Top Open-Source Amazon Cognito Alternatives in 2026: Secure & Self-Hosted Options

Implementing authentication for modern applications means balancing security, user experience, and operational simplicity. SaaS teams must support protocols like OAuth, OIDC, and SAML while managing growing user bases efficiently.

For many teams building on AWS, Amazon Cognito has offered a convenient path to adding authentication. Yet as applications mature and requirements become more sophisticated, Cognito's limitations often emerge.

As user bases expand and enterprise customers seek greater control over data and identity workflows, open-source and self-hosted identity solutions grow increasingly attractive. These platforms provide flexibility, transparency, and predictable long-term costs.

In this blog, we review the leading open-source Amazon Cognito alternatives in 2026 and discuss when each option makes the most sense.

Why Consider Amazon Cognito Alternatives?

While Amazon Cognito integrates smoothly with AWS services, it doesn't always align with every organization's long-term needs. Several factors drive SaaS teams to explore other options:

AWS Platform Lock-In

Cognito is tightly coupled to the AWS ecosystem. Organizations pursuing multi-cloud strategies or seeking to avoid single-vendor dependency often find Cognito creates tight coupling to AWS infrastructure. Migrating away from Cognito later demands significant effort.

Restricted Customization Options

Cognito's hosted UI provides limited customization capabilities. Teams requiring branded, seamless login experiences often struggle with Cognito's constraints. Custom authentication flows require Lambda triggers, adding complexity and latency to the authentication process.

Unpredictable Pricing at Scale

While Cognito seems cost-effective initially, pricing grows complex at scale. Costs accumulate across MAUs, advanced security features, SMS delivery, and Lambda invocations. For SaaS platforms with large user bases, expenses can become difficult to forecast.

Enterprise Feature Limitations

Cognito's SAML support is limited to acting as a service provider, not an identity provider. Organizations needing to offer SAML-based SSO to enterprise customers face constraints. Additionally, features like fine-grained authorization and advanced audit logging require supplementary AWS services.

Data Portability Constraints

Exporting user data from Cognito, particularly password hashes, is restricted. This creates friction when migrating to alternative platforms, as users may need to reset passwords during transitions.

By weighing these factors, SaaS teams can identify identity solutions that support both operational needs and strategic goals.

Key Considerations for Open-Source Amazon Cognito Alternatives

When assessing an open-source identity platform, several criteria matter most:

1. Protocol and Standards Compliance

A solid identity solution should implement:

• OAuth 2.0 for authorization workflows
• OpenID Connect (OIDC) for user authentication
• SAML 2.0 for enterprise single sign-on

Adhering to standards ensures smooth integration with enterprise directories, SaaS tools, and internal systems.

2. Deployment Options

Open-source platforms should accommodate various deployment models:

• Self-hosted on-premise installations
• Private cloud environments
• Container-based setups using Docker or Kubernetes

Deployment flexibility matters for organizations facing regulatory constraints or network isolation requirements, and for those pursuing multi-cloud strategies.

3. Customization and Extensibility

Teams should have the ability to:

• Tailor login, registration, and MFA workflows
• Expand user attributes and role definitions
• Connect with internal systems and APIs
• Define fine-grained access policies

4. Production Readiness

For enterprise use, platforms should deliver:

• High availability and horizontal scalability
• Comprehensive logging, audit trails, and monitoring
• Role-based and attribute-based access control
• Multi-tenant capabilities
• Active community support and documentation

These capabilities ensure identity systems can power complex SaaS products and serve enterprise customers.

Top Open-Source Amazon Cognito Alternatives

Growing numbers of SaaS teams are adopting open-source identity platforms to escape vendor lock-in, keep costs predictable, and address enterprise compliance demands. The following Amazon Cognito alternatives deliver protocol-compliant authentication with versatile deployment choices.

1. Authgear

Authgear provides a contemporary, open-source approach to identity management tailored for customer-facing and frontline user populations. It helps SaaS companies and enterprises protect large external user bases without forcing them into traditional workforce IAM tools like AD, Entra ID, or Okta. Teams leaving Cognito benefit from Authgear's cloud-agnostic architecture, complete SAML identity provider capabilities, and deep UI customization options.

Key Capabilities

• Complete OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and SAML protocol coverage
• Passkey-based passwordless login (WebAuthn/FIDO2)
• SMS and WhatsApp OTP alongside email authentication
• Integrated MFA, brute-force protection, bot mitigation, and rate controls
• Clear boundary between workforce and external user identities
• Flexible deployment: self-hosted or fully managed

Strengths

Authgear minimizes login friction while maintaining strong security defaults. End users authenticate with everyday identifiers like phone numbers or personal email, while administrators manage policies, audit trails, and security controls from a unified platform. The pricing model stays predictable even as frontline and external user counts grow.

Best Use Cases

• Customer portals, partner networks, and contractor access systems
• SaaS products needing quick, secure authentication at high volume
• Teams seeking to avoid enterprise IAM sprawl and usage-based billing surprises

2. ZITADEL

ZITADEL is a cloud-native IAM platform built from the ground up for scalability, security, and regulatory compliance. It accommodates both self-managed and hosted deployment scenarios.

Key Features

• Full OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and SAML protocol support
• Event-sourced architecture for identity state changes
• Native multi-tenancy
• Granular access control mechanisms
• Built-in audit logging and compliance tooling

Strengths

ZITADEL brings enterprise-caliber security and compliance features in a modern, cloud-native package. It handles large-scale SaaS deployments with intricate user hierarchies. Compared to Cognito, the platform provides more robust audit capabilities without bolting on extra services.

Considerations

• Community size trails Keycloak
• Ecosystem remains in active development

Best Use Cases

SaaS applications demanding scalable, compliance-ready identity management with built-in enterprise security controls.

3. Authentik

Authentik takes a policy-first approach to open-source identity management. It emphasizes ease of use and adaptability, letting teams construct authentication workflows using a drag-and-drop interface.

Key Features

• Complete OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and SAML support
• Graphical flow builder for authentication sequences
• Multi-factor authentication options
• Kubernetes-native deployment support

Considerations

• Ecosystem footprint smaller than Keycloak's
• Limited published enterprise case studies

Best Use Cases

SaaS teams wanting intuitive authentication customization with self-hosting options for enterprise deployments.

4. ORY

ORY delivers an API-centric open-source identity stack designed for microservices and distributed systems. Its modular components can be assembled to cover the full identity and authorization spectrum.

Key Components

• ORY Kratos: User identity and profile management
• ORY Hydra: OAuth 2.0 and OIDC authorization server
• ORY Keto: Fine-grained permission and authorization engine
• ORY Oathkeeper: Identity-aware API gateway

Strengths

ORY excels at flexibility for teams crafting bespoke authentication pipelines. Its API-native architecture meshes naturally with headless frontends and microservice backends. Teams comfortable with Cognito's programmatic model will find ORY offers comparable extensibility with deeper control.

Considerations

• Requires investment to climb the learning curve
• Multiple services to orchestrate
• Limited out-of-the-box UI components

Best Use Cases

Developer-centric SaaS teams running API-first architectures with complex authorization requirements.

5. Keycloak

Keycloak stands as one of the longest-running open-source identity platforms available. Backed by Red Hat, it has earned broad adoption across enterprise organizations.

Key Features

• Mature OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML stack
• Full-featured administration console
• Comprehensive role-based access control (RBAC)
• Identity federation and social login connectors
• Realm-based multi-tenancy
• Native LDAP and Active Directory connectivity

Strengths

Keycloak delivers deep functionality for sophisticated enterprise identity requirements. It bridges smoothly with existing directory infrastructure and offers thorough administrative tooling. Notably, Keycloak operates as both SAML service provider and identity provider, addressing a key Cognito limitation.

Considerations

• Requires dedicated infrastructure management
• Deep customization typically needs Java skills
• Admin interface is functional but showing its age

Best Use Cases

Enterprise SaaS platforms with infrastructure teams available, layered user structures, and demanding identity requirements.

Open-Source vs Managed Identity Platforms

As SaaS platforms expand, identity infrastructure decisions take on strategic importance. Comparing open-source and managed identity platforms reveals key differences in ownership, flexibility, and operational demands.

Advantages of Open-Source Identity

• Complete control over data and infrastructure
• Predictable costs without complex pricing tiers
• Full customization of flows and user attributes
• Reduced vendor dependency and cloud lock-in

Challenges

• Infrastructure and operational ownership
• Monitoring, scaling, and high availability planning
• Security patch management responsibilities
• Requires in-house expertise

Many organizations take a hybrid approach, beginning with managed services and shifting to open-source solutions as they scale or need more control.

Choosing the Right Open-Source Amazon Cognito Alternative

Every organization's needs differ. Teams should evaluate:

• Authgear: Designed for customer-facing and external identities. Ideal for SaaS teams that need OAuth, OIDC, SAML, MFA, and passwordless authentication without workforce IAM complexity or enterprise pricing.
• ZITADEL: Cloud-native platform with built-in compliance and audit capabilities
• Authentik: Visual flow builder for teams preferring graphical authentication design
• ORY: Modular, API-first stack for microservice-heavy architectures
• Keycloak: Battle-tested enterprise IAM with extensive directory integrations

Decision criteria should include protocol requirements, federation needs, operational capacity, and growth trajectory.

Migration Considerations: Moving Away from Amazon Cognito

Migrating from Amazon Cognito to an open-source identity platform is a strategic decision requiring careful planning.

While most modern identity providers support standard protocols, the migration effort depends on how deeply Cognito-specific features are woven into your application.

Password Migration Challenges

Cognito does not permit exporting password hashes. This means migrated users typically need to reset their passwords or use a gradual migration approach where passwords are captured and migrated during subsequent logins. Planning for user communication and password reset flows is essential.

Lambda Trigger Migration

If your application uses Cognito Lambda triggers for custom authentication logic, these must be reimplemented using the new platform's extensibility mechanisms. Open-source platforms typically offer hooks, policies, or flow builders that provide similar or greater flexibility.

Application Integrations

Every application integrated with Cognito (web apps, mobile apps, APIs, and third-party services) must be reconfigured for the new identity provider. This means updating client IDs, secrets, redirect URIs, and token validation logic. AWS SDK calls for Cognito must be replaced with standard OIDC libraries.

User Pool and Identity Pool Separation

Cognito separates user pools (authentication) from identity pools (AWS credential federation). If your application uses identity pools for AWS resource access, you'll need to implement alternative authorization patterns, such as using the new identity provider's tokens with AWS STS.

Phased Migration Approach

Many teams adopt a gradual strategy:

• New users authenticate through the new identity provider
• Existing users migrate during login using a custom migration flow
• Cognito remains active during the transition period

This approach minimizes risk and lets teams verify stability before fully decommissioning Cognito.

Operational Readiness

Before completing the migration, teams should confirm:

• Monitoring and alerting are operational
• Backup and recovery procedures are documented
• Security patches and upgrades are part of regular operations

A well-planned migration minimizes downtime, reduces user friction, and sets up long-term success for a self-hosted identity system.

Bottom Line

Open-source Amazon Cognito alternatives in 2026 are mature, secure, and well-suited for modern SaaS platforms. They offer greater control over identity data, flexible deployment options, and long-term cost predictability without sacrificing standards compliance or enterprise features.

Authgear stands out as a modern solution built for SaaS teams that want flexibility without added complexity. With native support for OAuth, OIDC, SAML, and MFA, Authgear simplifies enterprise SSO, automates user provisioning, and supports secure scaling.

FAQs

Are open-source Amazon Cognito alternatives secure?

Yes, when properly configured and maintained. Many run in enterprise production environments and satisfy compliance requirements like SOC2 and GDPR.

Do these platforms support SSO?

Most implement OpenID Connect and SAML for single sign-on, with full identity provider capabilities that exceed Cognito's SAML limitations.

Can I migrate from Amazon Cognito later?

Yes, but plan for password migration challenges since Cognito does not export password hashes. A phased migration strategy works best.

Do open-source alternatives support multi-factor authentication (MFA)?

Most modern open-source identity providers, including Authgear, Keycloak, and Authentik, support MFA. Teams can implement passwordless login, SMS/OTP, authenticator apps, and WebAuthn passkeys depending on platform capabilities and compliance requirements.