head to head · open source
Authentik vs SuperTokens
Authentik has 25,600 GitHub stars, 2,019 forks, 1,074 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SuperTokens has 15,310 stars, 841 forks, 155 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Authentik leads on adoption by 67% (25,600 vs 15,310 stars). Authentik is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; SuperTokens is written in Java under a custom or non-standard licence. Authentik has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, SuperTokens 5%. Authentik was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (authentication), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | SuperTokens | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 15K |
| License | Custom / other | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 841 |
| 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 SuperTokens if
- You want the SuperTokens feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and SuperTokens 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 SuperTokens
SuperTokens is an open source authentication and session management platform for applications that need login, sign up, sign out, and user data control. It sits in the identity and access management ecosystem and is described as an alternative to Auth0, Firebase Auth, and AWS Cognito. It separates work into a frontend SDK, a backend SDK, and a Java based SuperTokens Core service that handles authentication logic and database operations.
read the full SuperTokens overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Authentik or SuperTokens more popular?
Authentik has 25,600 GitHub stars and SuperTokens has 15,310. Authentik has the larger community by that measure.
Are Authentik and SuperTokens free?
Neither Authentik nor SuperTokens declares a licence in this registry, so check each project's own repository before relying on either for a commercial use. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Authentik and SuperTokens?
Authentik is written in Python and SuperTokens in Java. 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 SuperTokens?
Choose Authentik if you want the larger community (25,600 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose SuperTokens if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.