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Auth0 vs Better Auth

SEPT 2026 audit

A comparison of Auth0 and Better Auth built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.

Reviewed by Palash BagchiUpdated 26 criteria comparedSources last checked

The short answer

Choose Auth0 if…

Projects that fit inside the free 25,000 monthly active users, which includes an enterprise connection, self-service SSO and SCIM at no cost.

Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved

Choose Better Auth if…

Teams that want the user table in their own database and no per-user bill at all — the framework is free, and the $20 plan buys tooling rather than access.

Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved

Consider something else if…

  • Auth0: Leaving the free plan is a cliff rather than a step: paid tiers begin at 500 MAU, and a footnote says enterprise connections, SSO and SCIM need a B2B upgrade to keep.
  • Better Auth: You want a hosted service with an SLA rather than a library you run, since everything below the dashboard is your operational problem.

Neither quite fits? Every other option, ranked by iScore: Auth0 alternatives · Better Auth alternatives

8 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.

Visit Auth0 documentationVisit Better Auth documentation

No affiliate links, sponsored placements or paid rankings appear on this site. Ordering follows the sourced data and the stated criteria.

01.

At a glance.

CriterionAuth0Better Auth
Pricing
Free tierYesYes
Kind of free offerFree tierFree tier
What the free plan includes25,000 monthly active users at no cost and no credit card to sign up.One dashboard seat, 10,000 audit log events a month at one-day retention, 1,000 security detections a month and community support.
Entry paid plan
$35/month for Essentials at 500 monthly active users; Professional is $240/month at the same volume. Both scale with the MAU slider.
$20/month for Pro on the managed infrastructure. The framework itself costs nothing — the plan buys a dashboard, audit logs and security detections around it.
Pricing modelPer monthly active user, chosen on a slider, with a discontinuity that is easy to miss: the free plan covers 25,000 MAU and includes an enterprise connection, SSO and SCIM, while the paid tiers start at 500 MAU and a footnote says keeping those three features requires upgrading to B2B.The framework is free and open source and holds your user data in your own database. The paid plans price the surrounding infrastructure by event: audit logs at $0.0001 each beyond the allowance, security detections at $0.001, email at $0.001 and SMS at $0.09.
Observability
Self-hostable
Not supported — Documented options are the multi-tenant Public Cloud and Auth0-managed Private Cloud on AWS or Azure.
Supported
Auth
SAML single sign-onSupportedSupported
SCIM provisioningSupportedSupported
Multi-factor authenticationSupportedSupported
Audit logsAudit log streaming to Datadog, Splunk, AWS and Azure, from the Essentials plan up. Auth0 publishes no retention window on the pricing page.10,000 audit log events a month with 1-day retention on the free Starter plan; 20,000 on Pro, then $0.0001 per event.
Compliance
GDPR / data residencyGDPR listed among the certifications in Okta's trust centre, alongside EU-US DPF and its UK extension; no residency choice is documented there.Better Auth signs a DPA as processor; transfers outside the EEA, UK or Switzerland rely on the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Decision 2021/914).
Encryption at rest
Envelope encryption at the application layer: data encryption keys are AES-256-GCM and stored next to the data, wrapped by tenant and environment root keys.
Framework option account.encryptOAuthTokens encrypts OAuth tokens before they are stored in your own database; it is off by default. Framework-level, in the customer's own database; managed infrastructure at-rest encryption is not documented.
Role-based access controlCore Authorization provides role-based access control of your APIs: roles and permissions assigned to users, enabled per API from the Dashboard or Management API.Organization plugin provides role-based access control: permissions follow the user's role in the organization, and roles can also be created at runtime. Framework capability, not a managed-service feature.

Only criteria both providers publish appear here; a tinted cell marks a real difference. Criteria only one of them documents are listed below, and an absence there means we found no source — not that the feature is missing. How we source this.

The small bar above a value is inetGeek's own lean toward that side — computed from the same facts shown, never a number the provider published. See the picker below "The short answer" to weigh only the criteria you care about.

02.

Where they differ.

What the free plan includes

Auth0
25,000 monthly active users at no cost and no credit card to sign up.
Better Auth
One dashboard seat, 10,000 audit log events a month at one-day retention, 1,000 security detections a month and community support.
Sources (2) →

Entry paid plan

Auth0
$35/month for Essentials at 500 monthly active users; Professional is $240/month at the same volume. Both scale with the MAU slider.
Better Auth
$20/month for Pro on the managed infrastructure. The framework itself costs nothing — the plan buys a dashboard, audit logs and security detections around it.
Sources (2) →
  • Pricing — Auth0 ↗

    “ESSENTIALS $ 35 / month [...] Up to 500 monthly active users [...] PROFESSIONAL $ 240 / month [...] Up to 500 monthly active users”

    Read 2026-09-06 · official pricing · Report a correction

  • Pricing — Better Auth ↗

    “The Better Auth framework is free and open source. Pricing below is for our managed infrastructure. [...] Pro [...] $20 / month Unlimited seats”

    Read 2026-09-06 · official pricing · Report a correction

Pricing model

Auth0
Per monthly active user, chosen on a slider, with a discontinuity that is easy to miss: the free plan covers 25,000 MAU and includes an enterprise connection, SSO and SCIM, while the paid tiers start at 500 MAU and a footnote says keeping those three features requires upgrading to B2B.
Better Auth
The framework is free and open source and holds your user data in your own database. The paid plans price the surrounding infrastructure by event: audit logs at $0.0001 each beyond the allowance, security detections at $0.001, email at $0.001 and SMS at $0.09.
Sources (2) →
  • Pricing — Auth0 ↗

    “Free $ 0 / month No credit card needed to sign up. Start building for free Up to 25,000 monthly active users [...] Essentials $ 35 / month For projects with higher production demands. Sign up Up to 500 monthly active users [...] Upgrade to B2B to continue using EC, Self-Service SSO, and SCIM.”

    Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing · Report a correction

  • Pricing — Better Auth ↗

    “$20 / month [...] 20,000 audit logs / month then $0.0001 per event 10,000 security detections / month then $0.001 per event [...] Transactional email & SMS $0.001 per email, $0.09 per SMS”

    Read 2026-09-06 · official pricing · Report a correction

Self-hostable

Auth0
Not supported — Documented options are the multi-tenant Public Cloud and Auth0-managed Private Cloud on AWS or Azure.
Better Auth
Supported
Sources (2) →
  • Deployment Options - Auth0 Docs ↗

    “The Auth0 identity platform can be deployed in the following ways: [...] Public Cloud A multi-tenant cloud service running on Auth0’s cloud with standard authentication, personalization, user management, and security features [...] The Private Cloud packages are managed services that you can use if you:”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction

  • Pricing — Better Auth ↗

    “The Better Auth framework is free and open source. Pricing below is for our managed infrastructure. [...] Connect to our infrastructure and power your self-hosted Better Auth with a dashboard, audit logs, security, and more.”

    Read 2026-09-06 · official pricing · Report a correction

Audit logs

Auth0
Audit log streaming to Datadog, Splunk, AWS and Azure, from the Essentials plan up. Auth0 publishes no retention window on the pricing page.
Better Auth
10,000 audit log events a month with 1-day retention on the free Starter plan; 20,000 on Pro, then $0.0001 per event.
Sources (2) →

GDPR / data residency

Auth0
GDPR listed among the certifications in Okta's trust centre, alongside EU-US DPF and its UK extension; no residency choice is documented there.
Better Auth
Better Auth signs a DPA as processor; transfers outside the EEA, UK or Switzerland rely on the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Decision 2021/914).
Sources (2) →
  • Okta Security Trust Center ↗

    “EU Cloud COC EU-US DPF FedRAMP High FedRAMP Moderate FIPS 140-2 GDPR HIPAA [...] Swiss-US DPF TISAX TruSight UK Extension to EU-US DPF”

    Read 2026-09-14 · official site · Report a correction

  • Data Processing Addendum — Better Auth ↗

    “Where Personal Data is transferred outside the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, Processor shall ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including the Standard Contractual Clauses set forth in Exhibit A. [...] The Standard Contractual Clauses approved by European Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/914 of 4 June 2021”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction

Encryption at rest

Auth0
Envelope encryption at the application layer: data encryption keys are AES-256-GCM and stored next to the data, wrapped by tenant and environment root keys.
Better Auth
Framework option account.encryptOAuthTokens encrypts OAuth tokens before they are stored in your own database; it is off by default. Framework-level, in the customer's own database; managed infrastructure at-rest encryption is not documented.
Sources (2) →

Role-based access control

Auth0
Core Authorization provides role-based access control of your APIs: roles and permissions assigned to users, enabled per API from the Dashboard or Management API.
Better Auth
Organization plugin provides role-based access control: permissions follow the user's role in the organization, and roles can also be created at runtime. Framework capability, not a managed-service feature.
Sources (2) →

When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.

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03.

Documented by only one.

These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing — except where we say we read the other provider's own page on a given date and it does not state it. Those rows lean, and the provider can correct them with a link.

Credit card to startAuth0: No
Startup credit programAuth0: Auth0 for Startups: free access for venture-backed companies under $5M funding, under $1M ARR and under two years old.
Uptime SLABetter Auth: None by default. The terms say service level commitments live in a separate SLA or order form, and that absent one the service is provided on a commercially reasonable efforts basis.
Users includedAuth0: 25,000 monthly active users on the free plan — the largest free allowance here apart from WorkOS. Essentials and Professional start at 500 and are priced upward from there.
Price per SSO connectionBetter Auth: One SSO connection is included on the $20/month Pro plan, then $50 per month per additional connection; Directory Sync is metered the same way.
Support on entry paid planAuth0: Community support on Free; standard support on Essentials ($35/month), the entry paid plan.
SOC 2Auth0: SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 reports listed in Okta's trust centre (Auth0's parent), available on access request.
ISO 27001Auth0: ISO/IEC 27001:2022, with 27017:2015 and 27018:2019 alongside it; one combined report on access request.
HIPAAAuth0: HIPAA listed among the certifications in Okta's trust centre; no scope detail is published there.
PCI DSSAuth0: Auth0 offers PCI compliant environment deployment models; the Attestation of Compliance and/or SAQ-D is available on request through the Support Center.
Customer-managed keysAuth0: Bring Your Own Key imports a Customer Provided Root Key into a FIPS 140-2 L3 HSM, replacing Auth0's Environment Root Key for the tenant. Only users holding the Key Management Editor tenant role can use it.
Private networking / VPCAuth0: Private Cloud on AWS only, and outbound only: AWS PrivateLink reaches your own services from the deployment without exposing data to the internet. Set up by Auth0 after you file a request; Private Cloud on Azure uses Azure Private Link.
Dedicated infrastructureAuth0: Private Cloud on AWS is a dedicated, managed instance of the Auth0 platform with single tenancy, against the multi-tenant Public Cloud; Azure has the same option.
04.

Questions this comparison answers.

Entry paid plan: Auth0 or Better Auth?

Auth0: $35/month for Essentials at 500 monthly active users; Professional is $240/month at the same volume. Both scale with the MAU slider.

Better Auth: $20/month for Pro on the managed infrastructure. The framework itself costs nothing — the plan buys a dashboard, audit logs and security detections around it.

Should I choose Auth0 or Better Auth?

Pick Auth0 if Projects that fit inside the free 25,000 monthly active users, which includes an enterprise connection, self-service SSO and SCIM at no cost.

Pick Better Auth if Teams that want the user table in their own database and no per-user bill at all — the framework is free, and the $20 plan buys tooling rather than access.

Provider pages

Auth0Okta's developer identity platform, priced by monthly active users with sharply lower allowances on paid tiers than on free.Better AuthOpen-source TypeScript authentication framework that runs in your own codebase, with optional managed infrastructure for dashboards and audit logs.

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Comments

Every page here is sourced and dated.