Ory Oathkeeper vs SuperTokens
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 Oathkeeper
Identity and access proxy for zero-trust networks
VS
SuperTokens
Open-source user authentication you can self-host
| Feature | Ory Oathkeeper | SuperTokens |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,590 | ★ 15,250 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare Access | Auth0, Firebase Auth |
Why pick each one
Choose Ory Oathkeeper if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (3.6k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Oathkeeper or SuperTokens better?
Neither is universally better. SuperTokens has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ory Oathkeeper and SuperTokens free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Oathkeeper is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SuperTokens under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Oathkeeper and SuperTokens with Docker?
Ory Oathkeeper: yes. SuperTokens: yes.