# AWS Cognito vs Descope

| Attribute | AWS Cognito | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 80.6 (73% (medium)) | 84.8 (71% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"AWS Cognito provides secure, scalable user authentication and access management that enables applications to support user sign-up, sign-in, and multi-factor authentication. It offers both a pre-built login interface and APIs for custom implementations, supports passwordless authentication via passkeys and SMS/email OTP, and federates with social and enterprise identity providers. It is indexed under Auth & Identity Software.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_pr","question":"What is AWS Cognito?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS Cognito offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Lite, Essentials and Plus. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/cognito/","question":"Is AWS Cognito free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS Cognito supports the web, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_pr","question":"What platforms does AWS Cognito support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for AWS Cognito, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_pr","question":"Can AWS Cognito be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 10 integrations for AWS Cognito, including Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, SAML, OIDC, AWS Lambda and AWS Amplify, plus 2 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_pr","question":"What does AWS Cognito integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed HIPAA and GDPR for AWS Cognito. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as AWS Cognito not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/security/?nc1=f_cc","question":"What security certifications does AWS Cognito have?","confidence":0.7}]` | `[{"answer":"Cloud-based identity platform that handles user authentication, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and access control through visual flow orchestration. Designed for B2B enterprises and supports passwordless methods, role-based access control, and multi-tenant configurations. It is indexed under Auth & Identity Software.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"What is Descope?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Descope offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Free Forever and Pro. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"Is Descope free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Descope supports the web, iOS, Android and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"What platforms does Descope support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Descope, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"Can Descope be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 22 integrations for Descope, including Vercel, OpenAI, Google Calendar, Facebook, MCP servers, Email/SMS platforms, CRM platforms and CDP platforms, plus 14 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"What does Descope integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for Descope. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Descope not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.descope.com/security-compliance","question":"What security certifications does Descope have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Descope is available in Australia and the EU. Its primary markets are the United States, the EU and Australia.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"Where is Descope available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Manages authentication and access control through identity federation, social provider integration, passwordless authentication methods, and multi-factor authentication capabilities. Supports both hosted login interfaces and API-driven custom implementations. | A managed identity and access management service that enables businesses to build and customize authentication journeys across applications. Supports passwordless authentication, multi-tenant configurations, role-based access control, and integration with external identity providers. |
| features.capabilities | `{"mfa":true,"oidc":true,"rbac":true,"hosting":"cloud","saml_sso":true,"hosted_ui":"both","open_source":false,"passwordless":true,"social_login":true,"b2b_multi_tenant":true,"passkeys_webauthn":true}` | `{"mfa":true,"oidc":true,"rbac":true,"hosting":"cloud","saml_sso":true,"hosted_ui":"both","open_source":false,"passwordless":true,"social_login":true,"b2b_multi_tenant":true,"passkeys_webauthn":true,"scim_provisioning":true}` |
| integrations.count | 8 | 50 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Apple"},{"name":"Facebook"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"Amazon"},{"name":"SAML"},{"name":"OIDC"},{"name":"AWS Lambda"},{"name":"AWS Amplify"},{"name":"AWS AppSync"},{"name":"AWS Verified Permissions"},{"name":"AWS CloudTrail","native":true,"direction":"outbound"},{"name":"AWS CloudWatch","native":true,"direction":"outbound"}]` | `[{"name":"Vercel"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Google Calendar"},{"name":"Facebook"},{"name":"MCP servers"},{"name":"Email/SMS platforms"},{"name":"CRM platforms"},{"name":"CDP platforms"},{"name":"Audit solutions"},{"name":"Fraud detection systems"},{"name":"OpenID Connect","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"SAML","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Fingerprint","native":true,"category":"fraud"},{"name":"Sardine","native":true,"category":"fraud"},{"name":"Forter","native":true,"category":"fraud"},{"name":"Incode","native":true,"category":"identity_verification"},{"name":"Amazon Rekognition","native":false,"category":"identity_verification"},{"name":"Cloudflare","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"reCAPTCHA","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"Turnstile","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"AbuseIPDB","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"Box","native":false,"category":"document_management"},{"name":"Vercel AI SDK","native":false}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US","EU","AU"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":["AU","EU"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Lite","summary":"$0.015 per MAU above free tier","features":["User registration","Password-based authentication","Social identity federation","SAML/OIDC provider support"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"MAU"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.015,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Basic user registration, authentication, and management with social and SAML/OIDC federation","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"mau":"10000/month"}},{"free":true,"name":"Essentials","summary":"$0.015 per MAU above free tier","features":["All Lite features","Managed Login interface","Passwordless authentication","Passkeys support","Email/SMS OTP"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"MAU"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.015,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Comprehensive authentication with Managed Login and passwordless options via passkeys, email, or SMS","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"mau":"10000/month"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"$0.020 per MAU","features":["All Essentials features","Risk-based adaptive authentication","Compromised credentials detection","Authentication event export"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"MAU"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.02,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Advanced security tier with threat detection, risk-based adaptive authentication, and compromised credential detection","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Multi-Region Replication","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"MAU"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.0045,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Free tier with 10,000 MAU/month. Usage-based pricing from $0.015–$0.020 per MAU","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://aws.amazon.com/cognito/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T10:34:04.240Z","startingPrice":{"unit":"MAU","amount":0.02,"currency":"USD"}}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free Forever","summary":"Free tier with M2M and agentic identity essentials","description":"Includes M2M and agentic identity essentials available to all developers","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Usage-based pricing with Monthly Active Consents (MAC), Monthly Active Tokens (MATK), and M2M Exchanges. Free tier available.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:38:03.189Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":0.02,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.99 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"HIPAA","level":"Eligible","status":"active"},{"name":"PCI DSS","status":"active"},{"name":"SOC 2","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27001","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27017","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27018","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 9001","status":"active"}]` | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 27001","status":"active"},{"name":"FedRAMP High","status":"active"},{"name":"CSA STAR Level 2","status":"active"},{"name":"PCI DSS","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.fedramp | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | yes |
| security.pci | yes | yes |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/ | https://www.descope.com/security-compliance |

## Capabilities (Auth & Identity Software)

| Capability | AWS Cognito | Descope |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud only | Cloud only |
| **Methods** |  |  |
| Social login | ✓ | ✓ |
| Passwordless | ✓ | ✓ |
| Passkeys / WebAuthn | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-factor auth | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Enterprise** |  |  |
| SAML SSO | ✓ | ✓ |
| SCIM provisioning | - | ✓ |
| B2B / multi-tenancy | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OpenID Connect provider | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Hosted UI | Both | Both |
| **Access** |  |  |
| RBAC | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Self-hostable OSS core | ✗ | ✗ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-17T01:01:11.617Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*