Ory Kratos vs privacyIDEA
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
privacyIDEA
Self-hosted two-factor authentication management
| Feature | Ory Kratos | privacyIDEA |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,815 | ★ 1,751 |
| First released | 2020 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Duo Security, RSA SecurID |
Why pick each one
Choose Ory Kratos if…
- Extremely flexible architecture
- Excellent for custom frontends
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Kratos or privacyIDEA better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Kratos has the larger community, while privacyIDEA is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ory Kratos and privacyIDEA free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Kratos is licensed under Apache-2.0 and privacyIDEA under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Kratos and privacyIDEA with Docker?
Ory Kratos: yes. privacyIDEA: yes.