privacyIDEA 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?
privacyIDEA
Self-hosted two-factor authentication management
VS
SuperTokens
Open-source user authentication you can self-host
| Feature | privacyIDEA | SuperTokens |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,751 | ★ 15,250 |
| First released | 2014 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Duo Security, RSA SecurID | Auth0, Firebase Auth |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is privacyIDEA 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 privacyIDEA and SuperTokens free and open-source?
Yes. privacyIDEA is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SuperTokens under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run privacyIDEA and SuperTokens with Docker?
privacyIDEA: yes. SuperTokens: yes.