head to head · open source
Keycloak vs SuperTokens
Keycloak has 36,832 GitHub stars, 8,941 forks, 3,292 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SuperTokens has 15,310 stars, 841 forks, 155 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Keycloak leads on adoption by 141% (36,832 vs 15,310 stars). Keycloak is written in Java under Apache-2.0; SuperTokens is written in Java under a custom or non-standard licence. Keycloak has attracted 24% as many forks as stars, SuperTokens 5%. Keycloak was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (keycloak), 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
| Keycloak | SuperTokens | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 15K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Java | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.9K | ⑂ 841 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Keycloak if
- You weight community size — 37K 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 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 Keycloak
Keycloak is an open source identity and access management server, written in Java and licensed under Apache 2.0, that adds authentication and access control to applications and services, and it is intended for teams and organisations that want to own their user store rather than rent one.
read the full Keycloak 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 Keycloak or SuperTokens more popular?
Keycloak has 36,832 GitHub stars and SuperTokens has 15,310. Keycloak has the larger community by that measure.
Are Keycloak and SuperTokens free?
Both are open source. Keycloak is licensed under Apache-2.0, and SuperTokens has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Keycloak and SuperTokens?
Keycloak is written in Java 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, Keycloak or SuperTokens?
Choose Keycloak if you want the larger community (36,832 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose SuperTokens if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.