head to head · open source
Authentik vs samlify
Authentik has 25,627 GitHub stars, 2,024 forks, 1,074 open issues and last shipped yesterday. samlify has 661 stars, 233 forks, 53 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. Authentik leads on adoption by 3,777% (25,627 vs 661 stars). Authentik is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; samlify is written in TypeScript under MIT. Authentik has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, samlify 35%. Authentik was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Authentik | samlify | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 661 |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 233 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Authentik if
- You weight community size — 26K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick samlify if
- You want the samlify feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and samlify fits your workflow better
About Authentik
Authentik is an open source Identity Provider (IdP) built for modern single sign on (SSO) workflows. It operates in the identity and access management (IAM) ecosystem, offering a self hosted alternative to commercial solutions like Auth0, Okta, and Entra ID. The project is written in Python and distributed under a mixed MIT/CC BY SA/enterprise license model, with a core open source offering and an enterprise tier for advanced features and support.
read the full Authentik overview →
About samlify
Node.js SAML 2.0 library for Single Sign On, written in TypeScript under the MIT licence, for developers adding SAML SSO to Node.js applications as either a Service Provider or an Identity Provider.
read the full samlify overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Authentik or samlify more popular?
Authentik has 25,627 GitHub stars and samlify has 661. Authentik has the larger community by that measure.
Are Authentik and samlify free?
Both are open source. Authentik has no licence declared in this registry, and samlify is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Authentik and samlify?
Authentik is written in Python and samlify in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Authentik or samlify?
Choose Authentik if you want the larger community (25,627 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose samlify if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.