Authelia vs openarchiver

Authelia and openarchiver solve unrelated problems in a self-hosted infrastructure stack: Authelia is an open-source authentication and authorization server…

Best for Authelia: Teams running multiple self-hosted web apps behind a reverse proxy who want centralized SSO and MFA (Passkeys, WebAuthn, OTP, push notifications) without a commercial identity provider.
Best for openarchiver: Organizations that need to archive Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or IMAP mailboxes, or import legacy PST/EML files, for compliance and eDiscovery with full-text search, on their own infrastructure.

At a Glance

 Autheliaopenarchiver
Primary categorySecuritySecurity
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFree (open source)Open Source
Starting priceFreeFree (self-hosted)
Free planNot documentedNot documented
Free trialNot documentedNot documented
PlatformsNot documentedNot documented
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresNot documentedNot documented
Public APIYesNot documented

Key Differences

Core Function

Authelia: Authelia is an authentication and authorization server providing SSO and MFA for self-hosted apps.

openarchiver: openarchiver is an email archiving platform for backup, compliance, and eDiscovery with full-text search.

The two tools address entirely different security and compliance requirements.

Deployment Model

Authelia: Authelia requires a reverse proxy to function and ships as a container image under 20MB with typical memory usage under 30MB.

openarchiver: openarchiver connects directly to mail platforms via connectors and PST/EML import rather than sitting in front of a reverse proxy.

Architecture requirements differ significantly for what has to be in place before deployment.

Licensing & Cost Transparency

Authelia: Authelia is fully free and open source under Apache 2.0, with a single free plan and no paid tier.

openarchiver: openarchiver is listed with a Freemium pricing model and described as a free email archiver, but Gappsy's data doesn't document a specific paid tier or starting price for it.

Buyers comparing budgets need clarity on what's actually free versus what unlocks behind payment.

Authentication Methods vs Mail Connectors

Authelia: Authelia supports Passkeys, one-time passwords, mobile push notifications, and WebAuthn, and operates as an OpenID Certified provider.

openarchiver: openarchiver connects to Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and generic IMAP servers, plus PST and EML file import for historical archives.

Each tool's usefulness hinges on the specific protocols or platforms it integrates with.

Compliance Role

Authelia: Authelia's compliance value is access governance and audit, enforced through MFA and granular authorization policies.

openarchiver: openarchiver is explicitly built for email backup, compliance, and eDiscovery, retaining searchable records rather than governing access.

Only one of the two tools actually retains searchable records for legal or regulatory review.

Feature-by-Feature

Deployment & Licensing

FeatureAutheliaopenarchiver
Self-hosted deploymentAvailableAvailable
Open-source license documentedAvailableNot documented
Reverse proxy requiredAvailableUnavailable
Free tierAvailableAvailable
Kubernetes supportAvailableNot documented

Core Capability

FeatureAutheliaopenarchiver
SSO / MFAAvailableUnavailable
Email archivingUnavailableAvailable
Full-text search of recordsUnavailableAvailable
Granular authorization policiesAvailableNot documented
PST/EML importUnavailableAvailable

Integration & Access

FeatureAutheliaopenarchiver
Microsoft 365 connectorUnavailableAvailable
Passkey / WebAuthn loginAvailableNot documented
OpenID Connect certified providerAvailableNot documented
IMAP connectorUnavailableAvailable

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Authelia

Authelia — Free N/A

openarchiver

Self-Hosted Community — Free N/A

Pros & Cons

Authelia

Pros

  • Fully free and open source under Apache 2.0
  • Very lightweight resource footprint
  • Officially OpenID Certified
  • Strong integration with common reverse proxies

Cons

  • Requires self-hosting and reverse proxy configuration knowledge
  • No official managed/hosted version
  • Support is community-driven with no commercial support contracts

openarchiver

Pros

  • Fully open source with no license fee for the core platform
  • Full data ownership and sovereignty since everything is self-hosted
  • Tamper-evident storage and audit trails suited to compliance and eDiscovery needs
  • Supports major mail platforms including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and IMAP
  • Portable .eml storage format avoids vendor lock-in

Cons

  • Requires self-hosting expertise and infrastructure to operate reliably
  • No official hosted cloud offering or published SaaS pricing tier
  • Smaller company and community compared to established commercial archiving vendors
  • Enterprise support depends on a partner program rather than a large in-house support team
  • Newer project with a shorter track record than long-established archiving suites

Use Cases

Choose Authelia: Teams running multiple self-hosted web apps behind a reverse proxy who want centralized SSO and MFA (Passkeys, WebAuthn, OTP, push notifications) without a commercial identity provider.
Choose openarchiver: Organizations that need to archive Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or IMAP mailboxes, or import legacy PST/EML files, for compliance and eDiscovery with full-text search, on their own infrastructure.
Need both: A self-hosted IT environment could deploy Authelia to gate SSO/MFA access to internal admin tools, including openarchiver's own web interface, while running openarchiver behind it to archive company email for compliance.

Authelia

  • Self-hosted SSO for homelab services — Adding centralized login and MFA in front of self-hosted apps.
  • Enterprise-grade auth portal behind reverse proxies — Protecting internal tools with SSO and access policies at the proxy layer.

openarchiver

  • Regulatory email retention — Meet legal and regulatory requirements to retain and produce email records for a defined retention period.
  • Litigation holds and eDiscovery — Search and export tamper-evident email archives with a verifiable chain of custody during legal disputes.
  • Self-hosted mailbox migration and backup — Archive mailboxes before decommissioning accounts or migrating between email platforms, preserving full-text searchable history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Authelia and openarchiver be used together?

Yes. Since they serve different layers of a self-hosted stack, some teams use Authelia to gate access to admin tools such as openarchiver's web interface, while using openarchiver itself to archive email.

Is openarchiver free like Authelia?

Authelia is fully free and open source under Apache 2.0 with a single free plan. openarchiver is listed as Freemium and described as a free email archiver, but Gappsy's data doesn't document a specific paid tier or starting price.

Does Authelia archive email?

No. Authelia is an authentication and authorization server for SSO and MFA; it has no email archiving, connector, or import functionality.

Does openarchiver handle login or SSO for other apps?

No. openarchiver's documented features are Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and IMAP connectors plus PST/EML import for archiving; it is not an identity provider.

What authentication methods does Authelia support?

Passkeys, one-time passwords, mobile push notifications, and WebAuthn, alongside OpenID Connect 1.0 certified provider support.

Which email platforms does openarchiver connect to?

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace directly, plus generic IMAP servers and PST/EML file imports for historical archives.

Read the full Authelia review · Read the full openarchiver review