Software · head to head
Stytch vs Keygen
Stytch
Software
Identity platform with passwordless auth, passkeys and bot detection.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Stytch has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Stytch free tier limited to 10,000 monthly active users; scaling beyond this requires custom pricing negotiation; Keygen cloud hosted plans start at $995 per month billed per domain, a floor aimed at established software vendors rather than solo developers
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Stytch and Keygen actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Stytch
- Applications prioritising passwordless and passkey authenticationnot Keygen
- SaaS platforms requiring AI agent authentication and machine-to-machine flowsnot Keygen
- Companies with emerging identity needs such as bot detection and device intelligencenot Keygen
- Organisations building with Next.js and React requiring modern auth patternsnot Keygen
- Applications needing transparent pricing without surprise tiers or feature gatingnot Keygen
Keygen
No use cases recorded yet. See the Keygen review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Stytch
- Free tier limited to 10,000 monthly active users; scaling beyond this requires custom pricing negotiation
- Fraud prevention capabilities billed at $0.005 per fingerprint for usage exceeding 10,000 free checks
- Additional SSO or SCIM connections beyond the 5 included in free tier cost $125 each
- Brand customisation and email removal require one-time payment of $99
- HIPAA and advanced fraud protection only available in Enterprise tier
- No native UI builder; requires custom frontend development for fully-branded auth flows
Keygen
- Cloud hosted plans start at $995 per month billed per domain, a floor aimed at established software vendors rather than solo developers
Pricing, plan by plan
Stytch
Free- FreeFree
- 10,000 monthly active users and AI agents
- Unlimited organisations
- 5 SSO or SCIM connections
- Scaled$null/variable
- Usage-based pricing for users exceeding 10,000
- All free tier features
- Volume discounts available
- Enterprise$null/variable
- Custom pricing
- Discounted volume rates
- Enterprise support SLA
Keygen
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Keygen review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Keygen if
Nothing in the data separates Keygen from Stytch on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Stytch or Keygen better?
- Neither clearly leads. Stytch starts at Free and Keygen at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Stytch or Keygen?
- Stytch has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Stytch and On request for Keygen.
- Does Stytch or Keygen run on more platforms?
- Stytch runs on Web, API. Keygen runs on Web.
- Can I use Stytch for free?
- Yes. Stytch has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Keygen starts at On request.
- What is Stytch best used for?
- Stytch is most often used for applications prioritising passwordless and passkey authentication, saas platforms requiring ai agent authentication and machine-to-machine flows, companies with emerging identity needs such as bot detection and device intelligence, organisations building with next.js and react requiring modern auth patterns. Of those, applications prioritising passwordless and passkey authentication and saas platforms requiring ai agent authentication and machine-to-machine flows are not what Keygen is typically brought in for.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Stytch: What is included in Stytch's free tier?
The free tier includes 10,000 monthly active users (human and AI agents), unlimited organisations, 5 SSO or SCIM connections, and 1,000 machine-to-machine tokens with full authentication features.
SourceStytch: Does Stytch support AI agent authentication?
Yes. Stytch provides native AI agent authentication and authorisation, with support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for authenticating AI agents accessing external systems.
SourceStytch: What fraud prevention features does Stytch offer?
Stytch includes bot detection with 99.99% accuracy, device fingerprinting, invisible CAPTCHA, and zero-day device intelligence built into all tiers.
Source