Amazon Cognito vs Auth.js: Features, Pricing and User Reviews 2026
Compare features, pricing, reviews, and more to make an informed decision
Amazon Cognito
Amazon Cognito is a cloud service that adds secure user sign-up, sign-in, and access control to web and mobile apps.
Auth.js
Auth.js is a free, open-source authentication library for web applications, supporting OAuth, magic links, and credentials across multiple frameworks.
Amazon Cognito
Amazon Cognito is a cloud service that adds secure user sign-up, sign-in, and access control to web and mobile apps.
Auth.js
Auth.js is a free, open-source authentication library for web applications, supporting OAuth, magic links, and credentials across multiple frameworks.
Amazon Cognito
User pools for managing accounts
Social login with Google, Facebook, Apple
Enterprise federation via SAML and OIDC
Passwordless authentication options
Multi-factor authentication support
Advanced security and threat detection
Customizable login pages
AWS service access control
Email and SMS verification
Lambda triggers for custom workflows
Mobile and web SDK support
Compliance with security standards
Auth.js
OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect support
80+ pre-configured authentication providers
Magic link email authentication
Username and password credentials
WebAuthn passwordless login
Multiple framework support (Next.js, SvelteKit, Express)
Database adapters for major databases
JWT or database sessions
Built-in security features
Custom page support
TypeScript ready
Open source and free
Amazon Cognito
Amazon Cognito uses pay-as-you-go pricing based on monthly active users (MAUs). A user counts as active when they sign in during the month. The service offers three pricing tiers:
Free Tier: Get 10,000 MAUs free every month for users signing in directly, plus 50 free MAUs for enterprise federation. This never expires and works for both new and existing customers.
Lite Tier: Starts at free for the first 10,000 users, then $0.0055 per MAU for users 10,001 to 100,000. Prices decrease as volume grows, reaching $0.0025 per MAU above 10 million users.
Essentials Tier: Costs $0.015 per MAU above 10,000 users. Includes standard security features and is the default for new accounts.
Plus Tier: Costs $0.02 per MAU with no free tier. Includes advanced security like threat detection, compromised credential monitoring, and risk-based authentication. This tier can save up to 60% compared to adding security features separately.
Enterprise federation through SAML or OIDC costs $0.015 per MAU above 50 users across all tiers.
Auth.js
Auth.js is completely free to use with no pricing tiers or hidden costs. As an open-source project, it is licensed under the ISC license, which allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute the software freely for both personal and commercial projects.
There are no subscription fees, no usage limits, and no charges for any features. All capabilities, including support for unlimited providers, database integrations, and advanced security features, are available at no cost. This makes Auth.js an excellent choice for projects of any size, from small personal websites to large enterprise applications.
The project is maintained by a community of contributors and is now part of Better Auth Inc. Developers can contribute to the project, report issues, and access community support through GitHub discussions completely free of charge.
