Auth0 and Okta are not really two competitors chasing the same buyer anymore, especially since Okta acquired Auth0 in 2021 - they now serve two different jobs…
| Auth0 | Okta | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Security | Security |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starting price | Free (paid plans from $35/month) | $6/user/month |
| Free plan | Yes | Not documented |
| Free trial | Not documented | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web, iOS, Android |
| Team collaboration | Not documented | Not documented |
| AI features | Not documented | Not documented |
| Public API | Yes | Yes |
Core use case
Auth0: Auth0 is built for developers embedding login, SSO, and MFA into apps via APIs and SDKs.
Okta: Okta is built for IT and security teams centrally managing workforce access to internal applications through single sign-on and lifecycle automation.
Choosing the wrong category means paying for enterprise IT tooling you do not need or missing developer-first building blocks your engineering team requires.
Pricing transparency
Auth0: Auth0 publishes a Free plan at $0 plus Essentials, Professional, and Enterprise tiers, with contact-sales pricing above the free tier.
Okta: Okta prices every plan, from Single Sign-On to Enterprise and Custom, as contact for pricing with no published self-serve tier.
Teams with limited budget or an early-stage product need to know costs upfront before committing engineering time to an integration.
Integration and connector catalog
Auth0: Auth0's documented ecosystem is SDKs, quickstarts, and log-streaming for developers integrating auth into their own codebase.
Okta: Okta provides the Okta Integration Network, a large catalog of pre-built connectors to common SaaS and on-premises applications.
Connecting dozens of off-the-shelf business apps to a single identity source is a different problem than embedding auth into one product you are writing.
Lifecycle and directory automation
Auth0: Auth0's documented feature set does not include automated employee provisioning or deprovisioning, or HR-driven directory sync.
Okta: Okta offers Lifecycle Management for automated provisioning and deprovisioning plus a Universal Directory that syncs with existing directories and HR systems.
Automating account creation and removal as employees join, change roles, or leave reduces security risk and manual IT work at scale.
Custom login logic for developers
Auth0: Auth0 offers Actions and Rules, custom JavaScript that runs during login, signup, or token issuance to enrich tokens or call external APIs.
Okta: Okta's documented facts do not describe an equivalent custom-code hook inside the login or token-issuance flow.
Teams with business logic tied to authentication, like custom claims or third-party API calls at login, need a scriptable extension point.
Adaptive and risk-based authentication
Auth0: Auth0's MFA is method-based: push notifications, OTP apps, SMS, and WebAuthn or passkeys.
Okta: Okta offers Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication that applies risk-based checks based on device, location, and behavior before granting or challenging access.
Risk-based authentication can reduce friction for low-risk logins while adding scrutiny to unusual ones, which matters more at enterprise scale.
No-code process automation
Auth0: Auth0's facts do not document a no-code workflow builder.
Okta: Okta Workflows is a no-code automation tool for building identity-related processes such as approvals, notifications, and access reviews.
Non-developer IT staff often need to build access-related processes without writing code.
Relationship between the two products
Auth0: Auth0 was acquired by Okta in 2021 and now operates as an Okta product line while keeping its own dashboard and developer branding.
Okta: Okta's own Customer Identity Cloud is explicitly built on Auth0, meaning Okta packages Auth0's technology for customer-facing use cases.
Buyers comparing the two for customer-facing authentication are effectively comparing Auth0 to itself under different packaging.
Attack protection depth
Auth0: Auth0 documents built-in breached-password detection, brute-force protection, and bot and anomaly detection.
Okta: Okta's documented facts do not itemize equivalent breached-password or brute-force detection features, though Adaptive MFA covers risk-based access checks.
Knowing exactly which attack vectors a platform blocks out of the box affects how much additional security tooling a team must add.
| Feature | Auth0 | Okta |
|---|---|---|
| Single Sign-On | Available | Available |
| Multi-factor authentication | Available | Available |
| Passwordless login | Available | Available |
| Adaptive risk-based authentication | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Auth0 | Okta |
|---|---|---|
| Social identity provider login | Available | Not documented |
| SAML and OIDC enterprise SSO federation | Available | Available |
| Directory sync with Active Directory, LDAP, or HR systems | Available | Available |
| Feature | Auth0 | Okta |
|---|---|---|
| Custom login and token logic (scriptable hooks) | Available | Not documented |
| Role-based and fine-grained authorization | Available | Not documented |
| SDKs and quickstarts for app integration | Available | Not documented |
| Custom domains and branding for login pages | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Auth0 | Okta |
|---|---|---|
| Automated provisioning and deprovisioning | Not documented | Available |
| No-code workflow automation | Not documented | Available |
| Centralized directory synced with HR systems | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Auth0 | Okta |
|---|---|---|
| OAuth client-credentials or machine-to-machine authorization | Available | Available |
| Scoped access tokens for backend services | Available | Available |
| Feature | Auth0 | Okta |
|---|---|---|
| Breached-password, brute-force, and bot or anomaly detection | Available | Not documented |
| Phishing-resistant or passwordless factors (WebAuthn, passkeys) | Available | Available |
| Feature | Auth0 | Okta |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-built application connector catalog | Not documented | Available |
| Detailed logs and log-streaming | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Auth0 | Okta |
|---|---|---|
| Embeddable customer login and user management (CIAM) | Available | Available |
| Free self-serve plan for prototyping | Available | Limited |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Auth0 is generally the more accessible starting point since it publishes a free plan at $0 and lets teams self-serve into paid tiers, while Okta prices every plan, including its Single Sign-On and Enterprise tiers, as contact for pricing with no published self-serve cost.
Yes, Auth0's free tier, quickstarts, and broad SDK library are documented specifically to shorten integration time for developers, making it a common starting point for small teams and prototypes.
Yes, Okta's Customer Identity Cloud is explicitly built on Auth0 and gives developers embeddable login, social authentication, and user management for customer-facing applications, so choosing it means adopting Auth0's technology through Okta's packaging.
No, Auth0 was acquired by Okta in 2021 and now operates as an Okta product line, often marketed as Auth0 by Okta, while retaining its own dashboard and developer-facing branding.
Okta, which documents Lifecycle Management for automated provisioning and deprovisioning, a Universal Directory synced with HR systems, and Okta Workflows for no-code process automation, none of which appear in Auth0's documented feature set.
Yes, but with different emphasis: Auth0 documents push notifications, OTP apps, SMS, and WebAuthn or passkey MFA, while Okta documents Adaptive MFA that factors in device, location, and behavior plus Okta Verify and FastPass for passwordless and phishing-resistant login.