When should I pick Auth0 over Better Auth?

Pick Auth0 if: You sell to companies whose IT team will ask for SAML SSO or SCIM.

When should I pick Better Auth over Auth0?

Pick Better Auth if: You want users in your own database and no per-user bill.

Which is cheaper, Auth0 or Better Auth?

At monthly active users 10k MAU: Auth0 $0/mo (Free), Better Auth $0/mo (Self-hosted (open source)), at list prices.

Which do more makers use for authentication?

Among makers' products we track: Auth0 21, Better Auth 6.

How do Auth0 and Better Auth compare in cost as you grow?

Both cost $0 up to 25k MAU; from 50k MAU Better Auth costs less ($0 vs $3,500). Cheapest usable plan at each scale, at list prices.

Are people switching from Auth0 to Better Auth?

Public GitHub pull requests since 2024-10-02: 4 from Auth0 to Better Auth.

Auth0 vs Better Auth for authentication: which fits you

Which fits you

Choose Auth0 if

You sell to companies whose IT team will ask for SAML SSO or SCIM

Use it whenA customer's security review asks for certifications and identity features a younger provider can't show.

Trade-offHeavier to configure and pricier than newer options for a solo project.

Choose Better Auth if

You want users in your own database and no per-user bill

Use it whenYou'd rather own the code than pay per user.

Trade-offYou host it and keep it patched; UI is yours to build.

At a glance

	Auth0	Better Auth
Used by	21 makers' products · 17 open-source projects	6 makers' products · 94 open-source projects
Cost at default usagemonthly active users 10k MAU	$0/mo Free	$0/mo Self-hosted (open source)
Moved to it on GitHubpull requests since Oct 2024	fewer than 3	4 from Auth0
Downloads	1.8M/wk−25% vs npm	6.5M/wk8.4× vs npm
Pricing	Free tier; paid plans priced by active users and features. · paid from $35/mo	Free (open source).
Free tier	Yes	Yes
Open source	No	Yes · self-hostable

Cost as you grow

Both cost $0 up to 25k MAU; from 50k MAU Better Auth costs less ($0 vs $3,500). They're different kinds of tool — hosted service and library in your app — so the prices don't buy the same thing.

Better Auth Auth0x: monthly active users (MAU) · cheapest usable plan at each point, list prices · try your own numbers

The numbers, plan by plan

Monthly active users	Auth0	Better Auth
100	$0 Free	$0 Self-hosted (open source)
1,000	$0 Free	$0 Self-hosted (open source)
5,000	$0 Free	$0 Self-hosted (open source)
10,000	$0 Free	$0 Self-hosted (open source)
25,000	$0 Free	$0 Self-hosted (open source)
50,000	$3,500 Essentials	$0 Self-hosted (open source)
100,000	over plan limits	$0 Self-hosted (open source)
250,000	over plan limits	$0 Self-hosted (open source)
1,000,000	over plan limits	$0 Self-hosted (open source)

From each vendor's pricing page: Auth0, Better Auth.

Who moves from one to the other

Public pull requests on GitHub since Oct 2024 whose title says "Auth0 to Better Auth" or the reverse — real code changes, by developers in general rather than makers only.

Fewer than 3 pull requests move from Better Auth to Auth0.

Auth0 →

Better Auth4 PRs

feat(auth): migrate from NextAuth (Auth0) to Better Auths-hirano-ist/s-private · 2026-06-03
Migration: Auth0 to Better Autheten-tech-foundation/fluent-api · 2026-05-13
feat(ai-worker): migrate shapes.inc session cookie from Auth0 to Better Authlbds137/tzurot · 2026-04-22
Refactor auth from Auth0 to Better AuthLes-cabanes-de-la-reynie/Les-cabanes-de-la-reynie · 2025-03-28

All matching pull requests on GitHub ↗

What makers say

Makers on using it for authentication, from Product Hunt and Starter Story interviews, each linked to the source. Products with a page of their own and fuller notes first.

On Auth0

A huge thanks to Auth0 for helping us out with the authentication flow. They were really quick with the onboarding process and even with the support tickets.

SeyftAI, the makerSep 2026 ↗

For handling our user authentication with enterprise-grade security, so our users can log in instantly and focus on their data.

Ada.im, the makerSep 2026 ↗

I had a simple login system using Auth0 and it would unlock access to the premium content on the website.

Tech Lockdown, the makerMay 2024 ↗

10 more on the Auth0 page →

On Better Auth

Authentication is always a time sink, but not with better_auth. Simple, secure, and extendable. Got magic links and login flow done in under an hour.

PicMotionAI, the makerSep 2026 ↗

Better-Auth gave us a clean, flexible auth layer with minimal code. Performance, adaptability, and dev-experience were all wins.

Beplan, the makerSep 2026 ↗

It came out of nowhere and became popular for a good reason - it's really good!

Rybbit, the makerSep 2026 ↗

1 more on the Better Auth page →

Loved and watch-outs

Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises.

Auth0

Most loved

Enterprise-grade login with SSO and modern standards, so teams avoid rolling their own auth. PH HN
Integrates across web and mobile app platforms, with well-regarded docs and responsive onboarding. PH
A long track record of reliability that keeps some developers from switching. HN PH

Watch-outs

Contracts are expensive with escalating prices and deep vendor lock-in. HN HN 2 HN 3
Exporting users and password hashes requires a support ticket, which makes migrations painful. HN HN 2 HN 3
Its hosted login setup has broken password managers. HN

On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 16 reviews · mentioned most: ease of use, quick onboarding, secure access

Better Auth

Most loved

A library that keeps users and sessions in your own database, with no vendor dependency and no per-user fees. HN HN 2 HN 3 HN 4
Plugins cover OAuth providers, magic links, RBAC, SSO and SAML, going well beyond Auth.js. HN HN 2 HN 3 PH
Hackable and transparent, so custom flows such as iframe login work without fighting hidden internals. HN HN 2 PH

Watch-outs

Built-in assumptions force hacks, such as OIDC providers without email or request-header-based admin scripts. HN HN 2
Code quality felt rushed, with few tests and little logging, and audit logs need the managed service. HN HN 2
Breaking changes appear in patch releases, and the OpenAPI spec gets little care for non-JS clients. HN

On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 5 reviews