Ente Auth
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 5 authenticator apps by recommenders
Open source two-factor authenticator with encrypted cloud sync across devices, keeping control of your keys; some critics doubt the maker's other products.
Open source two-factor authenticator with encrypted cloud sync across devices, keeping control of your keys; some critics doubt the maker's other products.
26 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 22
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 85%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 22 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Open source, works on every device
“It's a native desktop app, syncs with the mobile app, and is fully open source.”
Comment from 20 Oct 2026 in “Android apps running native on macOS” “it works on any device, including the one you're trying to access”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “Immich v3.0.0 Released” “the only open source one that worked on all my devices”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Local LLM by Ente” - Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: How to recover Google auth after phone stolen?”
Cloud sync keeps key control
“worth a look if you want cloud sync without giving up control of your keys”
Comment from 31 Mar 2026 in “GitHub now requiring 2FA for all contributors,what authenticator apps you using?” “really nice secure and private cloud authenticator”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “Immich v3.0.0 Released” Easy migration, imports Aegis backups
“Migrated to Ente Auth and couldn't be happier.”
Comment from 21 May 2026 in “Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can” “this can even import from Aegis backup files”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Local LLM by Ente” Long-time users are happy
“Running Ente Auth since quite a while now and am very happy with it.”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Local LLM by Ente” “I am a happy user of Ente Auth as well”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Local LLM by Ente” “which i can higly recommend”
Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “I found 10k GitHub repositories distributing Trojan malware”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Doubts about maker's other products
“I've never understood the appeal of their other products”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “Immich v3.0.0 Released” “Its offshoots like this and 2FA feel incongruous.”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Local LLM by Ente”
Other authenticator apps people recommend
The four most recommended other authenticator apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegis Authenticator | 28 | 1 | 97% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Ente AuthThis page | 22 | 4 | 85% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Microsoft Authenticator | 13 | 51 | 20% | 7 | — | — |
| Google Authenticator | 9 | 9 | 50% | 7 | — | — |
| Authy | 6 | 15 | 29% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
23 of the 29 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“You can use Ente Auth if you want to use TOTP cross-platform.”
“It's a native desktop app, syncs with the mobile app, and is fully open source.”
“I have Ente Auth on my phone, desktop and laptop”
“so I opted to use it for more peace of mind in case my phone breaks”
“I am a happy user of "ente auth" ever since authy killed their desktop app.”
“really nice secure and private cloud authenticator”
“I've never understood the appeal of their other products”
“it works on any device, including the one you're trying to access”
“which i can higly recommend”
“Migrated to Ente Auth and couldn't be happier.”
“worth a look if you want cloud sync without giving up control of your keys”
“Ente (encrypted cloud backup)”
“it is used by folks working at CERN, who also sponsored a recent security audit”
“I am a happy user of Ente Auth as well”
“Running Ente Auth since quite a while now and am very happy with it.”
“Expressly harvesting creds through a 2FA app seems a little more direct.”
“This app literally solved a (self-inflicted) problem I was having for some years now”
“Its offshoots like this and 2FA feel incongruous.”
“the only open source one that worked on all my devices”
“this can even import from Aegis backup files”
“Ente is cornering the privacy market and I think they're doing a great job.”
“basically unknown auth system after reading a few paragraphs of text in an afternoon”
“realising that i need ente auth to survive modern life”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.