Tool profile
Authentication platform for passkeys, MFA, SSO, and user journeys with flexible developer controls.
Teams iterating onboarding without shipping frontend for every copy change
Descope combines a visual flow builder with SDKs for passwordless, MFA, SSO, federated apps, and increasingly agent/MCP-oriented token scenarios.
Per descope.com/pricing (March 2026): Free Forever is $0 with 7,500 monthly active users (MAUs), 10 monthly active tenants, 3 SSO connections, 1 federated OIDC app, 5 test users, 10,000 M2M exchanges/month, 2,000 monthly active consents (MACs), 2,000 monthly active tokens (MATKs), plus RBAC, MFA, connectors, and 99% SLA on the public card. Pro starts at $249/month billed annually with higher included MAUs/tenants/SSO and 99.99% SLA; Growth starts at $799/month annual with bot protection, 1M anonymous users, SCIM, FGA, multi-region, and FedRAMP-high positioning. Enterprise is quoted.
MAU, tenant, SSO, M2M, MAC, and MATK each have overage mechanics—forecast the dimension you will hit first. A Hello World Startup program may cover Pro for one year for eligible startups.
Quick fit
Editorial take
Pick your overage dimension early—MAU vs tenants vs SSO connections bite different shapes of growth. SMS via Descope connectors caps at 100/mo on published tiers; bring your own Twilio for scale. Compare Stytch, WorkOS, and Clerk for packaging fit.
What it does well
Primary use cases
Fit notes
Compare with
Pressure-test this pick against nearby alternatives.
Pricing snapshot
Descope's pricing page shows Free Forever at $0 with 7,500 MAUs, 10 monthly active tenants, 3 SSO connections, 1 federated app, and bundled M2M, MAC, and MATK pools. Pro starts at $249 per month billed annually, Growth starts at $799 per month billed annually, and Enterprise is custom. Descope also advertises a startup program that can provide one year of Pro for eligible companies.
Auth0
Free planB2B SaaS selling into buyers expecting SAML, SCIM, and audit evidence
Identity platform for adding authentication, user management, SSO, and access control to apps.
Free: 25k MAU; Essentials/Professional self-serve: 500 MAU on public 2026 cards—confirm before budgeting.
