In the rapidly changing landscape of digital identity, the choice of the right auth provider is crucial for businesses. We understand, the idea of creating your own auth solution can be alluring. However, even if you decide to buy rather than build, you're met with a myriad of options.
Why Look for an Amazon Cognito Alternative?
Amazon Cognito is a well-liked customer identity and access management (CIAM) platform that offers authentication and authorization services for web and mobile apps. It brings to the table a wide range of features like Single Sign-On (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), social logins, and more. Nevertheless, due to concerns about user pool limitations, token expiration times, and account recovery problems, developers have started seeking alternatives to Amazon Cognito.
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The Top 5 Amazon Cognito Alternatives
We have discussed what Amazon Cognito brings to the table. But in the realm of auth providers, these are considered basic. Amazon Cognito offers SSO, MFA, and more... but so do all the other providers. These days, what distinguishes providers are factors, not features. Pricing, setup time, customization options, and migration alternatives all become significant in the decision to seek an alternative to Amazon Cognito.
These are the elements that this guide will concentrate on. In this guide, we'll provide a swift overview of each service. Yet, we'll also highlight their cost, setup times, and the requirements to get them up and running. It's also vital to be aware of Amazon Cognito security concerns, such as misconfigurations.
FusionAuth
FusionAuth is far from your typical customer authentication and authorization platform. Overflowing with everything your application might require, it takes CIAM to the next level. It's modifiable, scalable, and has a remarkable talent for operating on any platform. We should mention that FusionAuth stands out as the sole provider to offer self-hosting, alongside private, single-tenant cloud solutions. And, if you’re already a Cognito customer, you’ll be happy to know that FusionAuth is available in the AWS Marketplace. Built by developers for developers, you can count on the fact that the support you'll receive comes from developers. Developers, developers, developers…
- Pricing: Basic auth features are free for unlimited users with the Community plan. Advanced features start at $125 per month, with additional fees for managed cloud hosting.
- Setup Time: As quick as five minutes.
- Customization: FusionAuth provides a back end GUI and API-based customization too. You have the option to design themes and designate them per tenant or application, thereby personalizing the user experience.
- Migration: FusionAuth's documentation encompasses numerous migration techniques and data sources, along with implementation and unique considerations. It supports any password hashing scheme.
- Hosting: Options for both self-hosting or single-tenant managed cloud are available. High-availability, database replication, 99.99% uptime SLAs, complete infrastructure customization.
Key Features: Developer-centric, backed by engineering support, private cloud hosting, AWS Marketplace hosting, and overall cost-effectiveness.
Zitadel
The Zitadel claim to fame is its "serverless" setup. As another open-source alternative to Amazon Cognito, it brings multi-tenant configurations to the cloud. Even though the company touts being serverless, the homepage immediately discusses hosting on a public cloud, local, or self-hosting.
- Pricing: Free up to 25k requests. The service is also limited by the amount of "action minutes" that you can have each month.
- Setup Time: Depends heavily on whether you use Zitadel's public cloud, or whether you self-host your instance.
- Customization: Brand, behaviors, and texts are all customizable, according to the company's docs.
- Migration: Zitadel does offer both individual and bulk import for migration.
- Hosting: Self-hosted, or public cloud.
Key Features: "Serverless" (kinda), self-service, solid migration options.
Keycloak
Keycloak is an open-source, Single Sign-On (SSO) CIAM solution designed for intricate enterprise environments. It offers a unified security layer suitable for both cloud-based and on-premises applications. Its relative simplicity in setup and configuration has made it a favored option for organizations seeking to host their own Amazon Cognito alternative.
- Pricing: Being open-source, Keycloak doesn't require any licensing fee. But there are expenses associated with server hardware, maintenance, and security updates.
- Setup Time: The absence of ample support options might be a cause for concern.
- Customization: Supports theme customization through the Admin console.
- Migration: Keycloak doesn't offer a direct pathway for migration.
- Hosting: Options include self-hosting or using third-party hosting services.
Key Features: Keycloak's distinguishing characteristic is its open-source, standards-based nature, positioning it as an affordable alternative to Amazon Cognito.
FrontEgg
FrontEgg stands out by offering robust, scalable user management with a laser focus on B2B SaaS applications. Despite being a newcomer to the industry and experiencing growing pains like a recent service outage, the company is gaining traction among B2B SaaS businesses.
- Pricing: Packages begin at $99 per month, covering up to 1,000 users.
- Setup Time: Frontegg prides itself on being "operational in hours, not months."
- Customization: Provides opportunities for custom styling and bespoke admin portal modules.
- Migration: Frontegg supports importation of Bcrypt, Scrypt, and Firebase hashed passwords.
- Hosting: Exclusively multi-tenant SaaS. No control over your infrastructure. No SLA.
Key Features: Crafted with a B2B SaaS-centric approach, FrontEgg has become a top pick for many businesses in this sector looking to transition from Amazon Cognito.
Auth0
Auth0, or Okta Customer Identity, used to stand as a favored customer identity and access management (CIAM) platform offering services for web and mobile applications. Its broad range of features including Single Sign-On (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and social logins made it a solid choice. However, since its acquisition by Okta in 2021, developers have begun seeking alternatives due to pricing issues, a desire for greater customization, and perceived lack of support.
- Pricing: Pricing models vary and can be tailored according to individual business needs.
- Setup Time: Quick setup times with a user-friendly interface.
- Customization: Offers a wide array of customization options with features like rules and hooks to extend functionality.
- Migration: Supports a wide variety of identity databases and facilitates smooth migrations.
- Hosting: Primarily cloud-based with private cloud and managed service options.
Key Features: Robustness security features, including MFA and SSO, and extensive customization capabilities. Despite this, concerns around pricing and post-acquisition support have driven some customers to consider alternatives.
Our Preference
Our preference for FusionAuth might be a tad partial, but for valid reasons. FusionAuth is designed by developers, for developers. So when you need assistance, you'll be talking with the creators of the product, not some low-tier support personnel.
The challenge that several emerging providers within CIAM face is that their growth can become their Achilles heel. Take Okta's acquisition of Auth0. The hefty investment has led to increased costs for Auth0 customers, who now encounter steeper pricing, added expenses for features, and unreasonably strict Monthly Active User (MAU) limitations.
FusionAuth is VC free. To this day, our operation remains unswayed by investors. Our team is mainly composed of seasoned developers hailing from diverse backgrounds. We speak your language, and can help you build whatever you need.
User authentication is too critical a component to entrust to fate. While it is certainly possible to build it yourself, the complexity and the burden of ongoing maintenance could be daunting. Let us shoulder that responsibility. Join the Community plan today, and together, let's embark on the journey to build something truly remarkable.
