diff --git a/content/workos-alternatives/Supertokens.png b/content/workos-alternatives/Supertokens.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..ee3f4140 Binary files /dev/null and b/content/workos-alternatives/Supertokens.png differ diff --git a/content/workos-alternatives/index.md b/content/workos-alternatives/index.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..c10b590a --- /dev/null +++ b/content/workos-alternatives/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,94 @@ +--- +title: "WorkOS Alternatives (2025): SSO, SCIM, and Pricing Compared" +date: "2025-10-05" +description: "Discover the best WorkOS alternatives for SSO, SCIM, and audit logs — open-source and managed options, pricing signals, and when SuperTokens fits." +cover: "workos-alternatives.png" +category: "programming" +author: "Mostafa Ibrahim" +--- + +WorkOS gets you SSO and SCIM fast, but the pricing model and hosting choice often decide your real cost, control, and support load. If you’re running a multi-tenant SaaS or selling enterprise plans, those trade-offs matter more than the feature matrix. When that’s the case, it’s worth weighing alternatives to WorkOS. + +We’ll compare alternatives on three axes: pricing (how costs scale with tenants and usage), hosting (fully managed vs self-host/VPC for residency and extensibility), and admin UX (setup links/portal to reduce integration support). That lens keeps the evaluation practical and testable. + +By the end, you’ll have a metric to verify SSO/SCIM/audit parity, surface hidden costs like audit retention/streaming, and see where [SuperTokens](https://supertokens.com/) fits — especially if you want per-MAU pricing or an OSS/VPC path — with [Ory Polis](https://www.ory.sh/polis) as a bridge when you need SAML/OIDC setup-link parity. + +## When to Look Beyond WorkOS + +If any of the points below describe your situation, it’s a strong signal to compare alternatives. + +- **Cost Model Mismatch**: You want lower SSO/SCIM connection costs or a per-MAU/flat model because your tenant count is growing and per-connection fees are stacking up. +- **Control and Extensibility Needs**: You need self-hosting/VPC, tighter data residency, or deeper extensibility than a point solution comfortably supports. +- **Prefer an All-In CIAM Bundle**: You want users/sessions, SSO, SCIM, audit logs, and RBAC in one package — rather than piecemeal add-ons. + +**Context**: WorkOS typically bills SSO and Directory Sync per connection ($125/connection/month); Audit Logs are $125/month per SIEM connection for log streaming and $99/month per million events stored for retention; User Management is free up to 1M MAU. + +## What to Compare (Use This Checklist) + +Use this checklist to compare vendors consistently. + +|Category|What to Check|Pass Threshold| +|---|---|---| +|Pricing Model|Per-connection vs per-MAU vs flat|Matches your growth (tenants vs MAU)| +|Hosting|SaaS vs self-host/VPC|Meets residency, latency, and ops requirements| +|Feature Coverage|SSO, SCIM, Audit, admin setup links|All present and stable| +|Multi-Tenant/RBAC and SDKs|Orgs/roles mapping; SDKs for your stack|Clean mapping + mature SDKs| +|Migration/lock-In|JWKS, exports, contract terms|Keys and data portable; reasonable contract terms| + +Close the checklist by running a short bake-off against these items — cost unit, hosting fit, parity, depth/SDK fit, and portability — then decide. + +## Open-Source and Self-Hosted Alternatives + +![Supertokens](./Supertokens.png) + +If you want VPC/self-host control or to avoid per-connection fees, these OSS-first options are worth a close look. + +- **SuperTokens (OSS or Cloud)** + + - **What It Is**: Dev-first authentication with modern SDKs, session management, and multi-tenant/organization primitives. Run it self-hosted or use the Cloud (per MAU). + - **Why It Fits Here**: No SSO/SCIM per-connection tax; clean path to VPC/OSS; good migration posture (portable keys/data). + - **How To Reach SAML/OIDC SSO**: Pair with a SAML/OIDC bridge (see Ory Polis) to deliver enterprise SSO plus setup links for admin self-serve. + - **What To Verify**: Org/tenant model maps to your app; SDK coverage for your stack; token/session flows meet your threat model. + +- **Ory Network / Ory Polis** + + - **What It Is**: Composable IAM (Kratos/Hydra/Keto/Oathkeeper) with a managed Network offering; Polis adds a SAML/OIDC bridge and setup-link flows similar to an admin portal. Pricing starts at $70/mo (Production plan). + - **Why It Fits Here**: Lets you add standards-compliant SSO to an existing user system (e.g., SuperTokens) while keeping IdP setup self-service for customer admins. + - **What To Verify**: Required protocols (SAML/OIDC) and IdP catalog, setup-link UX, hosting mode (Network vs self-host), and how SCIM/user provisioning is handled in your architecture. + +**Bottom Line**: For OSS/VPC control with modern DX, use SuperTokens for sessions and tenant primitives, and add Ory Polis for SAML/OIDC and setup-link parity. Run a small bake-off to confirm SSO coverage, admin UX, and total cost. + +## Feature Parity vs WorkOS (What to Verify) + +Before price comparisons, confirm that any alternative matches the **capabilities and admin UX** your customers expect. + +- **SSO (SAML/OIDC)** + + - **Verify**: Support for both SAML and OIDC, breadth of IdP catalog (Okta, Azure AD, Google, Ping, OneLogin, etc.), setup links/admin portal so customer admins can self-configure. + - **Pricing Anchor**: WorkOS SSO baseline is $125 per connection/month. + +- **Directory Sync (SCIM)** + + - **Verify**: User and group provision/deprovision, group→role mapping in your app, sync status/error visibility, and whether SCIM is per-connection or included. + - **Pricing Anchor**: WorkOS Directory Sync is $125 per connection/month. + +- **Audit Logs** + + - **Verify**: Event coverage (auth, org, admin actions), retention options, export/streaming to SIEM, searchability, and throughput limits. + - **Pricing Anchor**: WorkOS Audit Logs — $125/month per SIEM connection for log streaming, and $99/month per million events stored for retention. + +**Close The Loop**: Run a mini bake-off: configure SSO with two IdPs, sync a sample SCIM directory with groups→roles, and ship logs to your SIEM. If an alternative passes these with a clean admin UX, then compare the total cost. + +## Pricing Signals and Gotchas + +Use these patterns to predict total cost and avoid surprises. + +- **Per-Connection vs Per MAU**: WorkOS prices SSO/SCIM per connection; SuperTokens Cloud is per MAU. If you have many tenant orgs with modest usage, per-connection costs can add up quickly; with few orgs and large user counts, per-connection may be cheaper. Model both to find your break-even. +- **Add-On Gates**: Watch for paid audit log retention/streaming, MFA, or organization features that sit behind higher tiers. For WorkOS, longer audit retention and SIEM streaming add cost; include them in your forecast from day one. +- **Admin-Portal Parity**: Missing setup links / tenant self-service shifts work to your team and slows deals. Verify that admins can self-configure SSO/SCIM. Ory Polis supports setup-link flows. + +**Bottom Line**: Choose the pricing unit that matches your growth shape, account for paid add-ons upfront, and demand self-serve admin flows to keep support costs in check. + +## Conclusion + +WorkOS is great for fast enterprise readiness, but pricing and hosting modelS push some teams to look elsewhere. If you want no per-connection tax and OSS/VPC control, shortlist SuperTokens (OSS/Cloud) with Ory Polis for SAML. If you want a managed bundle, compare Stytch (included connections), Clerk (no SSO connection fees), Auth0/Frontegg (ecosystem depth), and FusionAuth (self-host path). Run a two-week bake-off focused on SSO/SCIM parity, admin UX, and total cost before you commit. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/static/blog-seo/config.json b/static/blog-seo/config.json index b446f3fd..329c7f36 100644 --- a/static/blog-seo/config.json +++ b/static/blog-seo/config.json @@ -3301,6 +3301,29 @@ "schema": "" }, { + "path": "/blog/workos-alternatives", + "metaTags": [ + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + "", + " ", + "", + "" + ], + "title": "WorkOS Alternatives (2025): SSO, SCIM, and Pricing Compared", + "schema": "" + }, + { "path": "/blog/biometric-auth", "metaTags": [ "", diff --git a/static/blog-seo/sitemapconfig.json b/static/blog-seo/sitemapconfig.json index 45af9fd1..c5702c74 100644 --- a/static/blog-seo/sitemapconfig.json +++ b/static/blog-seo/sitemapconfig.json @@ -309,6 +309,9 @@ "location": "https://supertokens.com/blog/identity-and-access-management-strategy" }, { + "location": "https://supertokens.com/blog/workos-alternatives" + }, + { "location": "https://supertokens.com/blog/biometric-auth" }, { diff --git a/static/card_covers/workos-alternatives.png b/static/card_covers/workos-alternatives.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..06dceaa5 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/card_covers/workos-alternatives.png differ diff --git a/static/covers/workos-alternatives.png b/static/covers/workos-alternatives.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..c7096b05 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/covers/workos-alternatives.png differ