How to choose between common A vs B options—using decision briefs that show who each product fits, what breaks first, and where pricing changes behavior.
Most buyers compare feature lists first, then discover the real decision is about constraints: cost cliffs, governance requirements, and the limits that force redesigns at scale.
Common pitfall: Workforce IAM vs Customer IAM (CIAM): Workforce IAM optimizes governance and centralized control across apps, while CIAM optimizes product login UX and developer customization for your customers.
If you only have two minutes, do this sequence. It’s designed to get you to a confident default choice quickly, then validate it with the few checks that actually decide fit.
Start with your non‑negotiables (latency model, limits, compliance boundary, or operational control).
Pick two candidates that target the same abstraction level (so the comparison is apples-to-apples).
Validate cost behavior at scale: where do the price cliffs appear (traffic spikes, storage, egress, seats, invocations)?
Confirm the first failure mode you can’t tolerate (timeouts, rate limits, cold starts, vendor lock‑in, missing integrations).
Workforce IAM vs Customer IAM (CIAM): Workforce IAM optimizes governance and centralized control across apps, while CIAM optimizes product login UX and developer customization for your customers.
Build primitives vs buy a platform: Cloud-native primitives can be cheaper and more controllable, but they push UX, edge cases, and operations onto your team. CIAM platforms reduce build time but add vendor coupling and tier-driven cost jumps.
This is an editorial collection page. Each link below goes to a decision brief that explains why the pair is comparable, where the trade‑offs show up under real usage, and what tends to break first when you push the product past its “happy path.”
This hub isn’t a feature checklist or a “best tools” ranking. If you’re early in your search, start with the category page; if you already have two candidates, this hub is the fastest path to a confident default choice.
Okta vs Auth0 is a category mismatch unless you’re clear on who you’re authenticating. Use Okta when employees need governed access across many SaaS apps with audit controls. Use Auth0 when customers need flexible login and enterprise SSO readiness inside your product, and you want to avoid building identity infrastructure.
Auth0 vs Cognito is a decision between buying a platform and owning primitives. Choose Auth0 when enterprise SSO readiness, logs, and CIAM patterns reduce delivery risk. Choose Cognito when you want AWS-native building blocks, accept more engineering ownership, and need a cloud-first identity layer you can tailor.
Clerk vs Firebase Auth is about speed and product UX vs stack alignment. Choose Clerk if you want a polished, managed auth experience and B2B org primitives without building. Choose Firebase Auth if your product is mobile-first, you’re already on Firebase, and your identity requirements are standard—with a plan to upgrade when enterprise SSO arrives.
Entra ID vs Okta is an ecosystem decision. Choose Entra if your workforce lives in Microsoft 365/Azure and you want identity controls aligned with Microsoft tenant management. Choose Okta if you have a heterogeneous SaaS stack and want an IdP that prioritizes vendor-neutral integrations and identity governance patterns across many apps.
Okta vs OneLogin is a workforce IAM choice. Choose Okta when you need deep governance patterns, broad integrations, and mature admin/audit controls across a heterogeneous SaaS estate. Choose OneLogin when your needs are centered on workforce SSO and MFA and you want a simpler fit, accepting that governance depth and ecosystem maturity may differ by requirement.
Entra ID vs OneLogin is a workforce IAM decision anchored in ecosystem alignment. Choose Entra if your workforce identity and security stack are Microsoft-first and you want identity controls aligned with Microsoft tenant management. Choose OneLogin if you want a non-Microsoft workforce IdP option for SSO/MFA in mixed SaaS environments and you can validate governance requirements against your rollout plan.
Auth0 vs Clerk is a decision between enterprise CIAM readiness and speed-to-production. Choose Auth0 when you need CIAM flexibility, enterprise SSO building blocks, and a long-term identity platform for B2B requirements. Choose Clerk when you want to ship a polished auth experience quickly with minimal engineering overhead, and your enterprise requirements are either limited or planned for explicitly.
Firebase Auth vs Supabase Auth is primarily a stack decision. Choose Firebase Auth if you’re mobile-first, already using Firebase services, and want lightweight SDK auth with minimal backend work. Choose Supabase Auth if your product is Postgres-first and you want auth + database authorization (RLS) to be the same system—accepting that enterprise identity requirements may later require a dedicated CIAM layer.
Clerk vs Kinde is a head-to-head comparison of developer-friendly CIAM platforms. Both prioritize fast setup and clean DX, but Clerk offers richer UI components and a more mature ecosystem, while Kinde bundles feature flags and has a more generous free tier. Choose Clerk when component richness, ecosystem maturity, and proven scale matter more than bundled tooling. Choose Kinde when you want auth + feature flags in one tool and need the generous free tier for early-stage products.
Auth0 vs Kinde compares enterprise CIAM depth with startup-friendly velocity. Auth0 is the enterprise incumbent with deep compliance certifications, mature SAML/SCIM support, and advanced identity governance. Kinde is the lean startup-friendly option with bundled feature flags and a generous free tier. Choose Auth0 when enterprise compliance, advanced governance, and mature integrations are mandatory. Choose Kinde when startup velocity, bundled tooling, and cost efficiency matter more than enterprise depth.
Pricing and availability may change. Verify details on the official website.
Start with a product decision brief, then come back here to compare once you have two candidates.