2FAuth vs Pocket ID
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
2FAuth
Self-hosted web app to manage two-factor authentication codes
VS
Pocket ID
Simple OIDC provider that uses only passkeys
| Feature | 2FAuth | Pocket ID |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,090 | ★ 8,737 |
| First released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Authy, Google Authenticator | Auth0, Authelia |
Why pick each one
Choose 2FAuth if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
Choose Pocket ID if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.7k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is 2FAuth or Pocket ID better?
Neither is universally better. Pocket ID has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are 2FAuth and Pocket ID free and open-source?
Yes. 2FAuth is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Pocket ID under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 2FAuth and Pocket ID with Docker?
2FAuth: yes. Pocket ID: yes.