Authelia vs better-auth
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Authelia is an open-source authentication server that provides Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for web applications. It is designed to be highly customizable and scalable, making it suitable for a wide range of use cases.
Better Auth is a framework-agnostic authentication and authorization library for TypeScript applications. It handles email and password sign-in, social and OAuth2 / OpenID Connect providers, sessions and two-factor authentication in your own codebase and database, rather than delegating them to a hosted identity service, and it can be extended through a plugin ecosystem.
- Highly customizable and scalable
- Supports OpenID Connect (OIDC) and OAuth 2.0 protocols
- Provides Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Open-source and free to use
- Comprehensive authentication framework
- Robust and secure
- Customizable and scalable
- Supports multiple authentication protocols and providers
- Requires technical expertise to set up and configure
- Limited documentation and community support
- May require additional infrastructure to support large-scale deployments
- Requires wiring into your own database and schema rather than working out of the box
- TypeScript/JavaScript only — no SDKs for other backend languages
- Younger than established auth libraries, so fewer third-party tutorials exist
More alternatives & similar tools
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Alternatives to better-auth
View all →The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataBoth are free, self‑hosted auth solutions; better‑auth offers a TypeScript‑centric, plug‑in framework with broader provider support, while Authelia focuses on SSO/MFA with Go‑based deployment and OpenID certification.
Key differences
- •Language ecosystem: better‑auth is TypeScript‑only; Authelia is written in Go.
- •Primary focus: better‑auth provides a full authentication framework with multi‑tenant plugins; Authelia emphasizes SSO and MFA out of the box.
- •Integration breadth: better‑auth lists OAuth2, OpenID Connect, Stripe and major TS frameworks; Authelia lists only OpenID Connect and OAuth2.
- •Support channels: better‑auth offers community forum plus GitHub Issues; Authelia offers only email and GitHub Issues.
Pricing & value
Both are free and open source, offering comparable cost‑free value.
Ease of use / learning curve
Authelia requires technical expertise to set up, but better‑auth needs TypeScript knowledge and DB wiring, making both challenging; Authelia slightly simpler for non‑TS teams.
Features & depth
better‑auth includes email/password, social/OIDC, 2FA plugin, organization multi‑tenant plugin, and database integration options.
Integrations & ecosystem
better‑auth lists OAuth2, OpenID Connect, Stripe, and major TS frameworks; Authelia lists only OIDC and OAuth2.
Scalability
Authelia explicitly mentions scalable architecture for large deployments; better‑auth relies on user‑managed DB scaling.
Support
better‑auth provides both GitHub Issues and a community forum, whereas Authelia offers only email and GitHub Issues.
Security & privacy
Both are open source, self‑hosted, and support OAuth2/OIDC and MFA, with no differing security claims in the facts.
Choose Authelia if…
Organizations prioritizing SSO/MFA with Go‑based infrastructure and scalable deployment.
Choose better-auth if…
Teams building TypeScript/Node backends needing deep customization and multi‑tenant features.
Common questions
Is there any cost to use either product?
Both are free and open source.
Which solution is easier to integrate with an existing TypeScript backend?
better‑auth is designed as a TypeScript library that plugs directly into JS/TS backends.
Do both products support multi‑factor authentication?
Yes; better‑auth offers a first‑party 2FA plugin, and Authelia includes built‑in MFA.