Editorial take
Why it stands out
FusionAuth should be evaluated as a control-oriented identity platform. The self-hosted Community tier is central to the product story and should not be buried.
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Tool profile
Authentication and user-management platform with self-hosted roots, public tiered pricing, and a strong fit for teams that want more control than auth-as-a-service defaults.
Customer identity
FusionAuth belongs in the catalog because it remains one of the clearest alternatives for teams that want a production auth platform without fully surrendering deployment and customization control. The official positioning emphasizes authentication, organizations, MFA, user management, and deployment flexibility across self-hosted and hosted modes. That makes FusionAuth relevant to serious product teams that need CIAM depth but do not want their identity layer to feel like a black box.
It also earns a place because the pricing is public and unusually concrete for this category. The checked official page currently shows Community as free and unlimited for self-hosting, Starter beginning at $162 per month billed annually, and both Essentials and Enterprise beginning at $2,970 per month billed annually. That pricing ladder tells an important story. FusionAuth is not trying to win only on freemium simplicity. It is offering a control-oriented identity stack that starts with a genuinely usable free self-hosted tier and then climbs into commercial packaging for advanced connectivity, security, and support.
Quick fit
Editorial take
FusionAuth should be evaluated as a control-oriented identity platform. The self-hosted Community tier is central to the product story and should not be buried.
What it does well
Primary use cases
Fit notes
Compare with
Pressure-test this pick against nearby alternatives.
Pricing snapshot
FusionAuth currently shows Community as free and unlimited for self-hosting, Starter starting at $162/month billed annually, and both Essentials and Enterprise starting at $2,970/month billed annually.
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.
