AppBreakup
Submit an app

WorkOS alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave WorkOS: each enterprise SSO connection is billed monthly, and cloud only. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces WorkOS, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Clerk currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1ClClerkFree plan + paidNoWeb, iOS, Android4 of 466.5
2PropelAuth logoPropelAuthFree plan + paidNoWeb4 of 462.6
3Frontegg logoFronteggFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 359.6
4Auth0 logoAuth0Free plan + paidNoWeb4 of 457.2
5Zitadel logoZitadelOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 455.3
  1. Cl

    1. ClerkTop pick

    Best for: React and Next.js developers who want polished sign-in screens working in minutes

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from WorkOS

    Richer prebuilt UI for consumer and B2B apps, priced by users rather than connections.

    Pros

    • Prebuilt, customisable UI components save weeks of work
    • Excellent Next.js and React integration
    • Generous free tier per application

    Cons

    • Cloud only; user data cannot be self-hosted
    • Enterprise SSO connections are billed individually
    • Less flexible than code-first libraries for unusual flows
    Visit Clerk Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Clerk a good WorkOS alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Up to 50,000 monthly retained users per app
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clerk.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro price
    $20/month billed annually
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clerk.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Extra SSO connection
    $75/month each
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clerk.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Compliance
    SOC 2 Type 2
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clerk.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. PropelAuth logo

    2. PropelAuth

    Best for: Early-stage B2B SaaS teams that need organisations and SAML without per-connection fees

    Free plan + paidWeb

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from WorkOS

    B2B-focused auth with unlimited SAML connections on paid plans.

    Pros

    • Unlimited SAML connections on paid plans
    • Organisation management and impersonation built in
    • Startup program discounts the Growth plan

    Cons

    • Cloud only
    • Focused on B2B; consumer features are thinner
    • Smaller company and community than the big providers
    Visit PropelAuth Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is PropelAuth a good WorkOS alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    10,000 MAU
    Checked Oct 25, 2026propelauth.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise SSO
    Unlimited SAML connections on Growth
    Checked Oct 25, 2026propelauth.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Extra users
    $0.05 per MAU above included
    Checked Oct 25, 2026propelauth.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Startup program
    Growth plan free for six months
    Checked Oct 25, 2026propelauth.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Frontegg logo

    3. Frontegg

    Best for: B2B SaaS companies that want customers to manage their own users, SSO and roles

    Free plan + paidWeb

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from WorkOS

    Adds an embeddable admin portal and entitlements for multi-tenant SaaS.

    Pros

    • Embeddable self-service admin portal for your customers
    • Entitlements and feature flags tied to plans
    • Enterprise SSO connections included on the free tier

    Cons

    • Paid enterprise pricing is only available through sales
    • Cloud only
    • More concepts to configure than a simple login service
    Visit Frontegg Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Frontegg a good WorkOS alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    Up to 7,500 users
    Checked Oct 25, 2026frontegg.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free SSO
    5 enterprise connections
    Checked Oct 25, 2026frontegg.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Admin portal
    Embedded self-service portal
    Checked Oct 25, 2026frontegg.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Auth0 logo

    4. Auth0

    Best for: Product teams that want a mature hosted login with SDKs for almost every stack

    Free plan + paidWeb

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from WorkOS

    Broader platform covering consumer and B2B cases with many extensions.

    Pros

    • SDKs and quickstarts for nearly every language and framework
    • Actions allow custom logic in login and sign-up flows
    • Large free tier for consumer apps

    Cons

    • Costs rise sharply once you need B2B or enterprise features
    • Cloud only for most customers; no self-hosted edition
    • Dashboard and docs can be confusing alongside Okta's own products
    Visit Auth0 Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Auth0 a good WorkOS alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Up to 25,000 monthly active users
    Checked Oct 25, 2026auth0.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    Essentials from $35/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026auth0.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    22 days of paid features
    Checked Oct 25, 2026auth0.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Startup program
    Free for a year for eligible startups
    Checked Oct 25, 2026auth0.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Zitadel logo

    5. Zitadel

    Best for: B2B SaaS teams that want multi-tenant identity with the option to self-host

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from WorkOS

    Open-source and multi-tenant, so you can self-host and avoid per-connection fees.

    Pros

    • Multi-tenancy and delegated admin built into the core
    • Choice of managed cloud or self-hosting the same code
    • Full audit trail from its event-sourced design

    Cons

    • AGPL licence may need legal review for some companies
    • Smaller community than Keycloak
    • Free cloud tier is limited in daily active users
    Visit Zitadel Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Zitadel a good WorkOS alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    AGPL-3.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    $0/month cloud tier
    Checked Oct 25, 2026zitadel.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro price
    $100/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026zitadel.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data location
    EU, US, Switzerland or Australia
    Checked Oct 25, 2026zitadel.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best WorkOS alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Cl

Best WorkOS alternative for most people

Clerk

Richer prebuilt UI for consumer and B2B apps, priced by users rather than connections.

Zitadel logo

Best WorkOS alternative for a free option

Zitadel

Open-source and multi-tenant, so you can self-host and avoid per-connection fees.

PropelAuth logo

Best WorkOS alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

PropelAuth

B2B-focused auth with unlimited SAML connections on paid plans.

Zitadel logo

Best WorkOS alternative for open source

Zitadel

Open-source and multi-tenant, so you can self-host and avoid per-connection fees.

Zitadel logo

Best WorkOS alternative for self-hosting

Zitadel

Open-source and multi-tenant, so you can self-host and avoid per-connection fees.

Cl

Best WorkOS alternative for iPhone and Android

Clerk

Richer prebuilt UI for consumer and B2B apps, priced by users rather than connections.

Frontegg logo

Best WorkOS alternative for working in the browser

Frontegg

Adds an embeddable admin portal and entitlements for multi-tenant SaaS.

WorkOS alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to WorkOS?

Clerk ranks first right now. Richer prebuilt UI for consumer and B2B apps, priced by users rather than connections. PropelAuth and Frontegg follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to WorkOS?

Yes. Clerk (free plan + paid), PropelAuth (free plan + paid), Frontegg (free plan + paid) and Auth0 (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to WorkOS?

Yes: Zitadel. Zitadel can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from WorkOS?

The complaints we hear most: each enterprise SSO connection is billed monthly; cloud only; less suited to consumer apps with heavy fraud concerns.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces WorkOS, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.