Authentik vs Logto: Open Source Auth Compared
Authentik vs Logto: Open Source Auth Compared
Both are modern alternatives to Keycloak — but they solve different problems. Authentik excels at securing existing applications with proxy authentication. Logto excels at adding auth to new applications with beautiful SDKs. Here's the breakdown.
Quick Verdict
Choose Authentik for securing existing and legacy applications, proxy-based authentication, and enterprise features with modern UX. Choose Logto for the fastest developer experience building new apps with auth — pre-built UI, framework SDKs, and Auth0-like simplicity.
The Comparison
| Feature | Authentik | Logto |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Python (Django) + Go | TypeScript/Node.js |
| OIDC/OAuth 2.0 | ✅ | ✅ |
| SAML 2.0 | ✅ | ✅ (basic) |
| LDAP | ✅ (outpost) | ❌ |
| Proxy auth | ✅ (killer feature) | ❌ |
| Social login | ✅ | ✅ (30+ connectors) |
| MFA/2FA | ✅ | ✅ |
| Passkeys | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pre-built sign-in UI | ✅ | ✅ (more polished) |
| Framework SDKs | Limited | ✅ (15+ frameworks) |
| Management console | ✅ (beautiful) | ✅ (modern) |
| Flow builder | ✅ Visual flows | Basic |
| Organizations | Tenants | ✅ Orgs |
| Machine-to-machine | ✅ | ✅ |
| Blueprints/IaC | ✅ (YAML blueprints) | ❌ |
| SCIM | ✅ | ❌ |
| Audit logs | ✅ (detailed) | ✅ |
| Webhooks | ❌ (events via API) | ✅ |
| Custom JWT | ✅ | ✅ |
| RAM usage | 1–2 GB | 512 MB–1 GB |
| Stars | 14K+ | 9K+ |
| License | MIT (source-available) | MPL-2.0 |
When to Choose Authentik
- Securing existing applications without code changes (proxy auth)
- You need LDAP (Authentik can act as an LDAP server)
- Enterprise features like SAML, SCIM provisioning
- Visual flow builder for complex auth flows
- Infrastructure-as-code auth configuration (YAML blueprints)
- Legacy app authentication without modifying the app
- Admin console UX is a priority
When to Choose Logto
- Building new applications from scratch
- Framework SDKs (Next.js, React, Vue, Express, Go) are important
- Pre-built sign-in experience out of the box
- SaaS multi-tenancy with Organizations
- Webhooks for event-driven integrations
- Lightest possible resource footprint
- Auth0-like developer experience
- Coming from Auth0 and need migration path
The Key Difference: Proxy Auth vs SDK Auth
Authentik's superpower is the outpost proxy. Put it in front of any web application — even one with no authentication built in — and Authentik handles login, session management, and access control. No code changes to the target app.
Logto's superpower is the SDK experience. Install an npm package, configure three environment variables, and you have complete auth with beautiful sign-in pages, social login, and user management.
Different tools for different jobs.
The Bottom Line
Authentik is for teams managing a portfolio of applications — some new, some legacy, some without built-in auth. The proxy model and visual flow builder make it uniquely powerful for infrastructure teams.
Logto is for developers building new products who want the fastest path to production auth. The SDK experience, pre-built UI, and Auth0-like management console make it the developer's choice.
If you're securing existing infrastructure, choose Authentik. If you're building new products, choose Logto.
Compare identity platforms on OSSAlt — features, deployment options, and community health side by side.