Replace / Google Authenticator
Best free Google Authenticator alternatives (open source, self-hosted) 2026
The best open-source alternative to Google Authenticator is 2FAuth or Ente Auth, self-hosted on Railway. Authenticator codes you host. 2FAuth is AGPL-3.0; Ente Auth is AGPL-3.0 — Authy and Google Authenticator without a vendor vault.
Estimated save $1,200 a year.
Open the stackStart on Railway
How Google Authenticator compares
| Google Authenticator | 2FAuth / Ente Auth | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hosted subscription | Open-source or fair-code license; you pay the host |
| Hosting | Vendor cloud | Self-hosted on Railway or any VPS |
| Rough monthly cost | Public list price not verified this run | Hosting only — no SaaS seat meter in this repo |
- 2FAuth
AGPL-3.0 self-hosted 2FA account manager and TOTP generator
- Ente Auth
AGPL-3.0 E2EE authenticator app (ente/ente monorepo)
FAQ
- What is the best free open-source Google Authenticator alternative?
- The best open-source alternative to Google Authenticator is 2FAuth or Ente Auth, self-hosted on Railway. Authenticator codes you host. 2FAuth is AGPL-3.0; Ente Auth is AGPL-3.0 — Authy and Google Authenticator without a vendor vault.
- Is it free?
- The 2FAuth / Ente Auth licenses are open source or fair-code. You still pay hosting (Railway or any VPS) and any APIs the stack calls. There is no Google Authenticator seat or task bill on this path.
- Can I migrate from Google Authenticator?
- Yes. Start with the workflows or data you actually use, then cut over. The 2FAuth / Ente Auth stack page has the agent prompt and the cost table; most teams rebuild the slice that matters and leave old Google Authenticator links until they expire.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open the 2FAuth / Ente Auth stack, copy the agent prompt, and deploy on Railway (one service, PORT, and a volume when the app needs disk). Placeholder: 2FAuth + a database and a volume. Bind HTTP to 0.0.0.0:$PORT. Ente Auth is a mobile/desktop app; self-hosting the full Ente stack is a different, heavier box. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. Password vaults stay on /stacks/vaultwarden-passwords.
- What does this replace?
- Authy / Google Authenticator. The published small-team estimate on this stack is $1,200 a year.
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