# Better Auth vs Zitadel

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Better Auth

| Attribute | Better Auth | Zitadel |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 64.4 (39% (low)) | 56.1 (43% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 32 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 210 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 30,292 | 15,201 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 11,857,147 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Better Auth is an open-source framework for building authentication directly into TypeScript applications using code-based configuration. It provides 50+ authentication methods and integrates with 20+ JavaScript frameworks, supporting features like social login, passkeys, multi-factor authentication, and enterprise capabilities such as SAML and SCIM. It is indexed under Auth & Identity Software.","source":"https://better-auth.com/pricing","question":"What is Better Auth?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Better Auth is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. A commercial or hosted edition starts at $20 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://better-auth.com/pricing","question":"Is Better Auth free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Better Auth. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://better-auth.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does Better Auth support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Better Auth can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://better-auth.com/pricing","question":"Can Better Auth be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 21 integrations for Better Auth, including Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, Hono, Google, GitHub and Apple, plus 13 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://better-auth.com/pricing","question":"What does Better Auth integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Better Auth is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth","question":"Is Better Auth open source?","confidence":0.99},{"answer":"Better Auth is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://better-auth.com/pricing","question":"Where is Better Auth available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"An open-source identity platform providing multi-tenant architecture with support for passwordless authentication, social logins, multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and enterprise integrations via standardized protocols like OIDC, SAML, and SCIM. It is indexed under Auth & Identity Software.","source":"https://zitadel.com/pricing","question":"What is Zitadel?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Zitadel is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the AGPL-3.0 licence. A commercial or hosted edition starts at $100 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://zitadel.com/pricing","question":"Is Zitadel free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Zitadel. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://zitadel.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does Zitadel support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Zitadel can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://zitadel.com/pricing","question":"Can Zitadel be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 12 integrations for Zitadel, including Google, Microsoft, GitHub, LDAP, SAML 2.0, SCIM 2.0, OpenID Connect and gRPC, plus 4 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://zitadel.com/pricing","question":"What does Zitadel integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Zitadel. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Zitadel not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://zitadel.com/pricing/detail","question":"What security certifications does Zitadel have?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Zitadel is published under the AGPL-3.0 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel","question":"Is Zitadel open source?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Zitadel is available in the United States, Australia and Switzerland. Its primary markets are the United States, Australia and Switzerland.","source":"https://zitadel.com/pricing","question":"Where is Zitadel available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source authentication framework that provides multiple authentication methods including social login, passkeys, passwordless auth, and enterprise features like SSO and directory sync, with optional managed cloud infrastructure for auditing and security monitoring. | Zitadel is an identity and access management platform that provides API-first authentication, authorization, and user management. It supports multiple deployment models (cloud and self-hosted), comprehensive authentication methods including passwordless and passkeys, and is designed for B2B multi-tenant applications. |
| features.capabilities | `{"mfa":true,"oidc":true,"rbac":true,"hosting":"both","saml_sso":true,"hosted_ui":"headless","open_source":true,"passwordless":true,"social_login":true,"b2b_multi_tenant":true,"passkeys_webauthn":true,"scim_provisioning":true}` | `{"mfa":true,"oidc":true,"rbac":true,"hosting":"both","saml_sso":true,"hosted_ui":"both","open_source":true,"passwordless":true,"social_login":true,"b2b_multi_tenant":true,"passkeys_webauthn":true,"scim_provisioning":true}` |
| integrations.count | 4 | 3 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Next.js"},{"name":"Nuxt"},{"name":"SvelteKit"},{"name":"Astro"},{"name":"Hono"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Apple"},{"name":"Discord"},{"name":"Passkey Authentication"},{"name":"Magic Link Authentication"},{"name":"Email OTP Authentication"},{"name":"Two Factor Authentication"},{"name":"Username Authentication"},{"name":"One Tap Authentication"},{"name":"Phone Number Authentication"},{"name":"Anonymous Authentication"},{"name":"Bearer Authentication"},{"name":"Generic OAuth"},{"name":"One Time Token Authentication"},{"name":"SIWE Authentication"},{"name":"Cloudflare","native":true,"category":"social"},{"name":"Microsoft Entra ID","native":true,"category":"social"},{"name":"Yandex","native":true,"category":"social"}]` | `[{"name":"Google"},{"name":"Microsoft"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"LDAP"},{"name":"SAML 2.0"},{"name":"SCIM 2.0"},{"name":"OpenID Connect"},{"name":"gRPC"},{"name":"connectRPC"},{"name":"REST API"},{"name":"Webhooks"},{"name":"Actions"}]` |
| language.primary | TypeScript | Go |
| license.spdx | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"regional","availableCountries":["US","AU","CH","EU"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Starter","summary":"Free","features":["User management","Audit log","Security detection","Abuse protection","Email templates","Community support"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For evaluation and side projects","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"dashboard_seats":"1","audit_logs_per_month":"10,000","audit_log_retention_days":"1","security_detections_per_month":"1,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$20/month base, plus per-usage overages","features":["Unlimited seats","User management","Audit log with overage","Security detection with overage","Transactional Email & SMS","Self-service SSO","Directory Sync","Dashboard RBAC","Email support","Slack support"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For production teams running auth in the critical path","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"dashboard_seats":"Unlimited","audit_logs_per_month":"20,000","audit_log_retention_days":"7","security_detections_per_month":"10,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["Custom usage and retention","Custom domain for Dashboard","Log drain","Dashboard RBAC","Custom MSA and DPA","Slack support","Implementation assistance"],"description":"For organizations with bespoke security or volume needs","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"Custom domain for Dashboard","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Log drain","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"SSO connection (additional)","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Directory Sync connection (additional)","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Free tier available. Pro from $20/month. Enterprise custom pricing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://better-auth.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T12:12:32.259Z","startingPrice":{"amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"$0/month","features":["All security features","Data Residency: EU, US, Switzerland, Australia","Store unlimited Users","Unlimited Organizations","100 Daily Active Users","Service Users / Agents","3 identity providers","Custom workflows"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"daily_active_users":"100"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$100/month","features":["Everything in Free","25,000 Daily Active Users per month included","3 identity providers included","Custom domain included","99.5% uptime guarantee","1h response SLO"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"daily_active_users":"25000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["Cloud or own infrastructure","Unlimited Daily Active Users","Custom Support SLA","Technical Account Manager","Volume discounts","Commercial license","Custom Security Questionnaires","99.99% uptime guarantee","Custom contract/MSA"],"contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"daily_active_users":"Unlimited"}}],"summary":"Free plan, Pro from $100/month, Enterprise custom pricing","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://zitadel.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-05T10:09:39.266Z","startingPrice":{"amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | mid | high |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":20,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":100,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 2 | 3 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.8","date":"2026-10-14T17:50:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.7","date":"2026-09-30T21:29:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.6","date":"2026-09-24T15:56:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.5","date":"2026-09-14T22:10:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.33","date":"2026-09-14T22:04:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.33"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.32","date":"2026-09-14T18:45:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.32"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.4","date":"2026-09-10T11:34:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.31","date":"2026-09-10T09:19:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.31"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.3","date":"2026-09-06T03:02:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.2","date":"2026-08-26T19:03:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.1","date":"2026-08-18T18:51:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.0","date":"2026-08-18T00:23:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.30","date":"2026-08-17T19:09:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.30"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.0-rc.6","date":"2026-08-14T18:19:37Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.7.0-rc.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.29","date":"2026-08-14T18:18:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.29"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.28","date":"2026-08-13T22:39:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.28"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.0-rc.5","date":"2026-08-11T22:16:46Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.7.0-rc.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.27","date":"2026-08-11T17:59:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.27"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.0-rc.4","date":"2026-08-05T00:26:40Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.7.0-rc.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.26","date":"2026-08-04T21:19:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.26"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.19.4","date":"2026-10-01T13:03:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.19.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.19.3","date":"2026-09-29T16:16:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.19.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.19.2","date":"2026-09-28T06:27:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.19.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.19.1","date":"2026-09-23T16:33:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.19.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.19.0","date":"2026-09-23T05:36:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.19.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.18.0","date":"2026-09-21T11:56:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.18.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.17.3","date":"2026-09-04T06:44:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.17.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.17.2","date":"2026-08-31T09:04:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.17.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.17.1","date":"2026-08-14T06:41:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.17.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v3.4.15","date":"2026-08-14T07:59:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.17.0","date":"2026-08-12T08:37:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.17.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.16.3","date":"2026-08-07T17:10:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.16.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.16.2","date":"2026-07-29T05:55:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.16.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v3.4.14","date":"2026-07-29T07:30:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.16.1","date":"2026-07-17T08:44:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.16.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v3.4.13","date":"2026-07-17T09:07:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.16.0","date":"2026-07-10T05:56:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.16.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.15.3","date":"2026-06-22T11:46:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.15.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v4.15.2","date":"2026-06-17T04:21:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.15.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v3.4.12","date":"2026-06-17T07:09:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.12"}]` |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.5 |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"OpenID Connect certified","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://better-auth.com/blog/security-update-june-2026 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=auth&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=helm&package_name=zitadel%2Fzitadel&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Auth & Identity Software)

| Capability | Better Auth | Zitadel |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud + self-hosted | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Methods** |  |  |
| Social login | ✓ | ✓ |
| Passwordless | ✓ | ✓ |
| Passkeys / WebAuthn | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-factor auth | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Enterprise** |  |  |
| SAML SSO | ✓ | ✓ |
| SCIM provisioning | ✓ | ✓ |
| B2B / multi-tenancy | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OpenID Connect provider | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Hosted UI | Headless | Both |
| **Access** |  |  |
| RBAC | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Self-hostable OSS core | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:48:34.781Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*