Guide: Auth0

Top 7 Auth0 Alternatives and How to Choose

What Is Auth0? 

Auth0 is a platform that provides authentication and authorization services for SaaS applications. It allows developers to authenticate and authorize users using a variety of methods, such as single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and social logins, and can be easily integrated into web and mobile applications. 

Auth0 provides identity access management (IAM) capabilities and supports various types of applications and frameworks. It helps ensure secure configurations for each authorization request and workflow. It lets you configure the application’s login behavior and create a seamless authentication experience.

Auth0 also provides a management dashboard for administering user accounts and permissions. Additionally, it offers features such as passwordless authentication, user management, user profile storage, and token-based authentication, which can all be used to secure and manage access to applications and APIs.

In this article:

Top 7 Auth0 Alternatives

Frontegg

Deployment: Fully Managed in the Frontegg cloud / hybrid mode that allows installing data-sensitive parts on a private cloud or on-premises.

Pricing: 30-day free trial, paid plans start at $99/month.

Frontegg is a platform that provides a set of features and tools to help companies with their digital transformation, product-led growth (PLG) initiatives, and customer engagement optimization. It offers a set of pre-built, customizable, and self-served components for building and deploying web and mobile applications. Frontegg offers granular role and permission management, with support for popular authentication methods like  single sign-on and passwordless (magic links, speedy logins).

The platform focuses on providing easy-to-use tools for developers to implement common user management features such as onboarding flows, billing management, and analytics, including important  integrations with popular services such as Salesforce, Slack, and Twilio. Additionally, Frontegg provides a set of features to manage and secure access to applications and APIs. It also offers a plugin ecosystem that enables customers to easily extend the platform with custom functionality.

Keycloak

Deployment: Cloud and on-premises options are available.

Pricing: Free open source software.

Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management (IAM) solution. It’s a standalone server that provides authentication and authorization services for applications and services. Keycloak can be integrated with a wide variety of applications and services, both cloud-based and on-premises, and supports several protocols such as SAML, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect. 

Keycloak provides features such as user and group management, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and identity brokering, which allows users to authenticate through external providers such as social networks and identity providers. It also has a web-based management console for managing and configuring the server, and a set of APIs and libraries that can be used to integrate Keycloak with other applications.

FusionAuth

Deployment: Cloud or on-premises.

Pricing: Cloud hosting plans start at $37/month, self-hosting plans start at $125/month.

FusionAuth is an IAM platform that provides authentication and authorization services for web and mobile SaaS applications. It supports cloud-based, on-premises, or hybrid deployments and is designed to be easy to use and easy to integrate with other applications. FusionAuth provides features such as user registration, login, passwordless authentication, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and social login. It also has user management, and user profile storage, as well as an event-based architecture which allows you to easily create custom workflows. 

Additionally, FusionAuth offers an API-first architecture that allows developers to easily integrate and extend the platform with custom functionality, and a web-based management console for administering user accounts and permissions.

Cognito by AWS

Deployment: Cloud

Pricing: Free tier (up to 50,000 users per month) and pay-as-you-go options, $0.10 per GB-month data storage.

Amazon Cognito is a customer identity and access management (CIAM) service that helps you add authentication, authorization, and user management to mobile and web apps. It is part of the AWS ecosystem. The Cognito console is part of an organization’s AWS Management Console, where all the information about the Cognito account and billing is available.

Cognito allows each user or visitor to sign in with a set of username and password credentials via Amazon or a third party such as Google, Apple, or Facebook. You can use Cognito’s built-in user interface (UI) to add user sign-in, sign-up, and access control to apps. It lets you define roles and map users to these different roles, and then handles all authentication requirements while providing secure access. 

WorkOS

Deployment: Runs entirely in the cloud, can be integrated with on-premises applications.

Pricing: Starts with a free tier and a “Growth” plan at $125/month for one SSO or Directory Sync connection, with custom pricing for enterprise solutions.

WorkOS is an API platform that provides a collection of building blocks to help you quickly add enterprise features to applications. The WorkOS stack includes an admin portal, SAML, and a directory sync feature. 

The admin portal is a secure and customizable onboarding UI. You can programmatically generate onboarding links that allow users to access the admin portal. Each portal can provide access to a different enterprise customer. The stack also includes APIs with RESTful endpoints, JSON responses, and normalized objects for SAML. It enables single sign-on (SSO) for any identity provider using SAML or Open ID Connect.

Firebase

Deployment: Hosted on Google Cloud Platform, supports hybrid solutions. 

Pricing: Free and paid plans, including the no-cost Spark plan and the pay as you go Blaze plan.

Firebase provides cross-platform SDKs and documentation for building and delivering web and mobile apps. It includes an authentication suite that consists of ready-made UI libraries and SDKs designed to help authenticate users to apps. It supports various forms of authentication, including passwords and federated identity providers such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook.

Firebase Authentication uses OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect. It integrates with other Firebase services and can also integrate with a custom backend. It is also possible to upgrade to Firebase Authentication with Identity Platform to gain access to additional features, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), user activity and audit logging, multi-tenancy, enterprise-level support, and blocking functions.

Stytch

Deployment: Primarily deployed on the cloud, but some features can also be used on-premises.

Pricing: Free plan available, paid plans for use cases requiring more users. 

Stytch provides an all-in-one platform that includes authentication, security, access, organization, and user management features. It aims to help you set up password-less authentication using third-party logins or email links called magic links rather than passwords.

The authentication suite includes JavaScript and mobile SDKs that support Android, iOs, React, Next.js, and more. It also provides ready-to-go APIs to add functionality such as MFA, email magic links, WebAuthn, and more. 

Auth0 Alternatives: Head to Head

SolutionMain FeaturesDeployment optionsUser ManagementMFAOpen Source
FronteggUsername and password, social loginsCloud and hybridYesYesNo
KeycloakUsername and password, social loginsCloud and on-premisesYesYesYes
FusionAuthUsername and password, email and password, social loginsCloud and on-premisesYesYesYes
Amazon CognitoUsername and password, social loginsCloudYesYesNo
WorkOSSSO, directory synchronization, audit logsCloudYesYesNo
Firebase AuthenticationEmail and password, phone number, social loginsCloud and hybridYesYesNo
StytchPasswordless, biometric, SMS, emailCloudYesYesNo

How to Choose an Authentication Solution: Key Considerations 

Choosing the right authentication solution for your organization involves considering a variety of factors, including:

  • User base: Consider the size and complexity of your user base, as well as the types of users that will be accessing your applications and resources.
  • Access requirements: Determine what types of access and resources users will need, such as web and mobile applications, on-premises resources, and external services.
  • Security requirements: Evaluate your organization’s security requirements, including compliance regulations and industry standards, as well as your own security policies and procedures.
  • Integration: Consider how the solution will integrate with your existing systems and infrastructure, including other identity and access management solutions, as well as any custom applications or services.
  • Scalability: Consider how the solution will scale as your organization grows, both in terms of user base and number of applications and resources.
  • Cost: Consider the costs associated with the solution, including implementation, maintenance, and ongoing usage costs.
  • Support: Evaluate the support options available for the solution, including training, documentation, and technical assistance.
  • Flexibility: Evaluate if the solution is flexible enough to adapt to the changing needs of your organization and can easily be integrated with other systems and services.
  • Ease of use: Consider if the solution is easy to use for both administrators and users and provides a good user experience.

Modern SaaS applications and services today need to be self-served and PLG-friendly. Your AuthO alternative should ideally cover both authentication and authorization requirements via one centralized solution, while allowing you to manage roles and permissions with just a few clicks. By doing so, you will no longer need to worry about roadmap delays, developer frustration, and support overhead.

Start Frontegg For Free