Open Source Microsoft Active Directory Alternatives
The best open source alternative to Microsoft Active Directory is Zentyal. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Samba or Univention Corporate Server (UCS). If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 10 alternatives to Microsoft Active Directory and 14 is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Microsoft Active Directory are FreeIPA, pGina Fork, 389 Directory Server and OpenLDAP.
filter to find the best alternatives
Microsoft Active Directory alternatives are mainly Linux Distros, but if you're looking for Mail Servers or Operating Systems you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux + Open Source. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Microsoft Active Directory.- Paid • Proprietary
- 26 Zentyal alternatives
Zentyal is a native Microsoft Active Directory implementation on Linux incorporating all the network services required in a small and medium business environment: Directory & Domain Server, Mail Server, Gateway and Infrastructure Server.
License model
- Paid • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Spain
EU
Platforms
- Linux
Zentyal Features
Comments about Zentyal as an Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
pitouIt's free and easy to use.
- 14 Samba alternatives
Samba is the standard Windows interoperability suite of programs for Linux and Unix.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- Linux
- BSD
Samba Features
Comments about Samba as an Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
Samba's main prupose is usage of SMB protocol on linux computers than managing ones through a LDAP
It's literally a reimplementation of AD on Linux. Samba has been around for many years and is trusted by thousands of admins to provide seamless Windows interoperability.
- 95 Univention Corporate Server (UCS) alternatives
UCS is an open platform for central identity & access management, IT management, and active directory, with a web portal for easy access to applications.
License model
- Freemium • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
- Online
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Self-Hosted
- Kubernetes
Univention Corporate Server (UCS) Features
Comments about Univention Corporate Server (UCS) as an Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
it works flawless and it's free as long you don't need commercial support. Companies can get professional support from UCS or UCS Partners. It is the most complete alternative to MS ADS.
- 19 FreeIPA alternatives
FreeIPA is an integrated security information management solution combining Linux (Fedora), 389 Directory Server, MIT Kerberos, NTP, DNS, Dogtag (Certificate System). It consists of a web interface and command-line administration tools.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Linux
FreeIPA Features
Comments about FreeIPA as an Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
soyatam443They explicitly state that they don't intend to be a drop in replacement for active directory.
not only completely free its the only one i implimented and joined linux hosts to it. all the rest failed to deliver.
- 4 pGina Fork alternatives
pGina is a replacement for the default Windows Credential Provider. Through plugins, pGina allows you to configure the login process from authentication and authorization through Radius, SSH, Kerberos, POP, IMAP,... remote servers.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Windows
pGina Fork Features
Enterprise-class open source Linux LDAP server. Hardened by real-world use, full-featured, supports multi-master replication. 389 DS can be downloaded for free and set up in less than an hour using the graphical console.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Linux
- CentOS
- Fedora
- 15 OpenLDAP alternatives
OpenLDAP Software is an open source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Mac
- Linux
- BSD
Go-lang LDAP Authentication (GLAuth) is a secure, easy-to-use, LDAP server with configurable backends.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Linux
It's an active directory replacement built on CentOS + Samaba4. Includes support for Directory, DNS, DCHP, and NTP type services.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Linux
- Self-Hosted
100% drop-in replacement, tried and tested by yours truely.