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Comparison · Infra & APIs

AdGuard Home vs authentik

A side-by-side editorial comparison of AdGuard Home and authentik — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hosted

AdGuard Home vs authentik: at a glance

FeatureAdGuard Homeauthentik
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesdns, ad-blocking, security, dns-over-quiciam, self-hosted, sso, machine-identity
Last editorial update1mo ago12h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is AdGuard Home?

AdGuard Home patches a DNS-over-QUIC resource exhaustion advisory and moves edge to the new UI

v0.107.79 is presented as a stability release but carries the security work: a Go update for the vulnerabilities fixed in 1.26.6 and hardening against resource exhaustion over DNS-over-QUIC, published as GHSA-w6v6-f44j-3rj2. Alongside it, bootstrap server config accepts comments, install APIs gain a language property, static lease hostnames can be removed over HTTP, strict_sni_check is deprecated, and DNS64 stops treating unresolved CNAME/DNAME answers as the end of the chain.

Read the full AdGuard Home trajectory →

What is authentik?

authentik 2026.8.0 ships an Agent for machine identity and domain join, then enters rapid patch mode.

authentik is in a high-cadence maintenance cycle following the 2026.8.0 major release. Three point releases have landed in quick succession addressing admin file search, API autocomplete, and a blueprint field typo. The 2026.5 and 2026.2 legacy branches are still receiving backports, reflecting an enterprise install base that moves slowly between majors.

Read the full authentik trajectory →

AdGuard Home vs authentik: editorial side-by-side

A
AdGuard Home
INFRA · APIS
5.0

AdGuard Home patches a DNS-over-QUIC resource exhaustion advisory and moves edge to the new UI

◆ Current state

v0.107.79 is presented as a stability release but carries the security work: a Go update for the vulnerabilities fixed in 1.26.6 and hardening against resource exhaustion over DNS-over-QUIC, published as GHSA-w6v6-f44j-3rj2. Alongside it, bootstrap server config accepts comments, install APIs gain a language property, static lease hostnames can be removed over HTTP, strict_sni_check is deprecated, and DNS64 stops treating unresolved CNAME/DNAME answers as the end of the chain.

◆ Where it's heading

Two channels run in parallel — the 0.107 stable line and the 0.108 beta — and the edge channel has now switched to the new UI and versioning scheme, which is the first concrete sign that the 0.108 work is being staged for release. Stable releases keep absorbing protocol correctness fixes and DNS-over-QUIC hardening.

◆ Prediction

With edge already on the new UI and versioning scheme, the 0.108 line is the likely destination for that switch, and strict_sni_check being deprecated now points to its removal there.

A
authentik
INFRA · APIS
5.0

authentik 2026.8.0 ships an Agent for machine identity and domain join, then enters rapid patch mode.

◆ Current state

authentik is in a high-cadence maintenance cycle following the 2026.8.0 major release. Three point releases have landed in quick succession addressing admin file search, API autocomplete, and a blueprint field typo. The 2026.5 and 2026.2 legacy branches are still receiving backports, reflecting an enterprise install base that moves slowly between majors.

◆ Where it's heading

2026.8.0 introduced the authentik Agent — enabling machine-initiated identity flows and device domain join — alongside an Actors entity type for non-human identity tracking. This is authentik's first explicit move beyond user-focused SSO into device and service account identity, putting it in territory occupied by commercial PAM and device trust vendors. The multi-branch backport pace signals that the team is supporting long deployment cycles while actively pushing the frontier forward.

◆ Prediction

The authentik Agent and Actors system are early features — expect expanded directory sync, credential lifecycle, and machine token management in the 2026.9 cycle. If domain join matures, authentik becomes a self-hosted alternative for organizations wanting to consolidate SSO and device identity on a single stack.

Alternatives to AdGuard Home and authentik

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either AdGuard Home or authentik.

See all AdGuard Home alternatives → · See all authentik alternatives →

Recent activity from AdGuard Home and authentik

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 19h agoauthentik2026.8.3: Case-insensitive file search, search autocomplete, and blueprint fix
  2. 8d agoauthentikRelease 2026.8.2
  3. 8d agoauthentik2026.5.7: Backport CI and endpoint auth schema fixes
  4. 8d agoauthentik2026.2.7: Container hardening and policy filter backport
  5. 17d agoauthentikRelease 2026.8.1
  6. 1mo agoauthentik2026.8.0: authentik Agent, Actors for non-human identity, and device domain join
  7. 1mo agoAdGuard HomeAdGuard Home 0.107.79 hardens DNS-over-QUIC against resource exhaustion
  8. 1mo agoAdGuard HomeBeta b.90 carries the DNS-over-QUIC exhaustion fix
  9. 2mo agoAdGuard HomeBeta b.89 hardens against JIGGLE attacks (GHSA-p5f5-3p5g-rfjw)
  10. 2mo agoAdGuard Home0.107.78: over half the changelog is security fixes
  11. 3mo agoAdGuard HomeBeta b.88 patches path traversal in GLiNET auth (CVE-2026-41448)
  12. 3mo agoAdGuard Home0.107.77 patches a community-reported vulnerability

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between AdGuard Home and authentik?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Infra & APIs. AdGuard Home and authentik are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is AdGuard Home better than authentik?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. AdGuard Home and authentik are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to AdGuard Home?

Top AdGuard Home alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "AdGuard Home alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/adguard-home for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to authentik?

Top authentik alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "authentik alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/authentik for the full list with editorial commentary on each.