authentik vs ForgeRock
authentik
authentik is an open-source identity provider focused on flexibility and versatility. It supports SAML, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, LDAP, SCIM, and RADIUS protocols. It provides a modern UI for user self-service, admin management, and can act as a full identity provider or authentication proxy.
Pros
- Fully open source with active development
- Modern, polished admin UI
- Supports all major identity protocols
- Easy Docker/Kubernetes deployment
- Flexible flow-based authentication engine
Cons
- Younger project than Keycloak
- Smaller community and ecosystem
- Enterprise features require paid license
- Limited enterprise support options
Pricing: Free (Open Source) / Enterprise from contact
ForgeRock
ForgeRock is an enterprise-grade identity management platform designed for the most demanding workforce and customer identity deployments. Now merged with Ping Identity, ForgeRock provides identity orchestration, access management, directory services, and identity governance. Its AI-powered identity platform handles complex authentication journeys with a visual orchestration engine, and its high-performance directory scales to billions of identity records for large CIAM deployments.
Pros
- Visual identity orchestration engine handles the most complex authentication journeys
- Directory scales to billions of records for massive CIAM deployments
- Full deployment flexibility. Cloud, self-hosted, hybrid, and air-gapped
- Strong privacy and consent management for regulatory compliance
- IoT identity capabilities extend IAM to connected devices
Cons
- Significant professional services investment required for deployment
- Product complexity demands experienced identity architects
- Ping/ForgeRock merger creates product overlap and roadmap uncertainty
- Higher total cost of ownership than cloud-native platforms for standard use cases
- Smaller SSO integration catalog compared to Okta's pre-built network
Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing based on deployment model and scale