Best CIAM Platforms and Vendors: Top 5 for 2026
The leading customer identity and access management platforms, ranked.
As of November 2026, Auth0 is the best all-round CIAM platform for one product serving consumers and business customers, WorkOS and SSOJet are the strongest CIAM vendors for adding enterprise SSO and SCIM to auth you already have, and Stytch and MojoAuth lead for passwordless-first products. CIAM platforms handle registration, login and identity for an application's external users: consumers (B2C) and business customers (B2B). New to the category? Start with what is CIAM. This is the category-level view.
| Vendor | Free tier | First published paid price | Billed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auth0 | 25,000 MAU | Essentials $35/month B2C, $150/month B2B | Monthly active users |
| WorkOS | AuthKit free to 1,000,000 MAU | $125 per SSO or directory connection | Connections; MAU above 1M |
| SSOJet | Unlimited users, no enterprise SSO or SCIM | $59 per connection per month (annual), two-connection minimum | Connections |
| Stytch | 10,000 MAU | Pay as you go; SSO and SCIM $125 per connection beyond 5 | MAU and connections |
| MojoAuth | 25,000 MAU | Business Pro $150/month | MAU tiers |
Free tiers and prices are from our Identity Pricing Transparency Index 2026 (verified live 30 October 2026) and the vendor profiles; Auth0's were re-checked 5 November 2026. If you already know your constraint, the segment rankings linked below will serve you better than the overall order.
How we scored
Each pick is scored on our 10-dimension capability rubric, then adjusted for fit: developer experience, authentication breadth, B2B and B2C suitability, enterprise readiness, security, and pricing shape. A lower raw score can rank higher when the fit is sharper, which is why the order does not strictly follow the scores.
Two shapes of product, not one
The five picks are not all the same kind of thing, and comparing them on a single feature grid misleads.
Full platforms own login end to end. Auth0 covers B2C and B2B with the broadest SDK and protocol coverage and extensibility through Actions. Stytch ships passwordless-first API primitives with device fingerprinting and fraud signals. MojoAuth is passwordless-first with SSO bundled and can act as an OIDC and SAML identity provider.
Overlays add enterprise login to a product that already has auth. WorkOS and SSOJet sell SAML and OIDC SSO plus SCIM provisioning, priced per connection rather than per user.
Pricing shape decides more than list price
Auth0 charges per monthly active user, with B2B and advanced MFA in higher tiers, so cost tracks user growth. WorkOS charges per SSO connection from the first one, starting at 125 dollars on a volume ladder, while its AuthKit login layer is free to 1 million monthly active users. SSOJet publishes a free tier with unlimited users and charges per enterprise connection. Stytch is usage-based with a free tier, and MojoAuth publishes low-cost plans. Model the shape against your growth before comparing numbers.
Quick picker by scenario
- One platform for consumers and business customers: Auth0.
- You have auth and need enterprise SSO and SCIM: WorkOS or SSOJet; see SSO and SCIM platforms.
- Passwordless and passkeys as the default: Stytch or MojoAuth; see passwordless CIAM providers.
- Early-stage and cost-sensitive: CIAM for startups.
- Tens of millions of users: CIAM for high scale.
- Regulated, procurement-heavy buyer: CIAM for enterprises and compliant CIAM platforms.
Where to go next
For the evaluation process, read how to choose a CIAM platform and CIAM pricing models explained. For workforce identity, see the best IAM platforms. For a vendor-neutral capability matrix across 48 CIAM platforms, see CIAM Compass.
The developer-first CIAM leader with the broadest SDK and protocol coverage.
Auth0 (now part of Okta) remains the reference for adding login to an app, with excellent SDKs, broad protocol support, extensibility via Actions, and both B2C and B2B capability.
Best for: Engineering teams wanting depth, flexibility, and one platform for B2C and B2B
Watch out: Per-MAU pricing climbs steeply at scale; plan to negotiate
Composable enterprise-readiness (SSO, SCIM) for B2B SaaS.
WorkOS sells clean, composable APIs for the enterprise features B2B SaaS needs, SSO, SCIM directory sync, and audit logs, that drop onto an app which already has auth. SSO connections are billed from the first one, so model cost against your expected enterprise customer count.
Best for: B2B SaaS teams adding enterprise SSO and SCIM to close deals
Watch out: Narrower than a full platform; you bring your own core authentication
Fast, focused enterprise SSO and SCIM for B2B SaaS.
SSOJet lets a B2B SaaS product add SAML, OIDC, and SCIM directory provisioning in days rather than quarters, the enterprise-readiness features that win upmarket deals, with transparent pricing and a developer-friendly, multi-tenant integration.
Best for: B2B SaaS teams that need enterprise SSO and SCIM shipped quickly
Watch out: A focused enterprise-readiness layer and a newer vendor, not a full consumer CIAM
API-first authentication with strong passwordless and passkey support.
Stytch is built API-first with deep passwordless, passkey, and fraud-prevention capabilities, appealing to teams that want modern, secure auth they control programmatically.
Best for: Teams prioritizing passwordless and passkeys with an API-first approach
Watch out: More assembly than a pre-built UI platform
Developer-first passwordless and passkeys with SSO included.
MojoAuth makes passkeys, magic links, and one-time passcodes fast to add, with SSO bundled rather than gated behind an enterprise tier, and transparent low-cost pricing that suits startups standardizing on passwordless.
Best for: Startups and developers wanting passwordless and passkeys at low cost
Watch out: An emerging vendor; enterprise governance depth and large references are still building
At a glance
| # | Vendor | Score | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auth0 | 4.6/5 | Engineering teams wanting depth, flexibility, and one platform for B2C and B2B |
| 2 | WorkOS | 4.5/5 | B2B SaaS teams adding enterprise SSO and SCIM to close deals |
| 3 | SSOJet | 4.2/5 | B2B SaaS teams that need enterprise SSO and SCIM shipped quickly |
| 4 | Stytch | 4.3/5 | Teams prioritizing passwordless and passkeys with an API-first approach |
| 5 | MojoAuth | 4.1/5 | Startups and developers wanting passwordless and passkeys at low cost |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best CIAM platform in 2026?
- Auth0 tops our rubric for overall depth and flexibility, but the best choice depends on your need: WorkOS or SSOJet for B2B enterprise SSO and SCIM, Stytch or MojoAuth for passwordless and passkeys, and Auth0 for one platform across B2C and B2B.
- Who are the leading CIAM vendors and providers in 2026?
- As of November 2026 the five we rank highest are Auth0 (an Okta subsidiary), WorkOS, SSOJet, Stytch (acquired by Twilio in November 2025) and MojoAuth. Other established CIAM providers with full profiles include Ping Identity, Transmit Security, Frontegg, Clerk, SAP Customer Data Cloud, Microsoft Entra External ID and Amazon Cognito. Browse all of them in our CIAM vendor directory.
- What is CIAM?
- CIAM (customer identity and access management) is the software that registers, authenticates and manages the external users of an application, consumers or business customers, including their consent and profile data. It is not workforce IAM, which manages employees' access to internal systems.
- What is the difference between CIAM and IAM?
- CIAM secures an application's external customers at scale and prioritizes user experience, consent, and privacy. Workforce IAM secures employees and internal access. See our fundamentals guide on CIAM.
- Which CIAM platform is best for B2B SaaS?
- WorkOS and SSOJet are the strongest B2B-focused picks for adding enterprise SSO and SCIM on top of your product, while Auth0 covers both B2B and B2C in one platform.
- Are there open-source CIAM options?
- Yes. SuperTokens, Keycloak, Zitadel, and FusionAuth offer self-hostable customer identity, trading per-user pricing for operational ownership.
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