Authorizer vs WorkOS: Features, Pricing and User Reviews 2026
Compare features, pricing, reviews, and more to make an informed decision
Authorizer
Authorizer is a free, open-source authentication and authorization solution that lets you control your user data with your own database.
WorkOS
WorkOS is a developer platform that adds enterprise authentication features like Single Sign-On, user management, and security to apps instantly.
Authorizer
Authorizer is a free, open-source authentication and authorization solution that lets you control your user data with your own database.
WorkOS
WorkOS is a developer platform that adds enterprise authentication features like Single Sign-On, user management, and security to apps instantly.
Authorizer
Self-hosted open-source solution with full data control
11+ database support including SQL and NoSQL
Email, social media, and magic link login options
Multi-factor authentication for extra security
Pre-built login pages and admin dashboard
Role-based access management
Secure session handling with HTTP cookies
Webhooks for custom workflows
GraphQL and REST APIs available
Multiple SDKs for React, Vue, Angular, mobile apps
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
Authorizer
Authorizer is completely free and open-source. There are no subscription fees, no per-user charges, and no hidden costs. You can download the software, deploy it on your own infrastructure, and use it for unlimited users without paying anything.
Free (Self-Hosted): Since Authorizer is open-source under the MIT license, you get all features included. You only pay for your own hosting costs (server, database, email service for verification emails). This could be as low as a few dollars per month on cloud providers like Railway, Heroku, Render, or DigitalOcean.
The project is maintained by an active community and accepts sponsorships on GitHub if you want to support development. You can also get community support through their Discord server and GitHub issues for free. This makes it perfect for startups and businesses that want to avoid the high costs of services like Auth0 that charge per user.
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.