Auth0

live verifiedOkta · MAU-based with flat-rate floors. Per-user comparison requires assumptions about MAU per seat.

Auth0 doesn't price per-seat — it prices on monthly active users (MAU). B2B Essentials floor is $150/mo (≈$1,800/yr). The new 'AI Agents' add-on charges +50% on top of base. Avoid comparing Auth0 head-to-head on per-user pricing — the comparison only works if you model your MAU.

1.Year-1 TCO breakdown

Representative buyer: 200 employees, 30 SaaS apps, full SAML + MFA + lifecycle automation, 90-day audit retention.

Licensing (200 seats)MAU-based, not seat-based. 10,000 MAU at B2B Enterprise tier (with SAML): $1,420/mo = $17,040/yr. Plus per-feature add-ons.

SAML tax**The SAML tax is severe at Auth0.** B2B SSO requires the Enterprise tier — Free + Essentials + Professional tiers don't include SAML. The jump from Professional to Enterprise is approximately 3x the per-MAU cost.

Audit retentionQuote-only retention upgrades. Auth0 log retention default is short (30 days for non-Enterprise); long-term requires quote-only add-on.

MFAIncluded in all paid tiers but advanced MFA (passwordless, WebAuthn) requires Enterprise.

Year-1 TCOHighly variable based on MAU volume. $17K typical for low-traffic 10K MAU; scales linearly with active users not seats.

2.The hidden cost category for this IdP

Hidden cost

**MAU-based pricing is the structural surprise.** Auth0 charges per monthly active user, not per registered user or per seat. For B2C apps with seasonal traffic (e.g. retail spikes around holidays), MAU surges drive cost spikes. Auth0's pricing page shows base tier prices but the elastic MAU-based scaling means actual bills are often 2-3x the listed figures during traffic spikes. Salesforce acquired Auth0 in 2021 for $6.5B; pricing strategy is now SaaS-style elastic billing.

3.Migration cost out of Auth0

Migration off Auth0 is genuinely complex because Auth0's strength is custom JavaScript Rules / Actions that run during authentication — these don't port to Okta or Entra. Migration cost runs $100K-$400K depending on Rules complexity. For B2C deployments with custom user flows, migration is often deferred indefinitely.

4.The negotiation lever

Annual MAU commit. Auth0 sales offers steep discounts for annual MAU commits — 20-40% off list — but locks in the commit even if actual MAU is lower. The lever: negotiate a true-up clause that adjusts the commit downward at renewal if MAU was below committed level. Don't sign the commit at peak-traffic MAU; sign at projected average.

5.Vendor tier reference

Tier	Per-user (USD/mo)	Features
Free	$0	Up to 25,000 MAU — community support only
Essentials (B2B)	Quote	$150/mo flat floor, 500 MAU included
Professional (B2B)	Quote	$750/mo flat floor, 1,000 MAU included
Enterprise	Quote	Quote-only — SLA, multi-region, advanced compliance

Source: https://auth0.com/pricing · Verified 2026-06-02 · For vendor-published comparison view: idppricing.com/idp/auth0/

Other IdPs: Okta Workforce Identity · Microsoft Entra ID · JumpCloud · OneLogin · Ping Identity · Duo (Cisco) · Authentik