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https://github.com/hbmartin/comparison-web-app-authentication-providers


https://github.com/hbmartin/comparison-web-app-authentication-providers

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README 

          
# Comparison of Auth Providers (primarily for Web Apps)



Please join our [discussions](https://github.com/hbmartin/comparison-web-app-authentication-providers/discussions) or fix/update information by [editing this doc](https://github.com/hbmartin/comparison-web-app-authentication-providers/edit/main/README.md)!



See also the [serverless cloud SQL databases comparison](https://github.com/hbmartin/comparison-serverless-cloud-sql-databases)



If you have your own database, you may consider implementing auth within your own app using e.g. [Better-Auth](https://www.better-auth.com/)



| Provider                                                     | Pricing                                                      | Features                                                     | Best For                                                     | Dev Ease                                                     |

| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |

| [Auth0](https://auth0.com/)
-
SaaS identity platform (CIAM; OAuth/OIDC) | Free under 25k MAU, expensive after                          | Multiple social login options, JWT support, MFA, Highly extensible via Rules/Actions, Includes anomaly detection | Broadly useful for consumer or B2B applications that need quick integration of many auth options and enterprise-grade scalability/security. | Generally easy, extensive SDKs and documentation, large community - flexibility comes with complexity, can feel heavy for simple apps |

| [AuthKit](https://www.authkit.com/)
-
SaaS identity platform (OAuth, SSO) | Free under 1M MAU, $2,500 / mo. for each add'l 1M MAU        | Supports OAuth, SSO, and advanced features like SAML, SCIM, and RBAC. | Suitable for applications requiring enterprise-level authentication features with a generous free tier. | Highly friendly with comprehensive documentation and support for various integration scenarios. |

| [AWS Cognito](https://aws.amazon.com/cognito/)
-
AWS cloud auth service | Free under 50k MAU                                           | User Pools for user sign-in, Identity Pools for AWS resource access, social logins and SMS/OTP, compromised credential checks and adaptive risk analysis | Applications in the AWS ecosystem or those needing users to directly access AWS resources. Suitable for large user bases but be prepared for AWS-centric configuration. | Requires effort: AWS’s docs are extensive but  confusing, and user management tasks can be clunky. Learning curve esp. when not familiar with AWS services. |

| Azure App Service Auth
-
Cloud CIAM by Microsoft (Azure AD B2C) | Part of Azure subscription                                   | Microsoft-backed, Built-in auth middleware                   | Enterprise apps, corporate systems                           |                                                              |

| [Clerk](https://clerk.com/)
-
User management platform (SaaS, developer-first) | $0.02  / MAU, free under 10k MAU                             | Complete and easy-to-integrate solution, Polished UI, advanced capabilities like orgs/teams support (for B2B SaaS), ability for users to maintain multiple sessions, built-in password breach checks | Modern web applications (e.g. SPA's) that want to offload the entire user management UI and logic to a service. Particularly useful in SaaS apps where you need user profiles, team accounts, and security features quickly – without building your own UI. Its React and Next.js integration make it ideal for React/Vue/Next projects. | Excellent developer experience. Clerk provides SDKs with pre-built React components and support for Next.js, Remix, React Native, etc. Documentation and support are strong. |

| [Firebase Auth](https://firebase.google.com/docs/auth)
-
BaaS auth service (part of Google Firebase) | Spark plan ~3k daily users; Blaze pay-as-you-go includes ~50k MAUs free | Google-backed, email/password, phone OTP, and popular social logins out-of-the-box, anonymous guest auth and custom token authentication. Tight integration with other Firebase services | Rapid development of mobile and web apps, especially those already in the Firebase/Google ecosystem. Apps with moderate user bases that want hassle-free backend management. | Client SDKs handle most auth flows with just a few lines of code. Setup is simple via the Firebase console, and docs are comprehensive. Little backend work needed |

| [Hank.io](https://www.hanko.io/)
[GitHub](https://github.com/teamhanko/hanko)
-
Open-source authentication (passwordless) | Cloud: $0.01 / MAU, free under 10k MAU                       | Focus on passkey authentication, providing backend services for OAuth SSO, user mgmt, and JWT issuance. Offers web components for onboarding and login, and a client package for API integration. | Ideal for applications aiming for passwordless authentication methods, enhancing security and user experience. | Developer-friendly with live examples, quickstart apps, and comprehensive guides. Offers Hanko Elements for frontend integration. |

| [Keycloak](https://www.keycloak.org/)
[GitHub](https://github.com/keycloak/keycloak)
-
Open-source IAM (self-hosted; Java) | No cloud product                                             | CNCF project, JWT support, clustering, SSO protocols (OIDC and SAML), identity brokering, user federation with existing user stores, self-service account management and basic 2FA | Organizations that need full control over their auth system or on-premises deployment.Skilled teams who can utilize its many features mostly out-of-the-box | Requires running the serve. Setup and integration can be involvede.g. realms, clients, etc., then use OIDC/SAML libraries in your app. Steep learning curve. |

| [Nhost Auth](https://nhost.io/product/auth)
[GitHub](https://github.com/nhost/hasura-auth)
-
BaaS with integrated auth (GraphQL) | No MAU limit, 1GB storage free                               | Provides a full backend service with GraphQL API, authentication, storage, and serverless functions. Authentication supports email/password, magic links, and social logins. | Best for applications that require a complete backend solution with integrated authentication, especially those utilizing GraphQL. | Integration with frontend frameworks requires manual work, poor documentation. |

| Okta
-
Enterprise identity (Workforce & Customer IAM) | Developer Edition free for testing (recently ~100 MAUs limit on new dev tenants) | SSO capabilities – supports SAML, OAuth2/OIDC. Can sync with on-prem AD/LDAP directories for user federation. Adaptive MFA and policy engine for risk-based access | Enterprise and B2B scenarios requiring single sign-on across many apps, integration with corporate directories, and strict security/compliance. | Solid documentation and SDKs for many languages. Integration is configuration-heavy. Bit of a learning curve. |

| [Ory](https://www.ory.sh/)
[GitHub](https://github.com/ory)
-
Open-source identity stack (Kratos, Hydra, etc.) | Self-host is free; Ory Cloud service has usage-based pricing | API-first modular architecture: **Ory Kratos** provides user management, **Ory Hydra** provides an OAuth2/OIDC server for issuing tokens to third-party apps | Engineering-heavy teams that need maximum flexibility in authentication flows and work on coding and configuring the pieces together. Good for building a custom identity service or integrating deeply into microservices. | Developer-centric solution: no ready-made hosted UI (though a reference UI is available). You interact via REST APIs/SDKs, so expect to write glue code. |

| [Supabase Auth](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/auth)
[GitHub](https://github.com/supabase/auth)
-
Open-source Auth (BaaS; GoTrue) | Free under  50k MAU, $25 / month for 100k MAU                | Integrated backend, email/password, magic link email login, phone OTP, and social, Users are stored in a Postgres database, Tight integration with Supabase’s other features | Applications and prototypes that want a quick, out-of-the-box solution. (Esp. if already using Supabase for your database or want a Firebase alternative). Not the best for complex auth requirements or enterprise scenarios. | Extremely developer-friendly, especially for JS/TS developers. Simple SDKs (JS, Flutter, etc.) and excellent docs, most auth flows are just a few function calls |

| [Super Tokens](https://supertokens.com/)
[GitHub](https://github.com/supertokens)
-
Open-source auth & authorization framework | Cloud: $0.02 / MAU, free under 5k MAU                        | Self-hosted option, prebuilt UI components and SDKs, quick setup and developer-friendly, Session management, RBAC, MFA, passwordless and social logins | Teams wanting control over infrastructure, Cost-conscious, csignificant ustomization, microservices, web/mobile apps, flexibility of self-hosting or managed services. | Quick setup with pre-built UI, straightforward integration, and comprehensive documentation. |

| [Zitadel](https://zitadel.com/)
[GitHub](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel)
-
Open-source identity infrastructure (multi-tenant) | Cloud: Free under 100 DAU, $100 / month for 25k DAU          | Many features of Auth0 but OSS. Supports multi-tenancy, secure login, self-service functionalities, and protocols like OIDC, OAuth2.x, and SAML2. | Ideal for applications requiring multi-tenancy, delegated access management, and in-context audit trails. Suitable for B2B customer and partner management. | Offers various deployment options, including self-hosting and managed services. API-first design with comprehensive documentation enhances developer experience. |



## References



1. [10 Top Single Sign-On (SSO) Providers & Solutions in 2025](https://www.infisign.ai/blog/top-10-single-sign-on-sso-providers-solutions-in-2024) - Vijina, 8 Jan, 2025

2. [12 Open Source Auth Tools That Will Help You Build Better Applications](https://www.permit.io/blog/top-12-open-source-auth-tools) - G. Manor

3. [AuthO Vs. Clerk: Features, Pricing, And Pros & Cons](https://supertokens.com/blog/auth0-vs-clerk) - D. Bozhinovski, 12 October, 2024

4. [The Top 9 User Authentication And Access Management Solutions](https://expertinsights.com/insights/top-user-authentication-and-access-management-solutions/) - J. Witts, 4 Dec, 2024

5. [Comparing Auth from Supabase, Firebase, Auth.js, Ory, Clerk and others](https://blog.hyperknot.com/p/comparing-auth-providers) - Z. Ero, 15 Feb, 2023

6. [Hacker News comments in response to the above article](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41923641) - grinich Dec, 2024

7. [Auth Pricing Wars: Cognito vs Auth0 vs Firebase vs Supabase](https://zuplo.com/blog/2024/11/27/api-authentication-pricing) - A. Machado, 27 Nov, 2024

8. [Which Authentication to Use? A Comparison of 4 Popular Approaches](https://dev.to/leapcell/which-authentication-to-use-a-comparison-of-4-popular-approaches-24jc) - Leapcell, 4 Feb, 2025

9. [Gemini 1.5 Pro with Deep Research](research.md) - generated 12 Mar, 2025