Apereo CAS vs FusionAuth
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?
Apereo CAS
Enterprise single sign-on server for web applications
VS
FusionAuth
Complete authentication and authorization platform
| Feature | Apereo CAS | FusionAuth |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Dockerfile |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,354 | ★ 241 |
| First released | 2004 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Okta, Ping Identity | Auth0, Okta |
Why pick each one
Choose Apereo CAS if…
- Mature SSO with broad protocol support
- Widely adopted in academia
Choose FusionAuth if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Dockerfile
Frequently asked questions
Is Apereo CAS or FusionAuth better?
Neither is universally better. Apereo CAS has the larger community, while FusionAuth is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apereo CAS and FusionAuth free and open-source?
Yes. Apereo CAS is licensed under Apache-2.0 and FusionAuth under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apereo CAS and FusionAuth with Docker?
Apereo CAS: yes. FusionAuth: yes.