Auth0 vs WorkOS
If you sell B2B SaaS to enterprise buyers, the deciding factor is usually one feature: enterprise SSO. Auth0 gates SAML behind a custom Enterprise quote; WorkOS was built around making SSO and SCIM cheap, transparent and self-serve. This is the comparison that turns on pricing.
The short version
WorkOS AuthKit is free to 1,000,000 MAU for core authentication, and enterprise SSO (SAML/OIDC) and SCIM directory sync are priced per connection — you pay for each enterprise customer you connect, with published rates. Auth0 bundles a broader consumer-CIAM feature set, but its enterprise SSO, SLAs and advanced security live behind custom-quoted Enterprise plans. If your product's growth is gated by "can we support this enterprise's SSO," WorkOS removes the pricing surprise; if you need a full consumer identity suite with social login, passwordless and rich user management, Auth0's breadth is greater.
How they compare
| Auth0 | WorkOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Broad CIAM (B2C + B2B) | B2B SaaS selling to enterprise |
| Core auth pricing | Per-MAU from 500 MAU | Free to 1,000,000 MAU |
| Enterprise SSO (SAML) | Enterprise quote only | $125/connection (first 15), sliding down |
| SCIM provisioning | Enterprise tier | Per-connection (same ladder) |
| IT self-serve | Limited | Hosted Admin Portal |
| Consumer features | Social, passwordless, MFA, RBAC | Core auth + AuthKit UI |
| Pricing transparency | Custom quotes common | Published per-connection rates |
The SAML-tax story
The single most-cited reason teams move from Auth0 to WorkOS is the "SAML tax." Because Auth0 puts enterprise SSO on its Enterprise tier, teams have reported quotes as high as $34,000/year for 2,500 MAU simply because they needed SAML to close an enterprise deal. WorkOS inverts that: core auth is free to a million users, and you pay a predictable per-connection fee only for the enterprise customers who actually use SSO — so the cost scales with revenue, not with a plan gate.
When WorkOS wins
- Enterprise SSO is a sales requirement and you want transparent, per-connection pricing instead of a custom quote.
- You want IT admins to self-configure their IdP via a hosted Admin Portal, cutting SSO onboarding support.
- Your MAU count is large — free to 1M MAU is dramatically cheaper than per-MAU billing.
When to stay on Auth0
- You need a full consumer identity suite — deep social login, passwordless, adaptive MFA, RBAC and Actions.
- You're primarily B2C, where WorkOS's enterprise-connection model is less relevant.
- You want one mature vendor for both consumer and enterprise identity and are inside a budget the per-MAU model fits.