Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

WireGuard vs WorkOS

WireGuard logo

WireGuard

Cybersecurity

Modern, minimal-complexity VPN protocol with state-of-the-art cryptography

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WorkOS logo

WorkOS

Cybersecurity

Developer platform for enterprise-ready authentication and identity.

From
$125/one-time per connection
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only WireGuard has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: WireGuard manual key management required; WireGuard does not provide automated peer discovery or key distribution mechanisms; WorkOS authKit free tier limited to 1 million monthly active users; additional millions cost $2,500/month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which WireGuard and WorkOS actually diverge.

Attributes where WireGuard and WorkOS differ
AttributeWireGuardWorkOS
Starting priceFree$125/one-time per connection
Pricing modelopen-sourceusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSDWeb, API

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

What people use each for

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

WireGuard

  • Site-to-site VPN connectivity for datacentres and branch officesnot WorkOS
  • High-performance VPN applications requiring minimal latency and CPU overheadnot WorkOS
  • Embedded systems and IoT devices with strict memory and storage constraintsnot WorkOS
  • WireGuard-based managed services (Tailscale, Mullvad VPN) providing abstraction over raw protocolnot WorkOS
  • Kernel module for Linux-based VPN appliances and firewallsnot WorkOS
  • Research and development in cryptographic protocol designnot WorkOS

WorkOS

  • SaaS applications needing rapid enterprise SSO deploymentnot WireGuard
  • Companies selling to mid-market and enterprise customersnot WireGuard
  • Applications requiring SCIM directory sync with corporate identity systemsnot WireGuard
  • Product teams needing audit logs for compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001)not WireGuard
  • Platforms with multiple identity provider requirementsnot WireGuard

Where each one falls short

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

WireGuard

  • Manual key management required; WireGuard does not provide automated peer discovery or key distribution mechanisms
  • No built-in support for address allocation or DHCP; all IP assignments must be manually configured
  • Limited to UDP; TCP encapsulation requires wrapper tools, making it unsuitable for environments blocking UDP
  • Stateless protocol design means lost packets trigger peer disconnection rather than transparent reconnection
  • Requires operational expertise to securely configure and deploy; not suitable for non-technical users without wrapper tools (Tailscale, Mullvad)

WorkOS

  • AuthKit free tier limited to 1 million monthly active users; additional millions cost $2,500/month
  • Per-connection pricing for SSO and Directory Sync ($125–$50 each) scales poorly for enterprises with many identity providers
  • Audit logs require separate subscription at $125/month per SIEM connection or $99/month per 1 million events
  • Radar fraud protection billed separately at $100/month per 50,000 additional checks beyond 1,000 free checks
  • Custom domain feature requires $99/month subscription
  • Requires annual commitment for SLA and support guarantees; pay-as-you-go tier lacks uptime guarantee

Pricing, plan by plan

WireGuard

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the WireGuard review.

WorkOS

$125/one-time per connection
  • Pay as You Go$undefined/variable
    • Per-connection pricing from $125 to $50 with volume discounts
    • Up to 60% discount at scale
    • Quick deployment
  • Annual Credits$undefined/variable
    • Custom pricing with volume discounts
    • 99.99% uptime SLA
    • Guided migration

Which should you pick?

Choose WireGuard if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD.
WireGuard review

Choose WorkOS if

  • You work on Web, API.
WorkOS review

Questions people ask

Is WireGuard or WorkOS better?
Neither clearly leads. WireGuard starts at Free and WorkOS at $125/one-time per connection, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, WireGuard or WorkOS?
WireGuard has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for WireGuard and $125/one-time per connection for WorkOS.
Does WireGuard or WorkOS run on more platforms?
WireGuard runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD. WorkOS runs on Web, API.
Can I use WireGuard for free?
Yes. WireGuard has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. WorkOS starts at $125/one-time per connection.
What is WireGuard best used for?
WireGuard is most often used for site-to-site vpn connectivity for datacentres and branch offices, high-performance vpn applications requiring minimal latency and cpu overhead, embedded systems and iot devices with strict memory and storage constraints, wireguard-based managed services (tailscale, mullvad vpn) providing abstraction over raw protocol. Of those, site-to-site vpn connectivity for datacentres and branch offices and high-performance vpn applications requiring minimal latency and cpu overhead are not what WorkOS is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

WireGuard: Is WireGuard free?

Yes, WireGuard is free and open-source software. The Linux kernel module is licensed under GPLv2; implementations for other platforms use MIT or Apache 2.0 licences. There are no licensing fees.

Source
WorkOS: How quickly can I implement WorkOS SSO?

Developers can implement single sign-on in minutes instead of months. Multiple customers report setting up SSO in less than a week, with WorkOS handling the complexity of SAML and OIDC protocols.

Source
WireGuard: How does WireGuard differ from IPsec and OpenVPN?

WireGuard replaces complex negotiation protocols and state machines with simple public-key cryptography. Its code is roughly 100 times smaller than IPsec, making it faster to audit, deploy, and maintain. It uses modern cryptographic primitives rather than legacy algorithms.

Source
WorkOS: What SDKs does WorkOS provide?

WorkOS offers SDKs for Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, PHP, Java, and .NET.

Source
WireGuard: Can I use WireGuard for a commercial VPN service?

Yes. Several commercial VPN services (Mullvad, IVPN, ProtonVPN) use WireGuard as their underlying protocol. You must implement peer management, key distribution, and endpoint selection on top of the WireGuard protocol.

Source
WorkOS: Does WorkOS support SCIM provisioning?

Yes. WorkOS supports SCIM provisioning integration with systems like Okta and Entra ID for automated user management.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on WireGuard

More on WorkOS

Keep looking

Other head to heads