Best Alternatives to Permit.io MCP Gateway in 2025
Permit.io MCP Gateway is a security middleware that adds zero-trust authorization, governance, and audit logging to MCP servers without code changes. While it excels in AI agent security, other tools offer similar capabilities for authentication, authorization, and identity management. Here are the best alternatives to consider.
Clerk
Authentication and user management platform
Clerk provides a developer-friendly authentication and user management platform with pre-built UI components and social login support. It's a strong alternative for teams needing quick integration of authentication into MCP servers, though it lacks the fine-grained Zanzibar-style authorization and MCP-specific proxy features of Permit.io.
Phase
Phase focuses on API security and authorization with a policy-as-code approach, offering granular access control similar to Permit.io. It's ideal for organizations that want to define custom authorization rules for AI agents, but it may require more manual setup for MCP protocol integration.
PropelAuth
PropelAuth simplifies authentication and user management with a hosted solution that supports OAuth and social logins. It's a good alternative for startups needing fast deployment, but it lacks the consent screens and audit logging tailored for MCP tool calls.
Auth0
Auth0 is a comprehensive identity platform with robust OAuth, SSO, and multi-factor authentication. It can secure MCP servers via custom rules, but it requires more configuration to achieve the zero-trust proxy and Zanzibar-style authorization that Permit.io offers out of the box.
Cencurity
Cencurity specializes in API security and threat detection, providing real-time monitoring and access control. It's a viable alternative for teams prioritizing security analytics over MCP-specific governance, though it may not offer the same level of integration with identity providers for AI agent consent.
While Permit.io MCP Gateway is purpose-built for securing MCP servers with zero-trust authorization and audit logging, alternatives like Clerk, Phase, PropelAuth, Auth0, and Cencurity offer varying degrees of authentication, authorization, and security features. Choose based on your need for MCP-specific proxy capabilities versus broader identity or API security solutions.