Side by side
EJBCA vs OpenCA PKI
Both stand on public key infrastructure software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3
Choose EJBCA Community for free PKI learning, testing, and prototyping, especially when its deployment and enrollment options fit your setup. For production needs requiring advanced PKI capabilities, compliance, high availability, or SLA-backed support, consider Enterprise; its price is available by contacting Keyfactor.
Visit EJBCA Free plan Open source LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2
OpenCA PKI provides a free, on-premises certificate authority with listed PKI capabilities and community support. Plan for its dependencies and limited documentation when evaluating setup.
Visit OpenCA PKIThe facts
| EJBCA | OpenCA PKI | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | EJBCA PKI SaaS: £62,065 a year | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | ejbca.org | openca.org |
| On public key infrastructure software | #1 of 26 | #3 of 26 |
EJBCA: what it does well
- One installation can host multiple independent PKIs.
- Supports certificate validation through OCSP and CRL.
- Enrollment options include CMP, SCEP, EST, ACME, SOAP, and REST APIs.
- Community supports Helm, container, or source deployment.
- Helm and Ansible playbooks can automate installation and configuration.
What to know first
- Community Edition is not intended for production use.
- Community lacks audit, compliance, SLA, high availability, and required security capabilities.
- Enterprise pricing requires contacting Keyfactor.
- Community support through GitHub Discussions is best-effort.
OpenCA PKI: what it does well
- Free plan listed as free
- Supports SCEP and HSM integration
- Community support via mailing lists, forums, and chat
- Accepts private and public vulnerability reports
What to know first
- Requires several software dependencies
- OpenCA Tools 1.3.0 should be installed first
- Downloadable documentation is unavailable
- The version 0.9.2 guide is outdated in parts
Alternatives to EJBCA Alternatives to OpenCA PKI The whole list