You're not alone in rethinking your identity provider. Since Auth0's acquisition by Okta, developers and IT leaders have raised valid concerns — from unpredictable pricing and rigid feature tiers to reduced customization and vendor lock-in. These limitations have sparked a shift toward more flexible, cost-effective authentication platforms that don’t compromise on security or user experience.
This guide breaks down eight strong alternatives to Auth0 — each evaluated on key factors like setup time, customization options, migration complexity, and total cost of ownership. Whether you're rolling out phishing-resistant MFA, enabling secure remote access, or streamlining onboarding across multi-tenant environments, there’s a solution that can meet your needs without the overhead.
At Hideez, we specialize in identity and access management solutions, with a focus on secure, passwordless authentication for modern enterprises and small to mid-sized organizations. As a certified member of the FIDO Alliance, we've developed our own IAM platform tailored to the needs of SMBs — combining phishing-resistant MFA, flexible deployment options, and a free tier for small teams.
Read on to explore the top Auth0 alternatives in 2025 — and see how they stack up against each other in features, pricing, and long-term flexibility.
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Why Developers Are Moving Away from Auth0 in 2025
Since Okta's acquisition of Auth0 in 2021, developers have increasingly sought alternatives due to several pressing concerns. The most significant driver behind this exodus is Auth0's unpredictable and escalating pricing structure, which has caused bills to skyrocket unexpectedly — in some cases by over 1500% with minimal user growth. This pricing model particularly hurts growing businesses that suddenly find themselves pushed into expensive enterprise plans.
Customer support quality has also noticeably declined post-acquisition, with developers reporting weeks-long waits for responses only to receive generic templates that don't address their specific issues. Some have even documented unresolved tickets being closed and ignored for months, creating significant risk for applications where authentication is mission-critical.
The developer experience has simultaneously deteriorated, with many users spending weeks building workarounds for Auth0's deliberate limitations. The mandatory "Universal Login" redirect flow feels disconnected from applications, stripping developers of native control over authentication flows. For B2B applications, Auth0's multi-tenancy implementation is problematic, forcing the use of Universal Login and creating limitations with user invitations and organization switching.
Additionally, Auth0's handling of user data creates frustrating duplication issues. When a user authenticates through OAuth (like Google) and later uses email and password, Auth0 creates two separate user records even when they share the same email. This forces engineering teams to write middleware to merge accounts or deal with confused users who can't access their data depending on how they logged in.
So what are the most credible alternatives to Auth0 in 2025? Below is a breakdown of solutions that address the core frustrations with Auth0 — including better multi-tenancy, clearer support models, and modern passwordless authentication options.
1. FusionAuth: The Developer-Focused Auth0 Alternative
FusionAuth continues to stand out as a developer-first authentication platform — offering the flexibility and control that growing teams demand. Unlike most identity providers, FusionAuth supports both self-hosted and single-tenant cloud deployments, giving organizations full autonomy over their authentication stack. This control is critical for companies bound by strict compliance or data residency requirements.
One of FusionAuth’s strongest selling points is its transparent pricing. The Community edition is free for unlimited users, while self-hosted Pro plans begin at $125/month for up to 10,000 users. Cloud hosting starts at $37/month — a fraction of what many teams report paying under Auth0’s unpredictable, usage-based pricing.
On the technical side, FusionAuth excels in customization. Developers can tweak themes per application or tenant, automate tasks via API, and use the built-in GUI for efficient configuration. The platform also provides migration tools that support any password hashing algorithm — significantly easing the transition from legacy providers like Auth0.
Perhaps most notably, FusionAuth gives developers direct access to the engineers who build the product. You won’t get routed to tier-one support. As one developer put it, “FusionAuth is built for devs by devs. That’s why you’ll never talk to some low-tier support person if you have a question. The same developers who make the product will be there to help you make it your own.”
2. Hideez: Best Passwordless Authentication for Workforce (WIAM)
Hideez offers a streamlined authentication platform tailored for small and medium-sized businesses that want enterprise-grade employee security without enterprise complexity or cost. It’s built around the most progressive form of multi-factor authentication: passwordless login using passkeys, FIDO2 security keys, and mobile authentication. These phishing-resistant methods eliminate shared secrets and reduce user friction — all while improving security posture across web apps, desktop environments, VPNs, and even physical workstations.
Deployment is flexible: Hideez can be hosted in the cloud or deployed on-premises, meeting regulatory and data residency requirements without compromise. Whether you’re running a remote workforce or managing shared workstations, the platform adapts to your infrastructure with minimal configuration effort.
For small teams, Hideez offers a completely free implementation — including full technical support. This makes it an ideal choice for organizations that need to meet compliance standards like NIS2 or DORA, but lack the budget for legacy IAM systems or high-tier authentication platforms.
3. Keycloak: The Open-Source Solution for Enterprise Authentication
Keycloak has earned its reputation as one of the most powerful open-source alternatives to Auth0 — especially in enterprise environments that demand granular control, robust customization, and standards compliance. As a fully open-source identity and access management (IAM) solution, Keycloak eliminates licensing costs entirely. While self-hosting Keycloak introduces infrastructure, maintenance, and patching responsibilities, many organizations find the total cost of ownership far lower than Auth0’s premium tiers.
For businesses with strict compliance or data residency requirements, Keycloak’s self-managed architecture is a major advantage. It allows full control over authentication infrastructure within your own security perimeter, supporting integration across both cloud-native and on-premise environments. This flexibility makes Keycloak ideal for hybrid IT infrastructures where a unified IAM layer is essential.
Standards compliance is another area where Keycloak shines. With out-of-the-box support for OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0, it’s particularly effective in federation scenarios — acting as a central identity broker across disparate identity providers.
The platform also supports full theme customization via its Admin Console, allowing developers to tailor the login experience to match their organization’s brand. While Keycloak doesn’t offer a native migration path from Auth0, its extensive documentation and active open-source community provide helpful guidance during transitions.
4. Amazon Cognito: AWS-Integrated Authentication at Scale
Amazon Cognito offers fully managed authentication that integrates seamlessly with the AWS ecosystem. Ideal for applications already built on AWS, it handles user sign-up, sign-in, and access control with minimal setup.
Cognito scales to millions of users and supports direct integration with services like Lambda and S3, eliminating the need for custom middleware. Its managed nature reduces operational overhead — but UI customization and pricing transparency can be limiting for some teams.
From a cost perspective, Cognito includes a generous free tier, but its pricing model — based on monthly active users (MAUs) — can become difficult to predict. As usage grows, the cost structure requires careful analysis, especially since additional charges can appear in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.
A major advantage of Cognito is its native integration with other AWS services. Developers can authenticate users and assign them IAM roles, enabling direct, controlled access to AWS resources like S3, Lambda, and DynamoDB. This serverless architecture eliminates the need to manage additional infrastructure elements, streamlining operations for AWS-centric development teams.
Cognito offers a relatively quick setup time, with a setup wizard that guides developers through the process in under an hour. However, its customization options are somewhat limited compared to other Auth0 alternatives. While it allows customization of user pool workflows through AWS Lambda triggers and supports user data synchronization, the UI customization capabilities aren't as extensive as those offered by solutions like FusionAuth or Frontegg.
Migration to Cognito from other authentication providers is facilitated through AWS's Migration Hub, which provides a step-by-step process for moving user data and configurations. However, Cognito is only available as a multi-tenant solution, which may be a limitation for organizations requiring dedicated infrastructure for compliance or security reasons.
5. Firebase: Google's Comprehensive Authentication Platform
Firebase Authentication offers a compelling alternative to Auth0 as part of Google's broader app development platform. As a Google-owned solution, Firebase provides extensive integration with the Google ecosystem and services, making it particularly attractive for developers already utilizing other Google Cloud products. The platform supports various authentication methods including email/password, phone authentication, and social logins through providers like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Apple.
One of Firebase's most attractive features is its generous free tier, supporting up to 50,000 monthly active users before incurring costs. Paid plans start at just $25 per month, making it significantly more affordable than Auth0 for growing applications. This pricing structure allows startups and small businesses to implement robust authentication without substantial upfront investment.
Firebase's authentication features are tightly integrated into Google’s broader development platform, which includes real-time databases, hosting, cloud functions, analytics, and more. This makes Firebase especially attractive to developers looking for a unified toolkit that goes well beyond authentication. The platform is designed to streamline every stage of the app lifecycle — from user login to performance monitoring, A/B testing, and feature deployment.
The setup time for Firebase Authentication varies depending on the platform and services you want to use, but the provided SDKs and documentation make implementation relatively straightforward. Firebase offers extensive customization options, including messaging, email templates, and remote configuration capabilities that can be tailored to specific application needs.
While Firebase offers guidance for migrating between its own projects, support for transitions from providers like Auth0 is limited. Another consideration is long-term stability — Google has a track record of discontinuing even well-used products, which raises concerns for teams building critical infrastructure on Firebase.
6. Frontegg: Tailored Authentication for B2B SaaS Applications
With pricing starting at $99 per month for up to 1,000 users, Frontegg offers a more predictable and often more affordable cost structure than Auth0 for growing B2B applications. The platform touts itself as being "ready in hours, not months," with streamlined implementation processes that reduce development time and accelerate time-to-market for new features.
Frontegg excels in B2B-specific capabilities like multi-tenancy, which is built into the platform's core rather than added as an afterthought. This architecture allows enterprise customers to customize everything—from member invitations to organization-specific authentication factors and approved domains—without requiring extensive custom development. As one developer noted, "Frontegg was built with multi-tenancy by design. It's the only customer identity solution in the market that allows you to effortlessly manage single or multi-tenant organizational structures."
The platform supports custom styling and admin portal modules, allowing businesses to maintain brand consistency across their authentication experiences. Migration capabilities include support for importing Bcrypt, Scrypt, and Firebase hashed passwords, though the migration options aren't as extensive as some competitors. Frontegg is available only as a multi-tenant solution, which may be a limitation for organizations requiring dedicated infrastructure.
While Frontegg is still a relatively new player and has faced occasional growing pains — including a reported service outage — its B2B-first architecture continues to gain traction. For companies prioritizing organization-level features like tenant management, role-based access, and SSO, Frontegg presents a strong alternative for migrating away from Auth0.
Alternative Authentication Solutions: Stytch, WorkOS, and More
Beyond the major alternatives already discussed, several specialized authentication providers offer unique features that might better align with specific organizational needs. Stytch focuses on developer-friendly APIs and SDKs for seamless integration into applications. With a free tier supporting up to 5,000 MAUs and paid plans starting at $249 for branding removal and customization, Stytch positions itself as a cost-effective option for startups and growing businesses.
Stytch stands out with built-in support for biometric authentication and Web3 login — features often locked behind premium tiers on platforms like Auth0. It offers detailed migration guides for switching from Auth0, Cognito, and Firebase, making the transition process smoother. Unlike redirect-based flows, Stytch enables embedded authentication, allowing users to stay entirely within your app environment for a more seamless experience.
WorkOS specializes in making applications enterprise-ready with features starting at $125 per month for a single SSO or Directory Sync connection. Rather than being a general authentication solution, WorkOS focuses specifically on adding enterprise capabilities to existing applications, including SSO, directory synchronization, and audit logging. This specialized approach makes it particularly valuable for B2C applications looking to add enterprise sales capabilities without rebuilding their authentication stack.
Several open-source alternatives also provide viable options for organizations willing to manage their own authentication infrastructure. Beyond Keycloak, solutions like Authelia, Authentik, Hanko, Supertokens, and Ory.sh offer varying approaches to authentication with no licensing costs. Authelia acts as a layer in front of services with existing authentication systems, while Authentik focuses on simplicity with full OAuth and SAML support. Hanko provides biometric capabilities starting at just $9 per month for production use.
Supertokens stands out in the open-source landscape with its combination of self-hosted login pages and prebuilt UI components. The project has raised substantial funding ($300 million) from its users, though its authentication options are somewhat limited compared to commercial alternatives. Ory takes a modular approach, allowing organizations to add or remove authentication components as needed, providing maximum flexibility for customized implementations.
Comparing Pricing Models: Finding the Most Cost-Effective Auth0 Alternative
When evaluating Auth0 alternatives, understanding the different pricing models is crucial for finding the most cost-effective solution for your specific needs. Auth0's pricing has become a significant pain point for many organizations, with unpredictable increases and feature restrictions that force costly upgrades.Auth0’s pricing can escalate rapidly — with some customers seeing monthly costs jump more than 15x (from $240/month to $3,729/month) despite only modest user growth and no additional feature usage.
Most authentication providers use a Monthly Active Users (MAU) model, but the details vary significantly. Auth0's B2C pricing ranges from $35/month for 500 MAUs on the Essential plan to $1,600/month for 10,000 MAUs on the Pro plan. Their B2B pricing is even steeper, starting at $150/month for 500 MAUs and quickly escalating to "contact sales" territory beyond 7,500 users. This forces growing organizations into enterprise-level contracts much sooner than expected.
In contrast, FusionAuth offers a completely free Community plan with unlimited users, while their self-hosted plans start at just $125/month for up to 10,000 users. Cloud hosting begins at $37/month, making it significantly more cost-effective for most use cases. Keycloak, as an open-source solution, eliminates licensing fees entirely, though organizations must account for infrastructure and maintenance costs.
Firebase provides a generous free tier supporting up to 50,000 MAUs, with paid plans starting at $25/month. Frontegg starts at $99/month for up to 1,000 users, while Stytch offers a free tier up to 5,000 MAUs with paid plans starting at $249/month for branding removal and customization. WorkOS takes a different approach, charging $125/month per SSO or Directory Sync connection rather than per user.
Hidden costs and additional charges are also important considerations. Some providers charge extra for features like multi-factor authentication, custom domains, or enterprise connections. For example, Auth0's free tier doesn't include MFA or role-based access control, pushing organizations to paid plans for these essential security features. Similarly, Stytch charges an additional $99/month for branding removal on top of their usage-based pricing.
How to Choose the Right Auth0 Alternative for Your Specific Needs
Selecting the ideal Auth0 alternative requires careful evaluation of your organization's specific requirements and priorities. Start by assessing your authentication needs and identifying which features are essential versus nice-to-have. Consider whether you need basic authentication capabilities or more advanced features like multi-factor authentication, social logins, or enterprise SSO.
Your deployment preferences should significantly influence your decision. If regulatory requirements or security policies mandate data control, self-hosted solutions like FusionAuth or Keycloak provide the necessary sovereignty. Conversely, if you prefer managed services that minimize operational overhead, cloud-based options like Cognito, Firebase, or Frontegg might be more appropriate.
For development teams with limited resources, ease of implementation becomes crucial. Solutions with comprehensive documentation, intuitive SDKs, and pre-built components can significantly reduce development time. Firebase and Stytch are known for their developer-friendly implementations, while Keycloak might require more technical expertise to configure properly.
Consider your growth trajectory and long-term costs. While free tiers might suffice initially, sudden pricing jumps can create budget shocks as you scale. FusionAuth's unlimited Community plan or Keycloak's open-source model can provide cost predictability for rapidly growing applications, while Firebase's generous free tier (50,000 MAUs) offers substantial runway before incurring costs.
For B2B applications with multi-tenant requirements, specialized solutions like Frontegg offer tailored capabilities that generic authentication providers might lack. Features like organization management, role-based access control, and SSO become increasingly important in business-to-business contexts.
Finally, migration complexity should factor into your decision. Evaluate each provider's migration tools and documentation, particularly for transitioning user data and maintaining existing password hashes. FusionAuth supports any password hashing scheme, making it highly compatible with diverse migration scenarios, while Stytch offers specific migration paths from Auth0, Cognito, and Firebase.
By methodically evaluating these factors against your specific requirements, you can identify the Auth0 alternative that provides the optimal balance of features, pricing, and implementation effort for your organization's unique authentication needs in 2025 and beyond.
