Ory Kratos vs ZITADEL Login UI
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
ZITADEL Login UI
Customizable login UI for the ZITADEL identity platform
| Feature | Ory Kratos | ZITADEL Login UI |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,815 | ★ 113 |
| First released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Auth0 Universal Login |
Why pick each one
Choose Ory Kratos if…
- Extremely flexible architecture
- Excellent for custom frontends
Choose ZITADEL Login UI if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Kratos or ZITADEL Login UI better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Kratos has the larger community, while ZITADEL Login UI is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ory Kratos and ZITADEL Login UI free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Kratos is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ZITADEL Login UI under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Kratos and ZITADEL Login UI with Docker?
Ory Kratos: yes. ZITADEL Login UI: yes.