head to head · open source
Better Auth vs Sa-Token
Better Auth has 30,553 GitHub stars, 3,052 forks, 723 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Sa-Token has 19,109 stars, 2,914 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. Better Auth leads on adoption by 60% (30,553 vs 19,109 stars). Better Auth is written in TypeScript under MIT; Sa-Token is written in Java under Apache-2.0. Better Auth has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Sa-Token 15%. Better Auth was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (sso), 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
| Better Auth | Sa-Token | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 31K | ★ 19K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-10-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 2.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Better Auth if
- You weight community size — 31K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Sa-Token if
- You want the Sa-Token feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Sa-Token fits your workflow better
About Better Auth
Discord · Website · Issues Better Auth Better Auth is a framework agnostic authentication (and authorization) framework for TypeScript. It provides a comprehensive set of features out of the box and includes a plugin ecosystem that simplifies adding advanced functionalities with minimal code in a short amount of time. Whether you need 2FA, multi tenant support, or other complex features, it lets you focus on building your actual application instead of reinventing the wheel. Why Better Auth Authentication in the TypeScript ecosystem is a half solved problem. Other open source libraries often require a lot of…
read the full Better Auth overview →
About Sa-Token
简体中文 繁體中文 English 日本語 한국어 Русский Sa Token v1.46.0 ✨ 开源、免费、一站式 java 权限认证框架，让鉴权变得简单、优雅！ 在线文档： 需求提交 📝 前言： 回望 2020 年初，我为 Sa Token 提交第一行代码之际， 彼时市面上 Java 缺少的不仅是一个简洁好用的鉴权框架，更是一整套清晰、自洽的权限架构设计思想 。 因此，这几年间我将大量时间倾注在 Sa Token 的文档编写，几乎每一章节、每一句话、每一个字都经过反复修改、精细打磨，以求做到最清晰、干练、易懂的表述。 用心阅读文档，你学习到的将不止是 Sa Token 框架本身，更是绝大多数场景下权限认证设计的最佳实践 。 🛠️ Sa Token 介绍 Sa Token 是一个轻量级 Java 权限认证框架，目前拥有五大核心模块：登录认证、权限认证、单点登录、OAuth2.0、微服务鉴权。 你还在手搓以下功能？ Stop，让 Sa Token 来！ 要在 SpringBoot 项目中使用 Sa Token，你只需要在 pom.xml 中引入依赖： 除了支持 SpringBoot2、Sa Token 还为 SpringBoot3/4、Solon、JFinal 等常见 Web 框架提供集成包，做到真正的开箱即用。 简单示例展示： （点击展开 / 折叠） Sa Token…
read the full Sa-Token overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Better Auth or Sa-Token more popular?
Better Auth has 30,553 GitHub stars and Sa-Token has 19,109. Better Auth has the larger community by that measure.
Are Better Auth and Sa-Token free?
Both are open source. Better Auth is licensed under MIT and Sa-Token under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Better Auth and Sa-Token?
Better Auth is written in TypeScript and Sa-Token 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, Better Auth or Sa-Token?
Choose Better Auth if you want the larger community (30,553 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Sa-Token if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.