OpenUnison vs SimpleSAMLphp
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?
OpenUnison
Identity management and SSO portal for Kubernetes
VS
SimpleSAMLphp
PHP implementation of SAML and identity federation
| Feature | OpenUnison | SimpleSAMLphp |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Language | Less | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | bare-metal, source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 136 | ★ 1,139 |
| First released | 2018 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Okta | Okta, PingFederate |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenUnison if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Less
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenUnison or SimpleSAMLphp better?
SimpleSAMLphp is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenUnison if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenUnison and SimpleSAMLphp free and open-source?
Yes. OpenUnison is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SimpleSAMLphp under LGPL-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenUnison and SimpleSAMLphp with Docker?
OpenUnison: check the project docs for container support. SimpleSAMLphp: yes.