# element-web vs keycloak

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | element-web | keycloak |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/100 | 86/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 33 in Communication | #1 of 40 in Authentication |
| GitHub stars | 13 622 | 37 588 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +118 | +607 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 17 ✓ | 14 |
| Latest release | v1.12.33 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | 26.8.1 · 13 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

keycloak scores 86/100 against 75/100 for element-web, so it is the safer default.

element-web ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for keycloak.

keycloak is growing faster right now (+607 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [element-web](https://selfhost.directory/project/element-web) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/element-web.md)
- [keycloak](https://selfhost.directory/project/keycloak) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/keycloak.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/element-web-vs-keycloak