Better Auth
Open source TypeScript authentication framework that joined Vercel on 7 July 2026.
Pricing Open sourcePaid from $20 a month for Pro (managed infrastructure)Open source yesStars 30.5knpm a week 13M
WorkOS alternatives
9 tools you can use instead of WorkOS, ranked by live GitHub stars and npm downloads. Better Auth, Keycloak and Clerk are the most used. Stats updated 5 hours ago.
Stytch is the closest alternative, with B2B SSO and SCIM support and usage-based pricing. Auth0 is an identity platform with single sign-on, owned by Okta. Clerk suits apps that mainly need sign-in and user management.
When WorkOS is not a good fit
WorkOS provides APIs for the enterprise features B2B software companies are commonly asked for: single sign-on, directory sync (SCIM), audit logs, and AuthKit, its user management and authentication product. Pricing is pay-as-you-go with automatic volume discounts and the first 1 million active users free through AuthKit, while enterprise features like SSO and directory sync are priced per connection.
It is a weaker choice for:
- Consumer apps with no enterprise SSO or directory sync requirements, where AuthKit alone may be enough without the enterprise add-ons
- Very small teams that don't yet have enterprise customers asking for SSO, since per-connection pricing adds cost only once needed
- Teams that want a single flat price rather than usage- and connection-based billing across several products
The alternatives
Most used first.
View Better Auth
Keycloak
Open source identity and access management with single sign-on, OpenID Connect and SAML.
Pricing Open sourceOpen source yesStars 37.5k
Clerk
Hosted authentication and user management with prebuilt sign-in, profile and organization components.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $25 a month, or $20 a month billed yearly (Pro)Open source noStars 1.8knpm a week 3.1M
SuperTokens
Open source authentication platform, free to self-host with no limits, or managed cloud from $0.02 per MAU.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $0.02 per MAU (managed cloud, beyond free tier)Open source yesStars 15.3knpm a week 76k
Ory
Open source identity and access management platform, self-hosted or as a managed cloud service.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $770 a year for the Production planOpen source yesStars 13.9knpm a week 205k
Auth0
Identity and access management platform for authentication and single sign-on, owned by Okta.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $35 a month for Essentials (up to 500 monthly active users)Open source noStars 2.3knpm a week 1.1M
Stytch
Authentication platform with passwordless, fraud prevention and B2B SSO/SCIM support, priced pay-as-you-go.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from Usage-based pricing beyond free tier limits (Pay as You Go plan)Open source noStars 116npm a week 333k
FusionAuth
Authentication and user management platform, free to self-host or available as a hosted service.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $162 a month billed annually (Starter, hosted)Open source nonpm a week 76.5k
Kinde
Authentication and user management platform with a generous free tier and built-in billing tools.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $25 a month (Pro plan)Open source noStars 184npm a week 57.8k
WorkOS and its alternatives, side by side
| Tool | Pricing | Free plan | Paid from | Open source | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WorkOS | Freemium | Yes: AuthKit is free for up to 1 million monthly active users | $125 a month per connection for Single Sign-On or Directory Sync | No | 226 |
| Better Auth | Open source | The framework is free. The managed Starter plan is $0 a month with 1 dashboard seat. | $20 a month for Pro (managed infrastructure) | Yes, MIT | 30.5k |
| Keycloak | Open source | Yes: free to download and self-host, with no user limits | Not listed | Yes, Apache-2.0 | 37.5k |
| Clerk | Freemium | Yes: Hobby plan with 50,000 monthly retained users per app and up to 3 dashboard seats | $25 a month, or $20 a month billed yearly (Pro) | No | 1.8k |
| SuperTokens | Freemium | Yes: self-hosted open source features are free with no limits; managed cloud is free under 5,000 MAU | $0.02 per MAU (managed cloud, beyond free tier) | Yes, Apache-2.0 | 15.3k |
| Ory | Freemium | Yes: the Developer plan is free, with 2 development environments and community support; self-hosting the open source components is also free | $770 a year for the Production plan | Yes, Apache-2.0 (core open source components) | 13.9k |
| Auth0 | Freemium | Yes: up to 25,000 monthly active users, 1 custom domain, passwordless auth, unlimited social connections, 5 organizations | $35 a month for Essentials (up to 500 monthly active users) | No | 2.3k |
| Stytch | Freemium | Yes: 10,000 monthly active users and AI agents, unlimited organizations, 5 SSO/SCIM connections and 1,000 M2M tokens included free | Usage-based pricing beyond free tier limits (Pay as You Go plan) | No | 116 |
| FusionAuth | Freemium | Yes: Community edition is free and self-hosted with unlimited users | $162 a month billed annually (Starter, hosted) | No | None |
| Kinde | Freemium | Yes, forever free: 10,500 monthly active users included, no setup or hidden fees | $25 a month (Pro plan) | No | 184 |
Pricing facts come from each tool's official pricing page, with the checked date on the tool's own page.
Questions
What is the most popular alternative to WorkOS?
By GitHub stars, Better Auth is the most used alternative to WorkOS listed on ScratchDB, with 30.5k stars.
Which WorkOS alternatives are open source?
Better Auth, Keycloak, SuperTokens and Ory are open source.
Which WorkOS alternatives have a free plan?
Keycloak, Clerk, SuperTokens, Ory, Auth0, Stytch, FusionAuth and Kinde have a free plan. The table on this page shows what each one includes.