Technology · head to head
Auth0 vs LaunchDarkly
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Auth0 free tier limited to 25,000 monthly active users, requiring upgrade for growth beyond that; LaunchDarkly pricing scales rapidly with monthly active users, becoming expensive at scale
- They diverge on capability: Auth0 covers Universal login, LaunchDarkly covers Feature flags.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Auth0 and LaunchDarkly actually diverge.
| Attribute | Auth0 | LaunchDarkly |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Cloud, APIs |
| Founded | 2013 | 2014 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).
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 Auth0
- Universal login
- Social login
- Multi-factor authentication
- Passwordless
- User management
- Anomaly detection
- Extensibility
- Machine to machine
Only in LaunchDarkly
- Feature flags
- Progressive rollouts
- User targeting
- A/B testing
- Kill switches
- Audit log
- Multi-environment
- SDKs for all platforms
Both cover
- Slack
- Datadog
- Splunk
- New Relic
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- HIPAA
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Auth0
- B2C authenticationnot LaunchDarkly
- B2B authenticationnot LaunchDarkly
- B2E authenticationnot LaunchDarkly
- API securitynot LaunchDarkly
- Mobile app securitynot LaunchDarkly
LaunchDarkly
- Progressive deliverynot Auth0
- Feature experimentationnot Auth0
- Risk mitigationnot Auth0
- Performance optimizationnot Auth0
- Infrastructure migrationnot Auth0
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Auth0
- Free tier limited to 25,000 monthly active users, requiring upgrade for growth beyond that
- Advanced features like MFA and RBAC only available on paid Essentials tier and above
- Ownership by Okta introduces risk that independent product roadmap may change
LaunchDarkly
- Pricing scales rapidly with monthly active users, becoming expensive at scale
- Limited seats for engineers on standard plans, forcing upgrade to enterprise
- Advanced features like experimentation and audit logs require higher-tier plans
- Occasional reliability issues and backend delays reported by users
Pricing, plan by plan
Auth0
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 25,000 monthly active users
- Basic authentication
- Email/password login
- Essentials (B2C)$35/month
- Unlimited MAUs beyond free tier
- Multi-Factor Authentication
- Role-Based Access Control
- Professional (B2C)$240/month
- All Essentials features
- Advanced security
- Custom branding
LaunchDarkly
Free- DeveloperFree
- Unlimited seats
- Unlimited feature flags
- A/B tests and experiments
- Foundation$undefined/mo
- $12 per connection
- $10 per 1K MAU
- Targeted segmentation
- Enterprise$undefined/mo
- Custom pricing
- Advanced automation
- Compliance features
Which should you pick?
Choose Auth0 if
- You need universal login.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want social login.
Choose LaunchDarkly if
- You need feature flags.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud, APIs.
- You also want progressive rollouts.
Questions people ask
- Is Auth0 or LaunchDarkly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Auth0 starts at Free and LaunchDarkly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Auth0 or LaunchDarkly?
- Auth0 starts at Free and LaunchDarkly at Free.
- Does Auth0 or LaunchDarkly run on more platforms?
- Auth0 runs on Web, iOS, Android. LaunchDarkly runs on Web, Cloud, APIs.
- Can I use Auth0 for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Auth0 best used for?
- Auth0 is most often used for b2c authentication, b2b authentication, b2e authentication, api security. Of those, b2c authentication and b2b authentication are not what LaunchDarkly is typically brought in for.
- What can Auth0 do that LaunchDarkly cannot?
- Auth0 covers Universal login, Social login, Multi-factor authentication, Passwordless. LaunchDarkly covers Feature flags, Progressive rollouts, User targeting, A/B testing. Both handle Slack, Datadog, Splunk, New Relic.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Auth0: How much does Auth0 cost?
Auth0 has a Free tier for up to 25,000 monthly active users (MAUs). Paid plans start at $35/month (Essentials B2C) and scale to $240/month (Professional B2C) and higher for Enterprise. Pricing scales with MAU usage.
SourceLaunchDarkly: What does the free Developer plan include?
The free Developer plan includes unlimited seats, unlimited feature flags, A/B tests and experiments, 30 SDKs, 10 million logs and traces, 5,000 session replays and errors, and 14 days of data retention.
SourceAuth0: Does Auth0 include Multi-Factor Authentication?
No. MFA, RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), and premium support are not included in the free tier and require upgrading to paid Essentials plans or higher.
SourceLaunchDarkly: How does LaunchDarkly pricing scale?
Foundation plan pricing is $12 per connection plus $10 per 1,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU). Enterprise and Guardian plans have custom pricing based on usage, advanced features, and compliance requirements.
SourceAuth0: Is Auth0 independent or part of a larger company?
Auth0 was acquired by Okta in May 2021 for $6.5 billion. It now operates as a subsidiary business unit within Okta, but maintains its own brand and operations.
SourceLaunchDarkly: Does LaunchDarkly integrate with Jira and Slack?
Yes, LaunchDarkly integrates with Jira Cloud, allowing you to link feature flags to Jira issues and create issues from observability data. It also integrates with Slack for flag notifications and allows authorized members to trigger flag changes from Slack.
SourceAuth0: Who should use Auth0 vs Okta?
Auth0 is developer-focused and serves customer identity use cases (B2C). Okta serves workforce identity (B2B) and has broader enterprise features. Auth0 now serves both markets post-acquisition but maintains its developer-friendly positioning.
SourceLaunchDarkly: What is dark launching and how does LaunchDarkly enable it?
Dark launching keeps code changes hidden in production until ready to enable. LaunchDarkly enables this through feature flags that let teams safely test code in production before rolling out to users.
SourceRelated pages
More on LaunchDarkly
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