Okta vs Auth0 -- Identity & Access Management Compared

Okta vs Auth0

Auth0 and Okta are now under the same corporate umbrella, but they serve different audiences. Auth0 is the developer-first CIAM platform with the best SDK experience, customizable login flows, and MAU-based pricing suited for customer-facing applications. Okta's Workforce Identity Cloud is the enterprise IAM platform for employee SSO, lifecycle management, and governance. Organizations often evaluate both when they need workforce IAM (Okta's strength) alongside customer identity (Auth0's strength).

The Verdict

Choose Auth0 if you are building customer-facing applications and need the best developer experience with flexible authentication APIs, social login, and MAU-based pricing. Choose Okta Workforce Identity if your primary need is employee SSO, lifecycle management, and governance across enterprise applications. Many organizations use both — Auth0 for customer identity and Okta for workforce identity.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

FeatureAuth0Okta
Target AudienceDevelopers building customer-facing appsIT/Security teams managing workforce identity
SDK & API QualityIndustry-leading SDKs for every major frameworkManagement API with less developer focus
Login CustomizationHighly customizable Universal Login and ActionsBranded sign-in with less code-level control
Pricing ModelMonthly active users (MAU) — scales with customer basePer-user/month — scales with employee count
Enterprise SSOSupported but less mature than dedicated workforce IAM7,000+ pre-built enterprise SSO integrations
Social Login30+ social providers with seamless integrationSocial login supported but not a primary focus
Identity LifecycleLimited lifecycle management for customer identitiesFull workforce lifecycle with provisioning and deprovisioning
Free Tier25,000 MAU free — generous for customer appsNo free tier for workforce identity

When to Choose Each Tool

Choose Auth0 when:

  • +You are building a customer-facing application and need developer-friendly authentication APIs
  • +Your engineering team wants the best SDK experience with extensive framework support
  • +You need highly customizable login flows with social login and passwordless options
  • +Monthly active user pricing aligns better with your customer-facing identity model
  • +You want a generous free tier to prototype and launch without upfront identity costs

Choose Okta when:

  • +Your primary need is workforce SSO and employee identity management
  • +You need 7,000+ pre-built enterprise SSO integrations for SaaS applications
  • +Identity lifecycle management and automated provisioning are core requirements
  • +Identity governance, access reviews, and compliance reporting are needed
  • +You need a unified platform for workforce identity across a large organization

Pros & Cons Comparison

Auth0

Pros

  • +Best developer experience in the identity industry with comprehensive SDKs
  • +Generous free tier — 25,000 monthly active users at no cost
  • +Actions extensibility enables custom logic without managing infrastructure
  • +Fastest integration path for adding authentication to applications
  • +Extensive documentation and developer community

Cons

  • Pricing escalates rapidly as monthly active users grow beyond free tier
  • Now owned by Okta — long-term product independence uncertain
  • Workforce identity and enterprise SSO capabilities less mature than Okta
  • Enterprise plan required for advanced features like custom domains and SLAs
  • Management API rate limits can constrain high-throughput automation

Okta

Pros

  • +Largest pre-built application integration network in the industry
  • +Mature, reliable cloud platform with strong uptime track record
  • +Comprehensive workforce and customer identity in one vendor
  • +Extensive adaptive authentication and risk-based access policies
  • +Strong ecosystem of partners and security integrations

Cons

  • Premium pricing — significantly more expensive than competitors at scale
  • Complex SKU structure can make cost forecasting difficult
  • Customer Identity Cloud (Auth0) remains a separate product with different admin consoles
  • Limited on-premises deployment options for regulated environments
  • Advanced features like Identity Governance require top-tier licensing

Okta vs Auth0 FAQ

Common questions about choosing between Okta and Auth0.

What is the main difference between Okta and Auth0?

Auth0 and Okta are now under the same corporate umbrella, but they serve different audiences. Auth0 is the developer-first CIAM platform with the best SDK experience, customizable login flows, and MAU-based pricing suited for customer-facing applications. Okta's Workforce Identity Cloud is the enterprise IAM platform for employee SSO, lifecycle management, and governance. Organizations often evaluate both when they need workforce IAM (Okta's strength) alongside customer identity (Auth0's strength).

Is Auth0 better than Okta?

Choose Auth0 if you are building customer-facing applications and need the best developer experience with flexible authentication APIs, social login, and MAU-based pricing. Choose Okta Workforce Identity if your primary need is employee SSO, lifecycle management, and governance across enterprise applications. Many organizations use both — Auth0 for customer identity and Okta for workforce identity.

How much does Auth0 cost compared to Okta?

Auth0 pricing: Free (up to 25,000 MAU) / Essential from $35/month / Professional from $240/month / Enterprise custom. Okta pricing: Starts at $2/user/month (SSO) / Workforce Identity Cloud custom pricing. Auth0's pricing model is monthly active user (mau) based pricing, while Okta uses per-user monthly subscription pricing.

Can I migrate from Okta to Auth0?

Yes, you can migrate from Okta to Auth0. The migration process depends on your specific setup and the features you use. Both platforms offer APIs that can facilitate automated migration. Consider running both tools in parallel during the transition to ensure zero downtime.

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