

Veriam vs. Keycloak
Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management (IAM) solution developed by Red Hat, widely used for self-hosted authentication and authorization in enterprise environments. It supports Single Sign-On (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and user federation, making it a popular choice for businesses that need on-premises IAM solutions or full control over their authentication infrastructure.
However, Keycloak lacks native subscription management, invoicing, and built-in support for external B2B user authentication workflows. It is also complex to maintain and requires dedicated infrastructure management.
This is where Veriam stands out. Veriam is a fully managed, cloud-based solution that integrates IAM with subscription management, making it ideal for businesses that want a scalable, easy-to-integrate B2B identity solution without the burden of self-hosting. While Keycloak is strong for enterprises needing an on-premises IAM platform, Veriam provides an all-in-one B2B authentication and billing solution with minimal maintenance overhead.
Feature | Veriam | Keycloak |
---|---|---|
Integrated IAM & Subscription Management | ✅ The only solution that natively integrates access & subscription management | ❌ Requires third-party tools for billing & subscriptions |
Single Sign-On (SSO) | ✅ Enables seamless access to multiple applications with a single identity | ✅ Supports SSO using OAuth, OIDC, and SAML |
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) | ✅ Supports OTP and biometric-based authentication | ✅ Supports MFA, but requires custom configurations |
User Lifecycle Management | ✅ Optimized for onboarding external B2B users | ✅ Supports user federation and internal employee management |
Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Authentication | ❌ Not supported; tailored for B2B & supply chain integration | ✅ Can be used for both B2B and B2C |
Policy-Based Authorization | ✅ Combines role-based, attribute-based, and resource-based policies | ✅ Supports role-based access control (RBAC), but complex to configure |
Integration Ecosystem | ✅ Designed to integrate with Ping Identity and other IAM providers | ✅ Can be customized but requires manual integrations |
Scalability | ✅ Architected for linear global scalability, handling millions of users | ❌ Requires manual scaling and infrastructure management |
Self-Hosting | ❌ Not supported; fully cloud-based | ✅ Self-hosted and fully customizable |
Developer-Friendliness | ✅ Simple API integration for IAM, subscription management, invoicing, and payments | ❌ Requires manual setup, configuration, and maintenance |
Compliance & Security | ✅ EU-based, adheres to GDPR, pursuing ISO 27001 certification | ✅ Supports compliance but requires custom configurations |
Pricing | ✅ IAM is free; charges only for subscription management | ✅ Open-source and free, but requires hosting and operational costs |
Ease of Use & Maintenance | ✅ Designed for easy integration and minimal maintenance | ❌ Requires dedicated infrastructure management and maintenance |
How Veriam enhances Keycloak
Rather than competing, Veriam complements Keycloak by adding B2B identity, external user management, and subscription billing capabilities. Organizations using Keycloak for internal IAM and on-premises authentication can integrate Veriam to:
- Enable authentication for external B2B users without complex configuration.
- Seamlessly integrate subscription management, payments, and invoicing into authentication workflows.
- Offload IAM infrastructure management by leveraging Veriam’s cloud-based solution.
By integrating with Keycloak, Veriam allows businesses to retain on-premises authentication for internal users while leveraging a cloud IAM for external partners, customers, and monetized services.
Final thoughts
If your company uses Keycloak for internal IAM but needs B2B identity management, external authorization, and subscription-based monetization, Veriam is the perfect complement. It extends authentication into full-scale IAM for external business users while seamlessly integrating subscription billing.
How to position us
Explore how our features stack up against leading competitors and discover what sets our functionality apart.
