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Government · head to head

American Legal Publishing vs Descope

A

American Legal Publishing

Government

Municipal Code Solutions

From
$150/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Descope logo

Descope

Cybersecurity

No-code drag-and-drop authentication platform.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Descope has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: American Legal Publishing a 2019 recodification contract between American Legal Publishing Corporation and the City of Dry Ridge, Kentucky, publicly posted by a separate Kentucky municipality as a model agreement, sets a base codification cost of $9,485 (USD) plus per-page increase rates of $18 (single column) and $21 (dual column) once the code exceeds the estimated page count, a one-time $550 setup fee to put the code in a searchable online format, $495 per year to host the code online after that, and a five-year supplement plan billed at $18-21 per reprinted page plus $200 per annual statutory update. This is one specific signed municipal contract, not a general price list, and actual costs for other municipalities will scale with code length.; Descope free tier capped at 7,500 MAU; Pro tier at 10,000 MAU, Growth tier at 25,000 MAU, forcing migration to Enterprise for larger organisations
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which American Legal Publishing and Descope actually diverge.

Attributes where American Legal Publishing and Descope differ
AttributeAmerican Legal PublishingDescope
Starting price$150/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, API
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded1912Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in American Legal Publishing

  • Code Codification
  • Online Publishing
  • Print Services
  • Editorial Support
  • Code Search
  • Legislative Systems
  • Document Management
  • Public Portals

Only in Descope

Nothing recorded that American Legal Publishing does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

American Legal Publishing

  • Citizen Servicesnot Descope
  • Records Managementnot Descope
  • Public Safetynot Descope
  • Civic Engagementnot Descope

Descope

  • Organisations seeking rapid identity implementation without custom developmentnot American Legal Publishing
  • Companies supporting multiple user types (consumers, partners, AI agents) in single platformnot American Legal Publishing
  • Multi-tenant B2B2C SaaS applications requiring per-organisation identity policiesnot American Legal Publishing
  • Teams building passwordless-first authentication experiencesnot American Legal Publishing
  • Healthcare and regulated industries requiring HIPAA-compliant identity managementnot American Legal Publishing

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

American Legal Publishing

  • A 2019 recodification contract between American Legal Publishing Corporation and the City of Dry Ridge, Kentucky, publicly posted by a separate Kentucky municipality as a model agreement, sets a base codification cost of $9,485 (USD) plus per-page increase rates of $18 (single column) and $21 (dual column) once the code exceeds the estimated page count, a one-time $550 setup fee to put the code in a searchable online format, $495 per year to host the code online after that, and a five-year supplement plan billed at $18-21 per reprinted page plus $200 per annual statutory update. This is one specific signed municipal contract, not a general price list, and actual costs for other municipalities will scale with code length.

Descope

  • Free tier capped at 7,500 MAU; Pro tier at 10,000 MAU, Growth tier at 25,000 MAU, forcing migration to Enterprise for larger organisations
  • HIPAA compliance only available in Growth tier ($799/mo) and above; not included in lower-priced plans
  • No-code UI builder provides pre-built flows but still requires custom frontend development for fully-branded authentication experiences
  • All paid tiers billed annually; no monthly billing option for commitment-free flexibility
  • Bot protection features available only in Growth tier and above

Pricing, plan by plan

American Legal Publishing

$150/month
  • Online Code$150/month
    • Online Publishing
    • Code Updates
    • Search

Descope

Free
  • Free ForeverFree
    • 7,500 monthly active users
    • Basic authentication
    • Community support
  • Pro$249/month
    • 10,000 monthly active users
    • Custom domains
    • CI/CD integration
  • Growth$799/month
    • 25,000 monthly active users
    • Bot protection
    • Fine-grained authorisation
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited monthly active users
    • Tiered discounts
    • Premium support with dedicated CS engineer

Which should you pick?

Choose American Legal Publishing if

  • You need code codification.
  • You also want online publishing.
American Legal Publishing review

Choose Descope if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Descope review

Questions people ask

Is American Legal Publishing or Descope better?
Neither clearly leads. American Legal Publishing starts at $150/month and Descope at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, American Legal Publishing or Descope?
Descope has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $150/month for American Legal Publishing and Free for Descope.
Does American Legal Publishing or Descope run on more platforms?
American Legal Publishing runs on Web. Descope runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Can I use Descope for free?
Yes. Descope has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. American Legal Publishing starts at $150/month.
What is American Legal Publishing best used for?
American Legal Publishing is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what Descope is typically brought in for.
What can American Legal Publishing do that Descope cannot?
American Legal Publishing covers Code Codification, Online Publishing, Print Services, Editorial Support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Descope: Can I build custom authentication flows without code?

Yes. Descope's drag-and-drop workflow interface allows you to construct and modify signup, login, MFA and SSO flows without code changes.

Source
Descope: Does Descope support AI agent authentication?

Yes. Descope supports building identity journeys for AI agents and MCP servers, including scoped OAuth tokens and delegation chains.

Source
Descope: Is Descope HIPAA compliant?

HIPAA compliance is available in Growth tier and above, starting at $799/month.

Source
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