Ory Kratos vs Vouch Proxy
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
Vouch Proxy
SSO authentication helper for reverse proxies
| Feature | Ory Kratos | Vouch Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,815 | ★ 3,278 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Okta Access Gateway |
Why pick each one
Choose Ory Kratos if…
- Extremely flexible architecture
- Excellent for custom frontends
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Kratos or Vouch Proxy better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Kratos has the larger community, while Vouch Proxy is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ory Kratos and Vouch Proxy free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Kratos is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Vouch Proxy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Kratos and Vouch Proxy with Docker?
Ory Kratos: yes. Vouch Proxy: yes.