Auth0 vs authentik

Which platform fits which buyer situation

Scenario fit at a glance

This table compares Auth0 with self-hosted authentik across common application login scenarios, showing where each option tends to fit and why. Read it as a starting point: the right answer depends on your user counts, your connector needs and whether your team will run the platform.

How authentik prices external users against Auth0 MAU plans

Where authentik keeps identity data and what that means for compliance

authentik runs as a small set of components inside your own environment, so the questions that matter for an Auth0 replacement are where configuration and user records sit, how you host them, which license terms apply and how you keep the platform patched. The cards below cover each of these, plus the evidence you need to collect for an assessment.

What running authentik involves day to day

This sequence takes authentik from a first deployment to a monitored, backed-up service that receives security fixes and upgrades on a predictable cycle. Each step ends with a check you can record as evidence for your operations team.

1. Deploy the server and worker containers

   Your platform or infrastructure team deploys the authentik server container, which runs core with an embedded outpost, and the worker container that handles background tasks. Both connect to PostgreSQL, which holds all configuration and data except uploaded files. The Docker Compose guide calls for a host with at least 2 CPU cores and 2 GB of RAM and positions Compose for test setups and small-scale production, so production sizing for larger user populations is a separate exercise to scope with your architect. Done means both containers are healthy, the admin login works, and a test application can complete a sign-in.

2. Track supported releases and version naming

   The operations owner records which release lines receive security fixes according to the authentik security policy, and maps your running version against them. authentik names releases by year and month, so the version string tells you when a release was cut, but it does not tell you how much change to expect, so read the release notes for each target version. Done means a documented version register exists, with the current version, the supported lines and a named owner for watching the project's announcements.

3. Apply security releases on the project's notice

   authentik states that it announces security releases at least 24 hours in advance, so your team needs a subscription to project announcements and a change path that can move quickly for security updates. The on-call engineer stages the new image in a non-production environment, runs your sign-in and provider tests, and then promotes it to production within the change window your policy allows. Done means the running version matches the security-supported release and the change record links to the release notes.

4. Plan upgrades around the Redis removal

   Plan minor and feature upgrades as their own changes. The 2025.10 release notes state that authentik no longer uses Redis and moves caching, tasks, sessions and WebSocket functions to PostgreSQL. The same notes warn of roughly 50% more PostgreSQL connections after upgrading, so review your database connection limits, connection pooling and instance sizing before any upgrade that crosses that release. Done means a pre-upgrade checklist records current connection counts, the target connection limit and a tested rollback path.

5. Back up PostgreSQL and test restores

   Because PostgreSQL stores configuration and data for authentik, the database backup is the core of your recovery plan. Your database team schedules regular backups, keeps them in a location separate from the authentik host, and restores them into an isolated environment to confirm they work. Ask your DBA to confirm point-in-time recovery options with your hosting provider. Done means a restore test has completed on a recent backup, the restored instance signs in a test user, and the result is written into the runbook.

6. Monitor availability, logins and database health

   The platform team sets up monitoring for the server and worker containers, PostgreSQL connection counts, storage, error rates on sign-in flows and certificate expiry for the endpoints your applications depend on. Alerts route to people who can act on them. Confirm with your monitoring vendor or internal team which metrics are exposed by your authentik version and deployment method. Done means alerts fire in a test, the on-call rota covers identity incidents, and a dashboard shows login success and database health together.

7. Review the operating model with the owners

   Once a quarter, or on the cadence your governance process sets, the identity owner, security lead and application owners review the version register, recent security releases, backup test results, and open changes. The review confirms who is paid for what in your model, whether that is internal staff, an implementation partner or a support contract, and what is one-time and what recurs. Done means the review produces dated decisions and updated runbooks that your auditors can trace.

Cost components on each side

Auth0 bundles licensing, hosting and vendor support into one recurring bill that grows with monthly active users. Self-hosting authentik moves that spend into software licensing choices, infrastructure, people and a one-time migration, so each row below shows who is paid and what recurs.

What moving from Auth0 to authentik involves

The sequence takes an Auth0 tenant's applications, users and login logic into a self-hosted authentik instance, with each application cut over only after a pilot confirms that sign-in works. Each step closes with a check the team can record, so the cutover decision rests on evidence.

1. Inventory applications, connections and Auth0 Actions

   Someone on the identity team lists every application registered in the Auth0 tenant, along with its client type, grant types, callback URLs and token audience. They also record each enabled social and enterprise connection, every Organization, and every Action or Rule that changes login, token claims or user metadata. No automated Auth0-to-authentik export tool is assumed, so this inventory is written by hand from the Dashboard and the Management API. The step is done when the team has a signed-off list in which each application and each Action has an owner and a planned authentik equivalent, such as a provider, a property mapping, or a flow stage.

2. Stand up the authentik instance

   The platform team deploys authentik in the organization's own infrastructure, using the Docker Compose or Kubernetes guides that the project publishes, with PostgreSQL as the data store. The team sets up backups, TLS, the outpost placement for each network zone, and the administrator access model before any user data arrives. The step closes when a test administrator can sign in, the server and worker containers report healthy, and a backup and restore has been tested in a non-production environment.

3. Export users and decide how passwords move

   The team runs the bulk user export job in Auth0 in NDJSON or CSV format, through the Dashboard or the Management API. Standard exports do not include password hashes. Paid plans can request a hash export by support ticket, Auth0 does not guarantee a delivery date, and the option is not available on the Free tier, so the team should submit the request early and plan for users to reset passwords if the hashes do not arrive. The step is done when the export files are checked for record counts and the team has written down, per user population, whether passwords will be carried over or reset.

4. Rebuild connections, flows and Actions logic

   Social and enterprise connections are recreated as authentik sources or identity providers, and each Auth0 Action is reimplemented as an authentik flow stage, policy or property mapping. Auth0 Organizations must be rebuilt in authentik's own model, and the team should confirm how group membership and per-customer login rules map onto it. Engineers test each rebuilt piece against the inventory from the first step. The step closes when every inventory item is marked either rebuilt and tested or formally retired by its owner.

5. Switch application OIDC settings

   For each application, developers change the issuer URL, client ID, client secret, redirect URIs and scopes to point at authentik's OIDC provider, and they confirm that the token claims the app reads are still present. Where an application uses an Auth0 SDK, the team replaces it with a standard OIDC library. The step is done when each application's configuration is stored in version control or the team's configuration management, and a sign-in test on staging returns the expected claims.

6. Pilot with a subset of users and applications

   The team moves one low-risk application and a small, named group of users to authentik while Auth0 keeps serving everything else. Testers cover password sign-in, password reset, MFA enrollment, social and enterprise logins, logout and session expiry. Login failures, token errors and support tickets are logged and triaged. The pilot is complete when the test cases pass, the failures have owners, and the support team has a written procedure for users who cannot sign in.

7. Cut over the remaining applications

   The team moves the remaining applications in batches, using the same configuration and test steps proven in the pilot. Auth0 is kept read-only and running during the cutover window so that a rollback path exists. Users who did not receive password hashes are guided through a reset. The step closes when every application signs in through authentik, and the owners have confirmed their login paths in the monitoring dashboards.

8. Decommission Auth0 and archive the record

   After an agreed observation period, the team disables the Auth0 tenant's applications, revokes its API credentials, and exports a final copy of configuration and logs for the records retention policy. The team confirms with the contract owner what Auth0 subscription terms require for ending the service. The step is done when the tenant is no longer used by any application, the archive is stored in the approved location, and the decommission is recorded in the change system.

Questions buyers ask before comparing Auth0 and authentik

Why authentik fits workforce SSO better than consumer scale