Authentik vs Better Auth

Both tools have similar popularity levels, with Authentik having 24,982 stars and Better Auth having 29,596 stars on GitHub. In terms of developer contributions, Better Auth has 2,813 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Authentik is growing faster, adding 2,589 stars in the last 30 days (+12%) against adding 347 stars for Better Auth (+1.2%). Authentik is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Both projects show recent activity, with Authentik last updated 7 hours ago and Better Auth 15 hours ago.

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Typescript, JSX. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Authentik uses Bash, Python, Golang, Rust, Django while Better Auth leverages Next.js, Vue, SvelteKit, Nuxt.js, Remix, Tanstack Start.

Authentik has been in development longer, starting 7 years ago, compared to Better Auth which began 2 years ago. This 4.5-year head start suggests Authentik may have more mature features and established processes.

Both projects use the MIT license, providing identical terms for usage and distribution.

Both tools serve similar use cases in Authentication & SSO. However, they also have distinct specializations: Authentik also focuses on Authorization & Permissions while Better Auth extends into Identity & Access Management (IAM).

Authentik provides self-hosting options for complete data control and customization, while Better Auth may be primarily cloud-based or require different deployment approaches.