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Open-source CIAM (cloud, VPC or one-time self-host licence) · by Authgear (Skymakers)

Authgear

Open-source customer identity with no feature gating: even the free cloud plan has unlimited MAU, passkeys, SAML SSO and RBAC, and a $299 one-time self-hosted licence is offered.

Visit authgear.com ↗ Alternatives Free tier Open source Self-hostable
Authgear homepage
§1

Overview

Authgear is open-source authentication and user management for consumer apps, frontline workforces and B2B SaaS. Its pitch is no feature gating: passkeys, biometrics, WhatsApp and SMS OTP, magic links, social login, adaptive MFA, SAML SSO, Microsoft Entra ID, Active Directory, LDAP and RBAC are on every plan, including free. It adds TypeScript hooks, an Admin API, a no-code flow editor and native SDKs for Swift, Kotlin, Flutter and React Native.

Cloud plans differ in scale and support rather than features. Free has unlimited MAU but only two applications, two project members and one day of logs. Developers at $50 a month keeps unlimited MAU and adds metered messaging and priority email support. Business at $500 a month includes 25,000 MAU with $50 per extra 5,000, five apps, 60-day logs, branding removal and a dedicated Slack channel.

For self-hosting, Authgear ONCE is a one-time $299 licence for one project with unlimited users and two years of updates, and an Enterprise self-hosted edition adds high availability. The company states it is ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified, bootstrapped and profitable, and lets you export all users including password hashes.

§2

Pricing and plans

Free tier

Cloud Free: unlimited MAU, all auth features including passkeys, MFA, SAML SSO and RBAC, 2 applications, 2 project members, 100 SMS/WhatsApp OTP a month, 1-day log retention, community support

At the limit Not stated The vendor does not say what happens at the limit, or we have not found it yet.

Their branding
Plan Price What you get
Free Free Unlimited MAU, 2 apps, 2 members, 100 OTP messages, 1-day logs
Developers $50/mo Unlimited MAU, metered SMS/WhatsApp, priority email support
Business $500/mo 25,000 MAU (+$50 per 5,000), 5 apps, 60-day logs, dedicated Slack, no branding
Enterprise Custom Data residency, private cloud, custom SMS gateway, tailored SLA
ONCE (self-hosted) $299 one-time One project, unlimited MAU and apps, 2 years of updates

SMS and WhatsApp OTP on paid cloud plans cost $0.02 per message to the US and Canada and $0.10 elsewhere. Extra environments $100 each, extra applications $100 each, extra members $50 each on Developers and Business. Removing Authgear branding needs Business or ONCE. Data residency is an Enterprise option and the specific regions were not stated, so euRegion is false; self-hosting lets you choose location.

Source: www.authgear.com/pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

No feature gates
Passkeys, adaptive MFA, SAML SSO, AD login and RBAC on every plan including Free.
WhatsApp and SMS OTP
Phone-number login for users without email; 100 free messages a month, then metered.
Hooks and Admin API
TypeScript hooks to gate sign-ups, add token claims and validate profiles; full Admin API.
Native mobile SDKs
Swift, Kotlin, Flutter and React Native SDKs with biometric unlock and token refresh.
Flow editor
Visual editor to change sign-up and login steps per app without a deploy.
Full export
Export all users including password hashes at any time.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Unlimited MAU and SAML SSO on the free cloud plan
  • One-time $299 self-hosted licence as an alternative to subscriptions
  • ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II stated
  • Strong phone and WhatsApp OTP support

Limitations

  • Free and Developers plans allow only 2 applications and 1-day log retention
  • Branding removal requires the $500/mo Business plan or ONCE
  • Business caps MAU at 25,000 before $50 per 5,000
  • Data residency is Enterprise-only
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Consumer and mobile apps needing passkeys or WhatsApp OTP
  • Frontline workforce apps where staff have no corporate email
  • Teams that prefer a one-time self-hosted licence

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams needing many apps and long log retention on a small budget
  • Projects needing EU data residency on a self-serve cloud plan
§6

Alternatives to Authgear

Tool From Free option Stages
Supabase Managed Postgres backend platform
$25/mo Free tier
Asgardeo Hosted CIAM (with open-source self-hosted option)
$20/mo Free tier
Stytch Hosted auth API (B2B and consumer)
$125/mo Free tier
WorkOS AuthKit Hosted auth with enterprise SSO
$125/mo Free tier
FusionAuth Self-hostable CIAM server
$162/mo Free tier
Amazon Cognito Cloud user directory and auth service
Usage-based Free tier

All auth and identity →

§7

Questions

Is Authgear free with unlimited users?

Yes. The cloud Free plan has unlimited MAU and all auth features, limited to 2 applications, 2 team members and 100 OTP messages a month.

Is Authgear open source?

Yes. Authgear describes itself as open source and self-hostable.

What is Authgear ONCE?

A self-hosted edition sold as a $299 one-time purchase for one project, with two years of updates.

Does Authgear include SAML SSO for free?

Yes, SAML SSO and Active Directory login are included on every plan.

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