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.

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Alternatives list

  1. Zentyal icon

    Zentyal

     55 likes

    Integrates native Active Directory and all essential network services, including domain, mail, gateway, infrastructure, and security roles, for SMBs, offering web-based management, centralized authentication, file server, VPN, and firewall in a single Linux platform.

    26 Zentyal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Dashboard
     
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    2
    20
    Comments about Zentyal as an Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
    Arffeh
    Positive
    0

    100% drop-in replacement, tried and tested by yours truely.

    pitou
    Positive
    -2

    It's free and easy to use.

    Microsoft Active Directory Icon
    Zentyal icon

    • Most users think Zentyal is a great Microsoft Active Directory alternative.

    • Zentyal is the most popular Linux alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.

    • Zentyal is the most popular Open Source & commercial alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.

    • Zentyal is Paid and Open SourceMicrosoft Active Directory is Paid and Proprietary
  2. Samba icon

    Samba

     63 likes

    Samba is the standard Windows interoperability suite of programs for Linux and Unix.

    16 Samba alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
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    2
    10
    Comments about Samba as an Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Samba's main prupose is usage of SMB protocol on linux computers than managing ones through a LDAP

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    2

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Active Directory Icon
    Samba icon

    • Most users think Samba is a great Microsoft Active Directory alternative.

    • Samba is the most popular Mac alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.

    • Samba is the most popular free alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.

    • Samba is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Active Directory is Paid and Proprietary
  4. Univention Corporate Server (UCS) icon

    Univention Corporate Server (UCS)

     34 likes

    UCS is an open platform for central identity & access management, IT management, and active directory, with a web portal for easy access to applications.

    94 Univention Corporate Server (UCS) alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Self-Hosted
    • Kubernetes
    Univention App Center
     
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    1
    13
    Comments about Univention Corporate Server (UCS) as an Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Active Directory Icon
    Univention Corporate Server (UCS) icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Univention Corporate Server (UCS) is a great Microsoft Active Directory alternative.

    • Univention Corporate Server (UCS) is the most popular Web-based, SaaS & Self-Hosted alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.

    • Univention Corporate Server (UCS) is Freemium and Open SourceMicrosoft Active Directory is Paid and Proprietary
  5. FreeIPA icon

    FreeIPA

     13 likes

    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.

    19 FreeIPA alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Using the authconfig utility to configure LDAP and Kerberos
     
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    2
    8
    Comments about FreeIPA as an Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
    soyatam443
    Negative
    0

    They explicitly state that they don't intend to be a drop in replacement for active directory.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    not only completely free its the only one i implimented and joined linux hosts to it. all the rest failed to deliver.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Active Directory Icon
    FreeIPA icon

    • Most users think FreeIPA is a great Microsoft Active Directory alternative.

    • FreeIPA is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Active Directory is Paid and Proprietary
  6. pGina Fork icon

    pGina Fork

     3 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Windows
    pGina Fork screenshot 1
     

    • pGina Fork is the most popular Windows alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.

    • pGina Fork is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Active Directory is Paid and Proprietary
  7. 389 Directory Server icon

    389 Directory Server

     4 likes

    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.

    8 389 Directory Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • CentOS
    • Fedora
     
  9. OpenLDAP icon

    OpenLDAP

     9 likes

    OpenLDAP Software is an open source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.

    15 OpenLDAP alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    OpenLDAP screenshot 1
     
  10. GLAuth icon

    GLAuth

     1 like

    Go-lang LDAP Authentication (GLAuth) is a secure, easy-to-use, LDAP server with configurable backends.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  11. RazDC icon

    RazDC

     1 like

    It's an active directory replacement built on CentOS + Samaba4. Includes support for Directory, DNS, DCHP, and NTP type services.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    Color Pallet
     
  12. ApacheDS icon

    ApacheDS

     Like

    ApacheDS™ is an extensible and embeddable directory server entirely written in Java, which has been certified LDAPv3 compatible by the Open Group. Besides LDAP it supports Kerberos 5 and the Change Password Protocol.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  13. linuxmuster.net icon

    linuxmuster.net

     Like

    linuxmuster.net is a comprehensive complete solution for the operation of school IT infrastructure. It is developed by teachers and service providers for the special requirements of schools. When developing our solution, we try to keep some ...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    School management console
     
  14. OpenDJ icon

    OpenDJ

     1 like

    OpenDJ is a directory server which implements a wide range of Lightweight Directory Access Protocol and related standards, including full compliance with LDAPv3 but also support for Directory Service Markup Language (DSMLv2).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    OpenDJ screenshot 1
     
12 of 14 Microsoft Active Directory alternatives