head to head · open source
Sa-Token vs xxl-sso
Sa-Token has 19,065 GitHub stars, 2,914 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped yesterday. xxl-sso has 2,010 stars, 828 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Sa-Token leads on adoption by 849% (19,065 vs 2,010 stars). Sa-Token is written in Java under Apache-2.0; xxl-sso is written in Java under GPL-3.0. Sa-Token has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, xxl-sso 41%. xxl-sso was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (authorization, java, 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
| Sa-Token | xxl-sso | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-27 | 2026-09-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 828 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Sa-Token if
- You weight community size — 19K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick xxl-sso if
- You want the xxl-sso feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and xxl-sso fits your workflow better
About Sa-Token
Sa Token is a free, open source, one stop Java authentication and authorization framework, licensed under Apache 2.0, that gives Java and Spring Boot developers login authentication, permission checks, distributed sessions, single sign on, OAuth2.0, gateway authentication, JWT integration, API key authorization and API parameter signing from a single dependency.
read the full Sa-Token overview →
About xxl-sso
XXL SSO is a lightweight, extensible, Java based distributed single sign on framework, released under GPL 3.0, that lets a user log in once and then reach every trusted application, and it is aimed at teams building authentication into a single web application, a cross domain enterprise estate, or a multi terminal front end/back end separated system.
read the full xxl-sso overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Sa-Token or xxl-sso more popular?
Sa-Token has 19,065 GitHub stars and xxl-sso has 2,010. Sa-Token has the larger community by that measure.
Are Sa-Token and xxl-sso free?
Both are open source. Sa-Token is licensed under Apache-2.0 and xxl-sso under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Sa-Token and xxl-sso?
Sa-Token is written in Java and xxl-sso 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, Sa-Token or xxl-sso?
Choose Sa-Token if you want the larger community (19,065 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose xxl-sso if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.