# Kanidm vs polar

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

| | Kanidm | polar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 71/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 3 in IAM | #1 of 13 in Billing |
| GitHub stars | 5 512 | 10 437 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +106 | +158 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v1.11.2 · 11 Sept 2026 | @polar-sh/cli@3.0.0 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Rust | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

polar scores 71/100 against 67/100 for Kanidm, so it is the safer default.

Kanidm ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for polar.

## Details

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

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