Alternatives

Best smallstep alternatives in 2026

Data compiled by Toolradar Updated October 21, 2026 How we rate

Cite this list: Toolradar, best smallstep alternatives 2026, toolradar.com/alternatives/smallstep

5 direct alternatives to smallstep and 3 more tools in the same category, compared on pricing, features, and best-for use cases. Pick the right replacement without the marketing fluff.

Quick answer

Auth0 is the top alternative to smallstep on our list, followed by Ory and Firebase Authentication.
7 of the 8 alternatives have a free plan, starting with Auth0.
Highest rated: 1Password, 4.7 out of 5 from 3,945 ratings, Sep 2026.

Publications that cover the tools tracked here

8 alternatives
5 direct
7 with a free plan

Auth0
#1 Top pick
Identity platform for developers
Starting price
From $35 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026
4.5 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 424 ratings, Sep 2026
Our take
Best overall
Read the review
Ory
#2
Open-source identity infrastructure
Starting price
From $29 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026
4.5 /5 on G2 · 50 ratings, Aug 2026
Read the review
Firebase Authentication
#3
Backend authentication by Google
Pricing
Free plan
4.9 /5 on G2 · 5 ratings, Oct 2026
Our take
Highest rated
Read the review

smallstep vs 8 alternatives

smallstep and its alternatives compared on starting price (cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026), free plan and average user rating, and how directly each replaces it.
Tool	Starting price (Oct 2026)	Free plan	Rating	Fit
smallstep Compared tool	Price: Free + paid	Free plan: Yes	4.2 out of 5, from 10 ratings on G2 (10)
Auth0	Price: $35/mo	Free plan: Yes	4.5 out of 5, from 424 ratings across G2 and Capterra (424)	Direct alternative
Ory	Price: $29/mo	Free plan: Yes	4.5 out of 5, from 50 ratings on G2 (50)	Direct alternative
Firebase Authentication	Price: Free + paid	Free plan: Yes	4.9 out of 5, from 5 ratings on G2 (5)	Direct alternative
Zitadel	Price: Free + paid	Free plan: Yes	n/a	Direct alternative
Hanko	Price: $29/mo	Free plan: Yes	n/a	Direct alternative
LastPass	Price: $3/mo	Free plan: Yes	4.6 out of 5, from 4,877 ratings across G2 and Capterra (4,877)	Same category as smallstep
1Password	Price: $3.99/mo	Free plan: No	4.7 out of 5, from 3,945 ratings across G2 and Capterra (3,945)	Same category as smallstep
JumpCloud	Price: $9/mo	Free plan: Yes	4.4 out of 5, from 4,391 ratings across G2, Capterra and Trustpilot (4,391)	Same category as smallstep

Why people consider alternatives to smallstep

Smallstep provides automated certificate management. Zero-trust security infrastructure-certificates and identity for modern security. The automation handles certificates. The zero-trust enables security.

Teams most often switch away when one of these starts to bite:

Pricing at scale as usage or premium tiers add up.
Missing integrations with the rest of your stack.
Performance or scale limits as your needs grow.
A specific feature gap you have hit in identity & access.

The 5 direct alternatives below cover the same core job (identity & access) with different trade-offs. The 3 tools marked "Same category as smallstep" fit the category but replace smallstep less directly.

See full smallstep review Best identity & access tools How we rank

smallstep by the numbers

smallstep compared with 103 Identity & Access tools on Toolradar, as of Oct 2026
Metric	smallstep	Peer median	Position (1 is best)
Free plan	Yes	58% have one	n/a
Listed as an alternative to	3 tools	2	#44 of 103 (joint)

Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. All Identity & Access data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position.

Cite this: Toolradar, “smallstep by the numbers”, Oct 2026.

Identity & Access leaderboards from Toolradar data

Toolradar ranks Identity & Access tools on one measure at a time, only where at least 8 tools have data. As of Oct 2026.

CSV

Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit

Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.

Counted among 33 tools with no stated price unit, verified price.

Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit, Identity & Access tools on Toolradar, as of Oct 2026
#	Tool	Entry plan
1	Mosyle	$1/mo, billed monthly
2	Bitwarden Teams	$1.65/mo, billed monthly
3	Keeper	$1.79/mo, billed monthly
4	NordPass	$2.99/mo, billed monthly
4	Proton Pass	$2.99/mo, billed monthly

Lowest entry price, per-user plans

Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.

Counted among 13 tools priced per user, verified price.

Lowest entry price, per-user plans, Identity & Access tools on Toolradar, as of Oct 2026
#	Tool	Entry plan
1	AccessOwl	$2.50/user/mo, billed monthly
2	Corma	$3/user/mo, billed monthly
2	Duo Security	$3/user/mo, billed monthly
2	Ping Identity	$3/user/mo, billed monthly
5	Kitty Points Leaderboard	$4/user/mo, billed monthly

Most media coverage, last 30 days

Number of distinct articles published in the last 30 days by independent press, blogs and newsletters that mention the tool. A story carried by several outlets counts once; the vendor's own blog, review sites, forums and republishing sites do not count.

Counted among 11 tools mentioned in the last 30 days.

Most media coverage, last 30 days, Identity & Access tools on Toolradar, as of Oct 2026
#	Tool	Articles
1	CyberArk	7 articles
1	LastPass	7 articles
3	SailPoint	6 articles
4	ManageEngine	3 articles
5	JumpCloud	2 articles

A position exists only when at least 8 tools have data for that metric. 46 of 103 Identity & Access tools have a verified price; the others publish none we could read (often "contact sales"). Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source. How we compute this. Cite this: Toolradar, “Identity & Access leaderboards”, Oct 2026. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. All Identity & Access statistics.

8 alternatives to smallstep

Direct alternatives come first, ranked by G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editor review. Tools marked "Same category as smallstep" follow, ranked the same way.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to smallstep?

Based on real-signal scoring (G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editorial review), the top alternatives to smallstep are Auth0, Ory, Firebase Authentication. Each solves the same core job with different trade-offs on pricing, features, and integrations.

Is there a free alternative to smallstep?

There is no fully free alternative in this list. Auth0 is freemium: a permanent free tier plus paid plans (Identity platform for developers).

Why do people look for smallstep alternatives?

Common reasons teams switch away from smallstep: pricing that scales aggressively, missing integrations with the rest of their stack, performance or scale limits, or a specific feature gap in identity & access. The alternatives on this page solve the same core problem with different trade-offs.

Side-by-side comparisons

In-depth comparison pages for smallstep versus each alternative.

smallstep vs Auth0 smallstep vs Ory smallstep vs Firebase Authentication smallstep vs Zitadel smallstep vs Hanko

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Still considering smallstep?

See the full review, pricing breakdown, and community feedback before you decide.

Full smallstep review Visit smallstep

Top 3 alternatives to smallstep

Auth0

Ory

Firebase Authentication