Best Free Identity and Access Management Tools in 2026
Authentication, single sign-on, and user management platforms that let a small team ship real login and authorization without a security budget.
Auth0 still has the broadest free tier for a hosted platform, 25,000 monthly active users with SSO and SCIM included, while Keycloak remains the default answer when you want identity infrastructure with zero recurring cost, self-hosted and fully open source. Clerk is the fastest path to production-ready auth for a modern web app, Ory and Zitadel cover the open-source, API-first end of the market, and FusionAuth gives you unlimited users self-hosted for free. WorkOS and Stytch are built for adding enterprise SSO to an existing app without rebuilding your auth stack, and Duo Security covers multi-factor authentication for small teams at no cost up to 10 users.
Identity and access management used to mean a six-figure enterprise contract. That is no longer true for a developer building login, SSO, or role-based access into a new product. Of the 10,000+ tools Toolradar tracks, 25 in the Identity and Access category offer a genuine free tier, and this guide narrows that list to the platforms that actually fit a developer or small team shipping authentication, single sign-on, user management, or authorization, not password vaults or consumer security apps.
We verified each tool's current free-tier limits directly against its 2026 pricing page, confirmed which open-source picks can be self-hosted without a license fee, and dropped anything whose free plan is a time-limited trial rather than a permanent tier.
Top Picks
Based on features, user feedback, and value for money.
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auth0 | From $240/mo | 4.5(420) | Teams that want a hosted, enterprise-tested identity platform without paying until they... |
| Keycloak | Free | 4.3(101) | Teams that want full control over their identity stack with zero per-user licensing cost |
| Clerk | From $20.83/mo | 4.7(145) | Developers who want production-ready login screens and user management without building... |
| Ory | Free plan | 4.5(33) | Engineering teams that want headless, API-driven identity with an open-source core |
| FusionAuth | From $125/mo | 4.6(179) | Teams that want unlimited users on a free plan and are comfortable running their own in... |
| WorkOS | Free plan | 4.5(15) | SaaS teams adding enterprise SSO and directory sync without replacing their existing au... |
| Stytch | From $0.05/mo | 4.8(37) | Developers who want granular, API-first control over passwordless auth, SSO, and fraud... |
| Duo Security | From $3/mo | 4.6(1,050) | Small teams that need strong MFA on existing logins without adding a full identity plat... |
| Zitadel | Free plan | n/a | Teams that want a modern, API-first open-source IAM platform with a usable free cloud plan |
| Logto | Free plan | n/a | Developers who want an open-source Auth0 alternative with a permissive license and a si... |
Teams that want a hosted, enterprise-tested identity platform without paying until they scale
Auth0's free tier at 25,000 MAUs is the most generous in the identity space, far ahead of Firebase Auth (free at 50K MAUs but with fewer features) and Clerk (500 MAUs free).
Watch out
Overage pricing at $0.07/MAU applies per user beyond the base limit. This was increased 300% from the previous $0.023/MAU rate, a 50,000-MAU B2C app on Essentials pays ~$3,500/month, not $35.
Teams that want full control over their identity stack with zero per-user licensing cost
Keycloak's pricing is exceptionally generous, being entirely free as an open-source solution.
Watch out
Infrastructure hosting costs (servers, networking)
Developers who want production-ready login screens and user management without building UI from scratch
Clerk offers the most developer-friendly auth with 50K free users, enough for most startups to reach revenue before paying.
Watch out
SMS authentication costs $0.01 per message (US/CA), adds up for MFA-heavy apps
Engineering teams that want headless, API-driven identity with an open-source core
Ory's pricing is quite fair, offering a generous Free tier for up to 25,000 users, which is significantly higher than many competitors.
Watch out
Overage fees for users beyond Growth tier's included amount
Teams that want unlimited users on a free plan and are comfortable running their own infrastructure
FusionAuth offers a generous free Community tier, making it highly accessible.
Watch out
Potential for MAU overage fees (not specified)
SaaS teams adding enterprise SSO and directory sync without replacing their existing auth system
WorkOS offers a generous freemium model for AuthKit (first 1M users free) and Radar (first 1K checks free), making it very accessible for startups.
Watch out
AuthKit overage: $2,500/M users after 1M free
Developers who want granular, API-first control over passwordless auth, SSO, and fraud prevention
Stytch's pricing is quite fair and generous, especially with a robust free tier offering 5,000 MAUs.
Watch out
Pro tier cost scales directly with MAUs
Small teams that need strong MFA on existing logins without adding a full identity platform
Duo Security's pricing is fair, offering a generous free tier for up to 10 users.
Watch out
No annual discount mentioned, monthly pricing implied.
Teams that want a modern, API-first open-source IAM platform with a usable free cloud plan
Zitadel's pricing is quite generous, especially with its robust open-source offering at $0.
Watch out
Overage fees likely for MAU beyond 25K on Cloud
Developers who want an open-source Auth0 alternative with a permissive license and a simple free tier
Logto's Free tier is quite generous, offering 50,000 MAU and 50K tokens, which is more than many competitors.
Watch out
Overage fees for MAU/tokens beyond free tier
Other Identity & Access worth considering
Beyond the editorial top picks, these are also strong choices we evaluated.
What Is Identity and Access Management Software?
Identity and access management (IAM) software handles who a user is (authentication) and what they are allowed to do (authorization) inside an application. That covers login flows (email and password, social login, passkeys), single sign-on (SSO) so a user logs in once across multiple apps, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and role-based or attribute-based access control that decides which resources a given user can reach.
For developers this usually shows up as a hosted platform like Auth0, Clerk, WorkOS, or Stytch, that you integrate via SDK and API rather than build from scratch. For teams that need full control over their data or want to avoid per-user pricing at scale, open-source options like Keycloak, Ory, Zitadel, and FusionAuth provide the same building blocks self-hosted.
Why Identity and Access Management Matters
Building authentication in-house is a common early mistake. Password hashing, session management, SSO protocols like SAML and OIDC, and MFA all have well-documented failure modes, and a breach in a homegrown auth system is far more expensive than the tool that would have prevented it. Offloading identity to a dedicated platform also unblocks enterprise sales: many B2B buyers require SSO before they will sign a contract, and adding it after the fact to a custom auth system is a significant rebuild.
The free tiers in this category exist because vendors want developers building on their platform before they scale into paid usage. That makes this a rare case where a genuinely capable product, not a crippled demo, is available at zero cost for a real early-stage product.
Key Features to Look For
SAML and OIDC connections that let a user log into your app with their company's identity provider. Some free tiers include one enterprise connection; others gate SSO entirely behind a paid plan.
Passkeys, magic links, and MFA reduce account-takeover risk and are increasingly expected by users and enterprise buyers alike.
Free tiers are capped by monthly active users, daily active users, or total self-hosted users. Know which metric applies before you estimate what a growth spike will cost.
Keycloak, Ory, FusionAuth Community, Zitadel, and Logto can run on your own infrastructure. Check the license: Apache 2.0 and MPL-2.0 are permissive, AGPL carries copyleft obligations if you modify and redistribute.
Beyond login, most platforms let you define roles, organizations, and permissions so authorization logic doesn't have to live entirely in your own code.
Native SDKs for React, Next.js, mobile, and backend languages cut integration time from days to hours compared to hand-rolling OAuth flows.
Mistakes to Avoid
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Confusing monthly active users (MAU) with total registered users. Auth0, Clerk, and WorkOS bill by active usage, not signups, so a dormant account doesn't count against the free tier, but a growth spike can burn through it fast.
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Choosing a hosted platform for a project that will need to self-host for compliance reasons later. Migrating from Auth0 or Clerk to a self-hosted system after launch is far more work than starting with Keycloak or Zitadel.
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Assuming 'open source' means no licensing considerations. Zitadel's AGPL 3.0 license carries copyleft obligations that Keycloak's Apache 2.0 or Logto's MPL-2.0 do not.
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Treating SSO as a later problem. Adding SAML or OIDC to an app that wasn't built with it in mind is a significant rework; check whether your platform's free tier includes at least one enterprise connection before you need it.
- ×
Picking a platform based on free-tier user cap alone without checking what's excluded. Some free plans cap MFA, SCIM, or audit logs even when the user limit looks generous.
Expert Tips
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If you expect to need SSO for enterprise sales within the next year, pick a platform that includes at least one enterprise connection on its free tier, like Auth0 or WorkOS, rather than adding it later.
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For a side project or early-stage product with no compliance requirements, a hosted platform's free tier (Auth0, Clerk, WorkOS, Stytch) will get you to production faster than self-hosting.
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If data residency or long-term cost control matters more than setup speed, start with Keycloak, Ory, or FusionAuth Community and budget engineering time for hosting instead of a per-MAU bill.
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Read the license before you fork or heavily customize an open-source IAM tool. Apache 2.0 (Keycloak, Ory) and MPL-2.0 (Logto) are safer for proprietary products than AGPL (Zitadel).
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Layer Duo Security or another dedicated MFA tool on top of an existing login system if you only need stronger authentication, not a full identity platform migration.
The Bottom Line
There is no universal best free identity and access management tool, only the right fit for your hosting preference and scale. Auth0 and Clerk offer the most generous free tiers among hosted platforms, Keycloak and FusionAuth are the strongest picks when you want to self-host for free, and WorkOS and Stytch are built specifically for bolting enterprise SSO onto an app you've already built. Of the 10,000+ tools Toolradar tracks, 25 in the Identity and Access category offer a genuine free tier, and every pick here lets a small team ship real authentication before paying a cent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free identity and access management tool?
For a hosted platform, Auth0's free tier covers up to 25,000 monthly active users with SSO and SCIM included, the deepest free tier of any managed option. For a self-hosted, zero-cost option, Keycloak is the most established choice, fully open source under Apache 2.0 with no user limit.
Is Keycloak completely free?
Yes. Keycloak is open source under the Apache 2.0 license with no user cap and no license fee. You pay only for the infrastructure you run it on, or optionally for Red Hat's commercially supported build if you want an SLA.
What's the difference between Auth0, Clerk, and WorkOS?
Auth0 is a general-purpose hosted identity platform with the broadest feature set. Clerk focuses on developer experience with prebuilt UI components for modern web apps. WorkOS is built specifically for adding enterprise SSO and directory sync to an app that already has its own authentication, rather than replacing it.
Can I self-host these tools to avoid per-user pricing?
Keycloak, Ory's core components, FusionAuth Community, Zitadel, and Logto can all be self-hosted for free. Check the license before heavy customization: Keycloak and Ory use permissive Apache 2.0, Logto uses MPL-2.0, and Zitadel moved to AGPL 3.0 in 2025, which carries copyleft obligations if you modify and redistribute it.
Do free identity and access management plans include single sign-on (SSO)?
It varies. Auth0's free plan includes one enterprise SSO connection and SCIM provisioning. WorkOS and Stytch include SSO connections in their free usage allowances too. Clerk's free Hobby plan does not include SSO; that requires a paid plan. Self-hosted options like Keycloak and Zitadel support SSO protocols at no license cost regardless of scale.
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