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Okta vs Zitadel: Who Protects Your Data Privacy Better?

Explore the security and privacy strengths of Okta (US) and Zitadel (CH), and why understanding their differences is crucial for your organization's data protection.

Last updated: February 6, 2026•Reviewed by Built in EU Team

Should You Switch to Zitadel?

What You Gain

Enhanced privacy and compliance with EU regulations.

Privacy advantage
Trade-offs

Potential loss of advanced features and integrations.

Okta has more features
Bottom Line

Switch if privacy is a priority; stay with Okta for features.

At a Glance

Data Location
🇺🇸US

US data laws

🇨🇭CH

GDPR protected

Pricing

Okta

Contact

Zitadel

Contact

Migration
Medium difficulty~2-4 hours

Privacy & Compliance Comparison

Critical data sovereignty factors at a glance

CriteriaOktaZitadel
Server Location
US (AWS), EU (optional)EU (Switzerland)
GDPR Compliance
FullFull
Open Source
E2E Encryption
Enterprise onlyAll plans
Data Portability
PartialFull export

CLOUD Act Notice

Okta is a US company and must comply with CLOUD Act data requests, even for data stored in EU data centers. Zitadel is not subject to US jurisdiction.

Switching from
Okta logo

Okta

🇺🇸

Okta

VS
Switching to
Zitadel logo

Zitadel

🇨🇭

Zitadel

US Data Storage

Data subject to US CLOUD Act and may be accessed by US authorities

EU Data Protection

Data protected under GDPR with EU-only data residency

Certifications & Compliance

No certifications listed

EU-Based
GDPR Compliant
Open Source
Self-Hostable
Swiss hosted

Reasons to Switch

  • ✓Zitadel is fully GDPR compliant, ensuring data protection in the EU.
  • ✓Zitadel servers are located in Switzerland, providing EU data residency.
  • ✓Zitadel offers end-to-end encryption on all plans, enhancing security.
  • ✓Zitadel is open source, allowing for customization and transparency.

Things to Consider

  • !Migration from Okta may require significant data transfer efforts.
  • !Zitadel's feature set may not match Okta’s extensive integrations.
  • !Learning curve for teams unfamiliar with open source identity solutions.
Migration difficulty:
Medium
~2-4 hours

Migration Overview

Full guide
Difficulty
Medium
Time Estimate
~2-4 hours

Depends on data size and complexity

Quick Steps

1

Create Zitadel account and configure settings

2

Export and prepare data from Okta

3

Import data, test integrations, and migrate users

Other alternatives to Okta

Ready to make the switch?

Start using Zitadel today and take control of your data privacy.