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Head-to-head · Passwordless Authentication Software

OpenCIAM vs Ory

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score OpenCIAM #5 in Passwordless Authentication Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit OpenCIAM
Ory #17 in Passwordless Authentication Software 7.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Ory

OpenCIAM leads on 0 checks, Ory on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreOpenCIAM · 8.6/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresOpenCIAM · 4 of 5

OpenCIAM scores higher on our rubric for passwordless authentication software: 8.6 against 7.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #17.

OpenCIAM is the better fit for open-source teams wanting broad identity flows. Ory is the better fit for open-source teams needing identity infrastructure.

  • OpenCIAM fits best

    Open-source teams wanting broad identity flows

  • Ory fits best

    Open-source teams needing identity infrastructure

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Side by side

Feature OpenCIAM 8.6/10 Visit ↗ Ory 7.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.6 7.4
Ranking #5 in Passwordless Authentication Software #17 in Passwordless Authentication Software
Best for Open-source teams wanting broad identity flows Open-source teams needing identity infrastructure
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Integrations 30+ integrations 9 integrations
Features OpenCIAM 4/5 · Ory 1/5
Magic links ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Biometric login Not checked yet Not checked yet
SAML SSO ✓ (best) Not checked yet
OpenID Connect ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Directory synchronization ✓ ✓
Specs
Passwordless methods FIDO2/WebAuthn passkeys, magic links, email OTP, SMS OTP, push approval Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports passkeys, magic links, OTP, push approval, and adaptive MFA
  • Self-hosted Community plan includes unlimited monthly active users
  • Covers OAuth, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, REST, GraphQL, and SDKs
  • Supports passkeys, passwordless email and SMS, MFA, SSO, and SCIM
  • Offers open-source, self-hosted, and managed cloud deployment options
  • Covers customer identity, B2B SSO, authorization, and API protection
Cons
  • Cloud pricing becomes usage-based beyond 7,500 monthly active users
  • Enterprise capabilities such as 24/7 support are plan-specific
  • Its platform coverage is narrower than some established alternatives
  • The Growth plan costs $9,350 per year with annual billing
  • Production includes one production environment and three staging environments
  • Enterprise self-hosting uses custom pricing
Our verdict

OpenCIAM is an open-source customer identity and access management platform for developers and teams adding authentication to applications. It supports passwordless login through FIDO2/WebAuthn passkeys, magic links, email and SMS OTP, and…

Read the review →

Ory is modular identity and access management infrastructure for customer-facing applications, B2B SaaS products, partners, machines, and AI agents. It supports user profiles, passwordless email and SMS authentication, passkeys, passwords,…

Read the review →
  1. OpenCIAMPasswordless Authentication Software 8.6Free plan
  2. OryPasswordless Authentication Software 7.4Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • OpenCIAM — where it wins

    • Supports passkeys, magic links, OTP, push approval, and adaptive MFA
    • Self-hosted Community plan includes unlimited monthly active users
    • Covers OAuth, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, REST, GraphQL, and SDKs

    Where it doesn't

    • Cloud pricing becomes usage-based beyond 7,500 monthly active users
    • Enterprise capabilities such as 24/7 support are plan-specific
    • Its platform coverage is narrower than some established alternatives

  • Ory — where it wins

    • Supports passkeys, passwordless email and SMS, MFA, SSO, and SCIM
    • Offers open-source, self-hosted, and managed cloud deployment options
    • Covers customer identity, B2B SSO, authorization, and API protection

    Where it doesn't

    • The Growth plan costs $9,350 per year with annual billing
    • Production includes one production environment and three staging environments
    • Enterprise self-hosting uses custom pricing
  • OpenCIAM8.6/10 · Free plan

    A flexible open-source identity platform for teams building passwordless login flows.

    Visit OpenCIAMFull verdict →
  • Ory7.4/10 · Free plan

    A broad identity platform for teams that need passwordless access and deployment control.

    Visit OryFull verdict →

More comparisons

All passwordless authentication software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update