselves across web,…

Read the review →

Amazon Cognito is a managed identity and access service for web, iOS, Android, and API applications. It provides user directories, authentication, authorization, identity federation, and temporary AWS credentials. The service is aimed…

Read the review →
  1. KeycloakIdentity and Access Management Software 9.0Open source
  2. Amazon CognitoIdentity and Access Management Software 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Keycloak — where it wins

    • Supports OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0
    • Combines LDAP, Active Directory, MFA, passkeys, and social login
    • Provides fine-grained authorization and SCIM user and group management APIs

    Where it doesn't

    • Deployment and ongoing administration are managed by the organization
    • SCIM support is a preview feature and disabled by default
    • Requires self-hosted infrastructure such as virtual machines or containers

  • Amazon Cognito — where it wins

    • Free plan with 10,000 MAUs for eligible Lite and Essentials accounts
    • OAuth, OIDC, SAML, social login, MFA, and passwordless access
    • Identity pools issue temporary credentials for AWS resource access

    Where it doesn't

    • Usage-based pricing can vary with monthly active users
    • Plus has no free tier and adds cost for threat protection
    • Developer-oriented customer IAM rather than a workforce directory

More comparisons

All identity and access management software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update