Alternatives to EZCA

{"intro": "EZCA lets teams run certificate authorities as a cloud service while leaving PKI infrastructure operations to the provider. It issues certificates through ACME, EST, and SCEP, exposes APIs for applications and workflows, and connects with Azure, Entra ID, Intune, Azure Key Vault, and Azure applications. Jamf support, links to existing on-premises CAs, IoT authentication, SIEM export, CRL and OCSP checking, HSM-backed CAs, and no certificate-count limit broaden its certificate-management scope.\n\nThe main tradeoffs are its paid service and deployment model. There is no free plan; Basic starts at $200 per CA per month, while higher tiers add capacity, support, or isolated infrastructure. EZCA runs across mobile, desktop, server, web, API, and self-hosted platforms. An alternative may fit better if you want free software, customer-controlled PKI, SSH certificate issuance, broader workflow customization, or network access control. Compare required protocols, certificate use cases, identity and device integrations, operational responsibility, and how each product charges.", "rows": [{"ref": "sw:ejbca", "name": "EJBCA", "best_for": "Open-source PKI with multiple separated authorities", "pricing": "Free plan · 30-day trial", "key_difference": "EJBCA is self-hosted open-source software with CA, RA, and VA modules, while EZCA is a managed cloud PKI service.", "choose_when": "Choose it when you need free deployment, Helm or Ansible automation, or multiple independent PKIs in one installation."}, {"ref": "sw:keytalk-ckms", "name": "KeyTalk CKMS", "best_for": "Automated certificate lifecycle across customer infrastructure", "pricing": "Pricing on request", "key_difference": "KeyTalk adds certificate discovery, centralized key repositories, reporting, and private-CA deployment options beyond EZCA's cloud service.", "choose_when": "Choose it when you need network certificate scanning, VM delivery, or a KeyTalk-managed PKI service."}, {"ref": "sw:securew2-cloud-nac", "name": "SecureW2 Cloud NAC", "best_for": "Certificate-based network access control", "pricing": "Pricing on request", "key_difference": "SecureW2 combines PKI with cloud RADIUS, 802.1X authentication, guest access, and dynamic VLAN policies rather than focusing only on CA operations.", "choose_when": "Choose it when controlling Wi-Fi, wired, VPN, BYOD, guest, or segmented IoT access matters more than general CA hosting."}, {"ref": "sw:step-ca", "name": "step-ca", "best_for": "X.509 and SSH certificate automation", "pricing": "Free plan", "key_difference": "step-ca issues both X.509 and SSH certificates with configurable provisioners and templates, capabilities EZCA does not describe.", "choose_when": "Choose it when short-lived SSH access, Kubernetes automation, or cloud-identity provisioners are central requirements."}, {"ref": "sw:openca-pki", "name": "OpenCA PKI", "best_for": "Free, traditional open-source CA deployment", "pricing": "Free plan", "key_difference": "OpenCA PKI is a free self-hosted CA with stated software prerequisites, while EZCA provides a paid managed service.", "choose_when": "Choose it when you want an open-source CA on Linux or macOS and can manage its dependencies and community-oriented support."}, {"ref": "sw:openxpki", "name": "OpenXPKI", "best_for": "Customizable multi-realm PKI workflows", "pricing": "Free plan", "key_difference": "OpenXPKI offers configurable workflows, multiple PKI realms, YAML revision control, and PKCS#11 HSM support in self-hosted software.", "choose_when": "Choose it when distinct certificate namespaces, policies, and auditable configuration matter more than EZCA's managed Azure integrations."}, {"ref": "sw:xipki", "name": "XiPKI", "best_for": "Critical-infrastructure PKI with post-quantum algorithms", "pricing": "Open source", "key_difference": "XiPKI adds native ML-DSA, ML-KEM, composite algorithms, clustered CAs, and extensive HSM and database choices beyond EZCA's described scope.", "choose_when": "Choose it when post-quantum support, clustered CA operations, or broad protocol and HSM compatibility are priorities."}]}