Ory Kratos vs Permify
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?
Ory Kratos
Headless identity and user management API server
VS
Permify
Open-source authorization service for fine-grained access
| Feature | Ory Kratos | Permify |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,815 | ★ 5,933 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Auth0 FGA, OpenFGA |
Why pick each one
Choose Ory Kratos if…
- Extremely flexible architecture
- Excellent for custom frontends
Choose Permify if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 5.9k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Kratos or Permify better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Kratos has the larger community, while Permify is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ory Kratos and Permify free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Kratos is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Permify under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Kratos and Permify with Docker?
Ory Kratos: yes. Permify: yes.