Hello Identity Coop vs Keycloak
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?
Hello Identity Coop
Open-source authentication broker for passwordless login
VS
Keycloak
Open-source identity and access management for modern apps
| Feature | Hello Identity Coop | Keycloak |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7 | ★ 36,058 |
| First released | 2022 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Okta, Auth0, Microsoft Entra ID |
Why pick each one
Choose Hello Identity Coop if…
- Simple passwordless onboarding
- Open standards
Frequently asked questions
Is Hello Identity Coop or Keycloak better?
Neither is universally better. Keycloak has the larger community, while Hello Identity Coop is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Hello Identity Coop and Keycloak free and open-source?
Yes. Hello Identity Coop is licensed under MIT and Keycloak under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hello Identity Coop and Keycloak with Docker?
Hello Identity Coop: yes. Keycloak: yes.