SAML Jackson vs Ory Kratos
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?
SAML Jackson
SAML and OIDC SSO service bridging enterprise providers
VS
Ory Kratos
Headless identity and user management API server
| Feature | SAML Jackson | Ory Kratos |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,257 | ★ 13,815 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Auth0, WorkOS | Auth0, Firebase Auth |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Ory Kratos if…
- Extremely flexible architecture
- Excellent for custom frontends
Frequently asked questions
Is SAML Jackson or Ory Kratos better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Kratos has the larger community, while SAML Jackson is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are SAML Jackson and Ory Kratos free and open-source?
Yes. SAML Jackson is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Ory Kratos under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SAML Jackson and Ory Kratos with Docker?
SAML Jackson: yes. Ory Kratos: yes.