# hanko vs polar

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

| | hanko | polar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 68/100 | 71/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #7 of 40 in Authentication | #1 of 13 in Billing |
| GitHub stars | 9 051 | 10 437 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +16 | +158 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | backend/v3.1.0 · 1 Oct 2026 | @polar-sh/cli@3.0.0 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

polar scores 71/100 against 68/100 for hanko, so it is the safer default.

hanko ships more often: 2 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for polar.

If you want the quickest setup, hanko is easier to run; polar needs more configuration.

polar is growing faster right now (+158 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [hanko](https://selfhost.directory/project/hanko) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/hanko.md)
- [polar](https://selfhost.directory/project/polar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/polar.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/hanko-vs-polar