Authelia vs Psono
| Tagline | Self-hosted authentication server with TOTP, WebAuthn, and SSO | Self-hosted password manager for teams and enterprises with client-side encryption |
| Category | Password Managers & Secrets | Password Managers & Secrets |
| Replaces | 1Password, HashiCorp Vault | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
| GitHub stars | 29k | 106 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual | Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | yesterday | 8 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Authelia
- Not a password vault; does not store or generate passwords for websites
- Requires a reverse proxy to function; no standalone mode
- LDAP/AD integration configuration is complex for non-enterprise users
Psono
- Many enterprise features (LDAP sync, advanced policies) require a paid Enterprise license
- Split into multiple repos (server, client, admin, fileserver) making full deployment more involved
- Smaller community and fewer integrations than mainstream commercial managers
- Mobile experience is weaker than 1Password/Dashlane
Bottom line
Both are a similar lift to self-host; choose Authelia for the larger community and ecosystem. Authelia has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Psono
Self-hosted password manager for teams and enterprises with client-side encryption