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. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 10 alternatives to Microsoft Active Directory and 12 is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Microsoft Active Directory are FreeIPA, OpenLDAP, 389 Directory Server and GLAuth.

Microsoft Active Directory alternatives are mainly Identity Management Tools but may also be Linux Distros or Operating Systems. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Microsoft Active Directory.

Microsoft Active Directory alternatives page was last updated

Microsoft Active Directory

Paid • Proprietary

Active Directory (AD) is a directory service that Microsoft developed for Windows domain networks and included in most...

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Zentyal
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Open Source
Mail Server
Linux Distro
Linux
27 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.
- - Zentyal is the most popular Linux alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.
- - Zentyal is the most popular Open Source & commercial alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.
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Zentyal Features
Gateway
Member Directory
Web interface
Comments about Zentyal as a Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
Most users think Zentyal is a great Microsoft Active Directory alternative.
100% drop-in replacement, tried and tested by yours truely.
Positive comment•
0

It's free and easy to use.
Positive comment•
-2
Samba
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Linux
BSD
14 Samba alternatives
Samba is the standard Windows interoperability suite of programs for Linux and Unix. Since 1992, Samba has provided secure, stable and fast file and print services for all clients using the SMB/CIFS protocol, such as all versions of DOS and Windows, OS/2, Linux and many others.
- - Samba is the most popular Mac alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.
- - Samba is the most popular free alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.
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Samba Features
Filesystem
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Comments about Samba as a Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
Most users think Samba is a great Microsoft Active Directory alternative.
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.
Positive comment•
1
Univention Corporate Server
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Linux Distro
Operating System
Mac
Windows
Linux
92 Univention Corporate Server alternatives
Univention Corporate Server is a pre-configured platform to operate and manage server applications and complete IT infrastructures free of charge. It is optimal to provide Microsoft Server-like services on the cloud or on premises, to run and operate corporate IT environments...
- - Univention Corporate Server is the most popular Windows alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.
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Univention Corporate Server Features
DHCP Server
Single Sign-On
Based on Debian
ARM support
Active Directory Migration
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Active Directory integration
SAML Single Sign-On
Support for Docker
LDAP Services
Comments about Univention Corporate Server as a Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
Almost everyone thinks Univention Corporate Server is a great Microsoft Active Directory alternative.
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.
Positive comment•
0
FreeIPA
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Linux
16 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.
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FreeIPA Features
DNS Server
LDAP Services
Kerberos
Web interface
Comments about FreeIPA as a Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory
Almost everyone thinks FreeIPA is a great Microsoft Active Directory alternative.
not only completely free its the only one i implimented and joined linux hosts to it. all the rest failed to deliver.
Positive comment•
0
OpenLDAP
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Linux
BSD
13 OpenLDAP alternatives
OpenLDAP Software is an open source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.
OpenLDAP has no features, suggest some!
389 Directory Server
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Linux
CentOS
Fedora
8 389 Directory Server alternatives
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.
389 Directory Server has no features, suggest some!
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GLAuth
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Linux
9 GLAuth alternatives
Go-lang LDAP Authentication (GLAuth) is a secure, easy-to-use, LDAP server with configurable backends.
GLAuth has no features, suggest some!
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RazDC
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Linux
Self-Hosted
11 RazDC alternatives
It's an active directory replacement built on CentOS + Samaba4. Includes support for Directory, DNS, DCHP, and NTP type services.
RazDC has no features, suggest some!
OpenDJ
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Windows
Linux
Self-Hosted
10 OpenDJ alternatives
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).
Suggest and vote on features
OpenDJ Features
LDAP Services
ApacheDS
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
10 ApacheDS alternatives
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.
ApacheDS has no features, suggest some!
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