Picks by use caseAuthentication
Authentication: picks by overall score
Scored with rule v2 on Oct 23, 2026, using only the numbers on this site and facts with a cited source. Referral links, site traffic and clicks are not used. How the score works.
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1st on TierDiff's overall score for authentication
Clerk
90/100Overall score
What adds most to the score: free-tier limits 61 pts, no card to start 15 pts, no time limit 15 pts
Embed it in your app
Good for: people who want authentication components inside a React or Next.js app. The docs offer authentication components with guides for React, Next.js, Vue and Expo. No card is needed to start. TierDiff has not confirmed a Tokyo region or a Japanese interface.
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2nd on TierDiff's overall score for authentication
WorkOS AuthKit
85/100Overall score
What adds most to the score: free-tier limits 71 pts, no time limit 15 pts
If SSO may come later
Good for: people who may add enterprise SSO or Directory Sync later. AuthKit covers passwords, social login, passkeys, MFA and enterprise SSO; SSO and Directory Sync are billed per connection. Production needs a payment method; staging does not.
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3rd on TierDiff's overall score for authentication
Auth0
80/100Overall score
What adds most to the score: free-tier limits 50 pts, no card to start 15 pts, no time limit 15 pts
Hand off the login screen
Good for: people who want to hand the login screen to Auth0 and may need a Tokyo region. You can send users to Auth0's hosted login (Universal Login) to handle authentication. No card is needed to start, and Japan is in its region list. A custom domain needs a card check.
Every service and its score
Weights on this page: free-tier limits 60, no card to start 12.5, no time limit 12.5, paid price 15. Paid price is not counted yet: none of the 8 services have a monthly price with a quote from the pricing page, fewer than half. The other weights (85 in total) are scaled up to 100. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and the overall score is their weighted average.
| Rank | Service | Overall | Free-tier limits | No card to start | No time limit | Paid price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clerk | 90 | 86 | 100 | 100 | not counted |
| 2 | WorkOS AuthKit | 85 | 100 | 0 | 100 | not counted |
| 3 | Auth0 | 80 | 71 | 100 | 100 | not counted |
| 4 | Kinde | 70 | 57 | 100 | 100 | not counted |
| 5 | Amazon Cognito | 60 | 43 | 100 | 100 | not counted |
| 6 | Stytch | 45 | 43 | 0not verified | 100 | not counted |
| 7 | Descope | 25 | 14 | 0not verified | 100 | not counted |
| 7 | Frontegg | 25 | 14 | 0not verified | 100 | not counted |
See the evidence
Where each part of the score comes from: limit values with the quote from the pricing page, and facts with their source, quote and the date we checked them.
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Clerk
1st, overall score 90
Free-tier limits: 86
Monthly active users: 50,000 users / mo (2nd of 8)
…in Hobby: Up to 3 dashboard seats Unlimited applications 50,000 MRU limit per app Up to 5 user impersonations APIs and…
clerk.com/pricingchecked Oct 22, 2026
No card to start: 100
No card needed to start
No credit card required
clerk.com/pricingchecked Oct 20, 2026
No time limit: 100
Free tier with no time limit
Paid price: 0not counted
No monthly price with a quote on TierDiff (counts as 0)
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WorkOS AuthKit
2nd, overall score 85
Free-tier limits: 100
Monthly active users: 1,000,000 users / mo (1st of 8)
…free users? WorkOS User Management is free for up to 1 million monthly active users. A user is considered active if they…
workos.com/pricingchecked Oct 22, 2026
No card to start: 0
A card or other payment method is needed to start
A payment method is required to activate your production environment.
workos.com/docs/dashboard/billing.mdchecked Oct 20, 2026
No time limit: 100
Free tier with no time limit
Paid price: 0not counted
No monthly price with a quote on TierDiff (counts as 0)
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Auth0
3rd, overall score 80
Free-tier limits: 71
Monthly active users: 25,000 users / mo (3rd of 8)
…card needed to sign up. Start building for free Up to 25,000 monthly active users Includes 1 Custom Domain* Secure…
auth0.com/pricingchecked Oct 23, 2026
No card to start: 100
No card needed to start
No credit card needed to sign up.
auth0.com/pricingchecked Oct 20, 2026
No time limit: 100
Free tier with no time limit
Paid price: 0not counted
No monthly price with a quote on TierDiff (counts as 0)
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Kinde
4th, overall score 70
Free-tier limits: 57
Monthly active users: 10,500 users / mo (4th of 8)
…No setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden fees. $0 forever 10,500 monthly active users (MAU)No credit card required Start…
kinde.com/pricingchecked Oct 23, 2026
No card to start: 100
No card needed to start
Payment details - You add these when you upgrade.
docs.kinde.com/manage-your-account/profile-and-plan/view-kinde-planchecked Oct 20, 2026
No time limit: 100
Free tier with no time limit
Paid price: 0not counted
No monthly price with a quote on TierDiff (counts as 0)
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Amazon Cognito
5th, overall score 60
Free-tier limits: 43
Monthly active users: 10,000 users / mo (5th of 8, shared by 2)
…10000…
pricing.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/offers/v1.0/aws/AmazonCognito/current/us-east-1/index.jsonchecked Oct 23, 2026
No card to start: 100
No card needed to start
A payment method isn't required to sign up for most new customers.
aws.amazon.com/free/faqschecked Oct 20, 2026
No time limit: 100
Free tier with no time limit
Paid price: 0not counted
No monthly price with a quote on TierDiff (counts as 0)
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Stytch
6th, overall score 45
Free-tier limits: 43
Monthly active users: 10,000 users / mo (5th of 8, shared by 2)
…Pay as you go Starting at: $0 /Month Always free: 10,000 monthly active users and AI agents Unlimited…
stytch.com/pricingchecked Oct 22, 2026
No card to start: 0
Not verified yet (counts as 0)
No time limit: 100
Free tier with no time limit
Paid price: 0not counted
No monthly price with a quote on TierDiff (counts as 0)
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Descope
7th, overall score 25
Free-tier limits: 14
Monthly active users: 7,500 users / mo (7th of 8, shared by 2)
…Upgrade required to exceed limits. What’s included: 7,500 Monthly active users (MAUs) 10 Monthly active tenants 3…
descope.com/pricingchecked Oct 22, 2026
No card to start: 0
Not verified yet (counts as 0)
No time limit: 100
Free tier with no time limit
Paid price: 0not counted
No monthly price with a quote on TierDiff (counts as 0)
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Frontegg
7th, overall score 25
Free-tier limits: 14
Monthly active users: 7,500 users / mo (7th of 8, shared by 2)
…for free Always included Fully Customized Hosted Login 7,500 Monthly Active Users 5 Enterprise Connections (SSO/SCIM)…
frontegg.com/pricingchecked Oct 22, 2026
No card to start: 0
Not verified yet (counts as 0)
No time limit: 100
Free tier with no time limit
Paid price: 0not counted
No monthly price with a quote on TierDiff (counts as 0)