SuperTokens vs Auth0 (2026)
A side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, licensing, and self-hosting.
Bottom line: choose Auth0 for the most mature, fully managed identity platform with the largest ecosystem; choose SuperTokens if you want a self-hosted, Apache-2.0 licensed auth stack with a clear on-ramp to managed hosting later.
Auth0 covers essentially every authentication scenario out of the box — social login, MFA, adaptive risk-based auth — with SDKs across every major framework and a large developer community to draw on. Pricing is based on monthly active users and rises steeply once you're past the free tier, particularly since the Okta acquisition, and there is no self-hosting path at all.
SuperTokens takes a recipe-based architecture, letting you mix and match specific auth methods (email/password, social, passwordless, session management) modularly rather than adopting one monolithic system. The Apache-2.0 core is free to self-host with no MAU limits, and its managed cloud free tier covers up to 5,000 MAU if you'd rather not run it yourself. Enterprise features like SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning require the paid managed plan, its community is smaller than Auth0's or Keycloak's, and the core is written in Java, adding some operational overhead for otherwise Node/Go-based teams.
For teams that want the most battle-tested managed option, Auth0 remains the safer default. For startups that want to self-host auth for free and grow into managed hosting later, SuperTokens offers that exact path.
SuperTokens
Open-source authentication with session management, social login, and passwordless — self-host or managed.
Pros
- Apache-2.0 licensed core is free to self-host with no MAU or seat limits
- Recipe-based architecture lets you mix and match auth methods modularly
- Managed cloud free tier covers up to 5,000 MAU — useful for startups
Cons
- Enterprise features like SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning require the paid managed plan
- Smaller community than Auth0 or Keycloak, so fewer third-party guides
Auth0
Identity-as-a-service platform for adding authentication and authorization to any application.
Pros
- Fastest path to production-grade auth — SDKs for every major language and framework
- Handles compliance edge-cases (MFA, adaptive auth, brute-force protection) out of the box
- Extensive documentation and a large developer community
Cons
- MAU-based pricing escalates sharply past the free tier, especially after Okta acquisition
- No self-hosting option — data lives on Auth0 infrastructure
SuperTokens vs Auth0: spec comparison
| Spec | SuperTokens | Auth0 |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Starting price | Free / self-host | from $35/mo |
| Pricing model | open-core | freemium |
| Language | Java | — |
| Platforms | self-hosted, docker | web, ios, android |
| Founded | 2020 | 2013 |
| GitHub stars | 15,129 | — |
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FAQ
SuperTokens vs Auth0: which is better?
Neither is universally better. SuperTokens (Free / self-host) suits Developer-led startups that want self-hosted auth with a clean SDK abstraction and a path to managed hosting as they scale.; Auth0 (from $35/mo) suits Teams that need battle-tested authentication fast and can accept SaaS-only delivery at managed cost.. The spec table above breaks down the differences.
Is SuperTokens or Auth0 cheaper?
SuperTokens starts lower at Free / self-host vs from $35/mo.