---
title: "SpiceDB Pricing, Features & Alternatives (2026)"
description: "SpiceDB review: Authorization & Permissions tool — Free tier, plans, pros & cons, and the best SpiceDB alternatives compared for startups in 2026."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/spicedb
retrieved: 2026-10-28
---

![SpiceDB logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=authzed.com&sz=128)

[Authorization & Permissions](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/authorization)Free tier

# SpiceDB: Pricing, Features & Alternatives

SpiceDB stores relationships between users and resources and answers permission checks with consistency guarantees modelled on Google's Zanzibar paper, including protection against the "new enemy" problem when access is revoked. It has about 7,200 GitHub stars, a schema language with a playground, and runs on Postgres, CockroachDB, Spanner or MySQL. It is the most complete open-source Zanzibar implementation, which suits products with sharing, nested groups and large permission graphs.

The engine is free under Apache-2.0\. AuthZed sells managed versions: AuthZed Cloud is resource-based and usage-billed (from about $2 an hour for a permissions system), Dedicated Cloud is priced on reserved vCPU capacity, and Self-Hosted is an annual licence per region and per vCPU with support. As of October 2026.

Category

Authorization & Permissions

Pricing

Free tier available

Free tier

Yes

Best for

Authorization & Permissions — rebac, zanzibar

[Visit SpiceDB official site](https://authzed.com/spicedb)

## SpiceDB Pricing Plans (2026)

| Plan                    | Price                | Highlights                                                                           |
| ----------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Open sourcePopular      | Free (Apache-2.0)    | Self-hosted · Postgres, CockroachDB, Spanner, MySQL · Schema language and playground |
| AuthZed Cloud           | From about $2 / hour | Managed SpiceDB · Usage-based billing · Standard support included                    |
| Dedicated / Self-hosted | Custom               | Reserved capacity or your own infra · Multi-region · Premium or Enterprise support   |

Pricing summary: Free · then usage-based. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.

## Key SpiceDB Features

* ✓Self-hosted
* ✓Postgres, CockroachDB, Spanner, MySQL
* ✓Schema language and playground
* ✓Community support

### ✓ Pros

* +Most complete open-source Zanzibar implementation
* +Strong consistency guarantees on revocation
* +Several production-grade datastores

### ✗ Cons

* −Overkill for simple role checks
* −Steeper learning curve than RBAC tools
* −Managed pricing needs a sales conversation beyond Cloud

## Best SpiceDB Alternatives

[Compare all ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/spicedb)

[![OpenFGA logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=openfga.dev&sz=128)OpenFGAFree · paid plans by quote](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/openfga)[![Cerbos logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=cerbos.dev&sz=128)CerbosFree · paid from $25/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/cerbos)[![Permit.io logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=permit.io&sz=128)Permit.ioFree · paid plans by quote](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/permit-io)

## SpiceDB Compared

[SpiceDB vs Cerbos](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/cerbos-vs-spicedb)[SpiceDB vs OpenFGA](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/openfga-vs-spicedb)[SpiceDB vs Permit.io](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/permit-io-vs-spicedb)

## SpiceDB FAQ

What is SpiceDB used for?⌄

SpiceDB is a authorization & permissions tool. Open-source (Apache-2.0) Zanzibar-style permissions database from AuthZed, used by Red Hat, IBM and GitPod. Free to self-host; AuthZed Cloud is usage-billed from about $2 an hour.

Is SpiceDB free?⌄

Yes — SpiceDB has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features.

How much does SpiceDB cost?⌄

SpiceDB is free to use, with usage-based pricing on some features.

What are the best SpiceDB alternatives?⌄

Popular SpiceDB alternatives include OpenFGA, Cerbos, Permit.io. Compare pricing and features on our SpiceDB alternatives page.

## Not sure if SpiceDB fits your stack?

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