Hello Identity Coop vs SAML Jackson
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Hello Identity Coop | SAML Jackson |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7 | ★ 2,266 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Auth0, WorkOS |
What are Hello Identity Coop and SAML Jackson?
Hello Identity Coop
Hello is an open-source identity and login service that lets users authenticate with email, phone or social providers without passwords. The wallet and broker components can be self-hosted.
- Passwordless login flows
- Email, phone and social providers
- Standard OpenID Connect
- Developer SDKs and integrations
SAML Jackson
BoxyHQ Jackson (SAML Jackson) is a self-hosted service that abstracts SAML and OIDC enterprise single sign-on behind a simple OAuth 2.0 API. It lets apps add enterprise SSO without per-provider code.
- SAML and OIDC abstraction
- OAuth 2.0 API
- Directory sync (SCIM)
- Self-hostable
Hello Identity Coop vs SAML Jackson: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Hello Identity Coop versus Apache-2.0 for SAML Jackson. Hello Identity Coop is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for SAML Jackson. SAML Jackson has the considerably larger community, at 2,266 GitHub stars versus 7.
Why pick each one
Choose Hello Identity Coop if…
- Simple passwordless onboarding
- Open standards
Watch out for
- Younger project
Choose SAML Jackson if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Hello Identity Coop or SAML Jackson better?
Neither is universally better. SAML Jackson has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Hello Identity Coop and SAML Jackson free and open-source?
Yes. Hello Identity Coop is licensed under MIT and SAML Jackson under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hello Identity Coop and SAML Jackson with Docker?
Hello Identity Coop: yes. SAML Jackson: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hello Identity Coop or SAML Jackson?
Hello Identity Coop has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for SAML Jackson. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.