Auth0 is a well-established solution for B2C authentication, offering secure and flexible features such as social login, password-less authentication, adaptive MFA, and SSO. With built-in capabilities like customizable login pages and broad authentication support, it provides a solid foundation for managing individual user access in consumer-facing applications.
However, Auth0 is not inherently designed for B2B SaaS needs, where multi-tenancy, enterprise authentication, and granular access control are essential. This guide explores why SaaS apps often look beyond Auth0 and examines authentication solutions that better align with the needs of B2B apps.
B2B SaaS apps have unique requirements, such as multi-tenant authentication, hierarchical organizational structures, centralized user management, and fine-grained access controls. They require features like SSO, SCIM provisioning, organization-specific authentication policies, and self-service UI portals for customers to manage their authentication settings.
Auth0 struggles to fully address these requirements. Implementing enterprise-grade multi-tenant SSO requires costly custom development and ongoing internal engineering efforts. Additionally, Auth0 lacks built-in support for group-based role assignment in SCIM, and its admin portal alternative requires manual configurations. As a result, many SaaS companies are exploring alternatives that offer a more comprehensive and streamlined solution
Additionally, Auth0’s pricing structure is found to be prohibitive by many users. Enterprise plans start at $150/month with 3 connections, but double per set of 500 MaUs. 5 enterprise connections or more are available only in Pro plan that costs $800 per month. As a result, SaaS business looking to scale quickly with minimal dev overhead explore alternatives that better suit their unique authentication challenges.
Scalekit is an authentication platform designed for B2B SaaS apps, providing enterprise-ready solutions such as Single Sign-On (SSO), SCIM provisioning, and Social Logins. Built to support multi-tenant applications, Scalekit enables quick deployment of authentication features while integrating with major identity providers. It offers key capabilities like IdP-initiated SSO, custom user attributes, a self-serve admin UI, and automated SCIM provisioning to help businesses streamline authentication workflows.
Descope is a no/low-code customer authentication and identity management platform that enables organizations to design and customize user journeys through drag-and-drop visual workflows. It simplifies authentication, authorization, MFA, and federated SSO while offering a connector ecosystem for identity verification, fraud prevention, risk-based authentication, and identity orchestration. Descope is generally found to be a good match for enterprises with advanced security and compliance requirements.
Frontegg claims to offer end-to-end auth solutions for both B2C and B2B orgs. It supports Social Logins, SSO with SAML, OIDC, in addition to advanced features such as machine-to-machine authorization, password-less auth and MFA. On the B2B front, its self-service SSO interface allows organizations to manage identity providers independently while enforcing security policies like IP restrictions and password history tracking. It has different suites serving various purposes such as enterprise-readiness, and security monitoring, apart from authentication and authorization.
WorkOS is a modern API platform that enables developers to quickly build and deploy enterprise-grade features, including user management, Single Sign-On, Directory Sync, and an Admin Portal for enterprise onboarding. It also has other features that help companies unlock enterprise readiness — Audit Logs, User Management, Role-based Access Control and more. WorkOS simplifies integration with structured SDKs, step-by-step setup guides, and a well-documented, flexible API that connects multiple identity providers through a single interface.
Clerk is an authentication and user management platform that equips developers with pre-built tools for seamless integration of login, signup, and profile management. It offers ready-to-use UI components, flexible APIs, and advanced security features such as multi-factor authentication and social logins. Designed to reduce development time and complexity, Clerk claims to streamline user authentication while maintaining a smooth user experience.
Stytch is an identity platform built for developers, offering secure and scalable authentication and access management for both B2C and B2B applications. It supports features such as strong password security, password-less authentication, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and SSO via SAML and OIDC. Additionally, it includes fraud prevention and risk management tools to enhance security. With APIs, SDKs, and pre-built UI components, Stytch is designed to integrate seamlessly into web and mobile applications, streamlining authentication and authorization processes.
Here are four core considerations to guide your evaluation for your B2B application:
Each enterprise customer may have distinct authentication policies, varying identity providers, and specific IT administrative needs. Choose an authentication solution that extends your B2B application’s multi-tenant architecture, enabling your team to manage organizations and customize authentication workflows to adapt to each customer’s IT and security requirements.
Seamless integration with identity providers (Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google SAML), support for major protocols (SAML, OAuth, OIDC), and automated user management (SCIM) ensures that the authentication solution aligns with your customers’ identity systems, accelerating your path to enterprise deals.
Enterprise customers need control over their authentication settings without relying on your support team. Look for an authentication solution with an out-of-box UI portal that allows IT admins to independently manage SSO configurations, SCIM settings, user attributes, and role assignments.
B2B applications need predictable pricing that scales with their enterprise customers, especially since they have limited control over the number of end users. Look for authentication solutions that offer pricing based on enterprise connections rather than costly models tied to monthly active users or the total number of organizations, which can make scaling unpredictable.
For high-growth B2B SaaS companies needing a flexible authentication platform, Scalekit is a robust alternative to Auth0. Specifically built for B2B SaaS, Scalekit is tailored for enterprise needs, including seamless SSO, SCIM provisioning, social logins, and developer-friendly integration options.
As you consider your options, focus on solutions that align with your architecture, offer transparency in pricing, and meet your customers’ security expectations. An authentication platform that scales with your business and simplifies integration can be a game-changer in driving adoption and securing larger customer deals.