Amazon Cognito vs WorkOS: 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.
WorkOS
WorkOS is a developer platform that adds enterprise authentication features like Single Sign-On, user management, and security to apps instantly.
Amazon Cognito
Amazon Cognito is a cloud service that adds secure user sign-up, sign-in, and access control to web and mobile apps.
WorkOS
WorkOS is a developer platform that adds enterprise authentication features like Single Sign-On, user management, and security to apps instantly.
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
WorkOS
Enterprise Single Sign-On with SAML and OIDC support
User authentication with social logins and passwords
Multi-factor authentication for added security
Automatic user directory synchronization
Role-based access control for permissions
Security event logging and audit trails
Bot and fraud protection with Radar
Self-service admin portal for customers
API-first design with modern SDKs
Support for major identity providers
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.
WorkOS
WorkOS uses a flexible pricing model where you pay only for what you use, with volume discounts applied automatically.
AuthKit provides user management for free up to one million monthly active users. After that, the cost is $2,500 per month for each additional million users.
Single Sign-On and Directory Sync both charge per enterprise connection. The first connection costs $125 monthly, with discounts as you add more. Pricing drops to $100 per connection for 16-30 connections, $80 for 31-50 connections, $65 for 51-100 connections, and $50 per connection beyond 100.
Audit Logs charges $125 monthly per security monitoring connection, plus $99 per million events stored.
Radar includes the first 1,000 security checks free monthly, then $100 per 50,000 additional checks.
For larger teams, WorkOS offers annual credit packages with pre-payment discounts, guaranteed uptime, and dedicated support.