Cerbos vs Keel: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Cerbos and Keel side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Cerbos
Fine-grained, contextual, and continuous authorization for enterprise software and AI systems.
Best for you if:
- • You want engineering time goes to the product, not to building and maintaining authorization in-house
Keel
Enforce action-level rules before AI agents execute calls
Best for you if:
- • Teams whose agents take consequential actions (payments, writes, messages) and who must show afterward that each action was authorized
| At a Glance | Cerbos | Keel |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $25/mo, billed monthly Development plan | Free 100% free |
Category | Security Compliance | Security Identity & Access |
Rating | 4.9/5 G2 4.9 · Capterra 5.0 6 reviews | n/a |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Choose Cerbos or Keel?
Choose Cerbos if
- You want engineering time goes to the product, not to building and maintaining authorization in-house
- You want security and product teams can change who can access what without waiting for an engineering release
Choose Keel if
- Teams whose agents take consequential actions (payments, writes, messages) and who must show afterward that each action was authorized
- You want a fully free tool (Cerbos requires payment)
- You want decides on the specific action and its arguments, not just the agent's identity
- You want a review holds the action until a person approves that exact request
In-Depth Analysis
Cerbos
Fine-grained, contextual, and continuous authorization for enterprise software and AI systems.
Strengths
- Pro: Engineering time goes to the product, not to building and maintaining authorization in-house
- Pro: Security and product teams can change who can access what without waiting for an engineering release
- Pro: One view of what every user, service and AI agent can access, with audit logs ready for SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA
- Pro: Teams can approve AI agent rollouts, because every agent action is checked against access rules and logged
- Pro: Supports a wide range of programming languages and deployment environments.
Weaknesses
- Con: Each app needs code added where it checks access, so there’s some setup work in existing applications
- Con: No built-in database for relationship data. It stays in your own systems, and Cerbos fetches it when a check runs
Key features
Keel
Enforce action-level rules before AI agents execute calls
Keel is currently free with no paid tiers, which is extremely generous compared to competitors that charge per seat or per action.
Strengths
- Pro: Decides on the specific action and its arguments, not just the agent's identity
- Pro: A review holds the action until a person approves that exact request
- Pro: Works alongside your identity provider, gateway and observability tools
- Pro: Open AI Permit specification (Apache-2.0) and MIT-licensed verifier
Weaknesses
- Con: Covers only actions routed through Keel; agents and tools it can't see aren't governed
- Con: Requires integrating Keel's SDK or API; it isn't a drop-in agent
- Con: A product from a small team
Key features
Plans and prices: Cerbos vs Keel
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cerbos |
| cerbos.dev/pricing read Oct 26, 2026 |
| Keel | No plan prices on file | keelapi.com/pricing |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Cerbos pricing and Keel pricing.
Key Takeaways
Cerbos
- Choose if you want fine-grained, contextual, and continuous authorization for enterprise software and AI systems
Keel
- Choose if you want enforce action-level rules before AI agents execute calls
What the data shows
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
- Only Cerbos has a published user rating (4.9/5 from 6 reviews); Keel has none we can show.
- Cerbos starts at $25/mo, billed monthly; Keel has no public paid plan price on file.
- Both have a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Cerbos and Keel compare in 2026?
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair. Only Cerbos has a published user rating (4.9/5 from 6 reviews); Keel has none we can show. Cerbos starts at $25/mo, billed monthly; Keel has no public paid plan price on file. Both have a free plan.
What are Cerbos and Keel used for?
Cerbos: Fine-grained, contextual, and continuous authorization for enterprise software and AI systems. Keel: Enforce action-level rules before AI agents execute calls.
What does Cerbos cost vs Keel?
Cerbos's cheapest paid plan is Development at $25/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. Keel is free. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 26, 2026.
What's the main difference between Cerbos and Keel?
Cerbos's main strength: engineering time goes to the product, not to building and maintaining authorization in-house. Keel's main strength: decides on the specific action and its arguments, not just the agent's identity.