Apache Syncope vs Ipsilon

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?
FeatureApache SyncopeIpsilon
CategoryIdentity & SSOIdentity & SSO
LicenseApache-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageJavaPython
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM2,048 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, bare-metalbare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 336★ 80
First released20122014
ReplacesSailPoint, OktaOkta, PingFederate

Why pick each one

Choose Apache Syncope if…

  • Strong identity governance features
  • Standards based
Apache Syncope details

Choose Ipsilon if…

  • Good FreeIPA companion
  • Federation focused
Ipsilon details

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache Syncope or Ipsilon better?

Neither is universally better. Apache Syncope has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Apache Syncope and Ipsilon free and open-source?

Yes. Apache Syncope is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Ipsilon under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Apache Syncope and Ipsilon with Docker?

Apache Syncope: yes. Ipsilon: check the project docs for container support.

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