Comparison

Descope vs Zitadel

On the evidence we track, Descope leads this comparison with a composite score of 91/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Descope91
Zitadel65
Score
Vioscale score
Descope91 / 100medium · 72%
Zitadel65 / 100low · 46%
Pricing
Free tier
Descope
Zitadel
Model
Descopefreemium
Zitadelfreemium
Price level
Descopelow
Zitadelhigh
Transparent
Descope
Zitadel
Integrations
Count
Descope50
Zitadel12
Security
Disclosure policy
Descope
Zitadel
Fedramp
Descope
Zitadel
Gdpr
Descope
Zitadel
Hipaa
Descope
Zitadel
Iso27001
Descope
Zitadel
Pci
Descope
Zitadel
Soc2
Descope
Zitadel
Reliability
Sla pct
Descope99.99
Zitadel99.99
Status page
Descope
Zitadel
Adoption
Dependent repos
Descope
Zitadel0
Github stars
Descope
Zitadel14,862
Activity
Commits last 30d
Descope
Zitadel42
Release
Cadence days
Descope
Zitadel5
History
Descope
Zitadel20 items
License
Spdx
Descope
ZitadelAGPL-3.0
Language
Primary
Descope
ZitadelGo

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for auth & identity software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Deployment
Hosting
DescopeCloud only
ZitadelCloud + self-hosted
Methods
Social login
Descope
Zitadel
Passwordless
Descope
Zitadel
Passkeys / WebAuthn
Descope
Zitadel
Multi-factor auth
Descope
Zitadel
Enterprise
SAML SSO
Descope
Zitadel
SCIM provisioning
Descope
Zitadel
B2B / multi-tenancy
Descope
Zitadel
Standards
OpenID Connect provider
Descope
Zitadel
Delivery
Hosted UI
DescopeBoth
ZitadelBoth
Access
RBAC
Descope
Zitadel
Licensing
Self-hostable OSS core
Descope
Zitadel

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Descope

Leader

Descope is an identity and access management platform that enables developers to build and customize authentication flows for customers, partners, AI agents, and MCP servers. It offers drag-and-drop workflows, passwordless authentication, MFA, SSO, and token management with features designed to reduce friction while preventing account takeover.

Independently observed

Zitadel

A multi-tenant, API-first identity and access management platform offering single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, passkeys, and complete audit trails. Available as a managed cloud service or self-hosted deployment, designed for developers building secure SaaS and B2B applications.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Descope

Leader
HybridFree tier

Usage-based pricing with Monthly Active Consents (MAC), Monthly Active Tokens (MATK), and M2M Exchanges. Free tier available.

  • Free ForeverFree
  • Pro-
as of verify ↗

Zitadel

from $100/moHybridFree tier

Free tier available. Pro plan from $100/month with 25,000 DAU included. Usage-based overage pricing for additional capacity.

  • FreeFree
    • 100 daily active users
    • 3 external identity providers
    • 5,000 management API requests
    • Community support
    • 1 management instance
  • Pro$100/month including 25,000 DAU and 500,000 API requests; overage pricing available
    • 25,000 daily active users
    • 500,000 management API requests
    • 3 external identity providers
    • Multifactor authentication
    • Passkeys/WebAuthn
    • +5 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Custom scaling
    • Custom compliance
    • Custom security questionnaires
    • Custom contract and MSA
    • Up to 99.99% availability SLA
    • +1 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Descope
Zitadel
iOS
Descope
Zitadel
Android
Descope
Zitadel
CLI
Descope
Zitadel
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Descope
Zitadel
Self-hosted
Descope
Zitadel
Hybrid
Descope
Zitadel

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Descope

Leader
10 total
  • Vercel
  • OpenAI
  • Google Calendar
  • Facebook
  • MCP servers
  • Email/SMS platforms
  • CRM platforms
  • CDP platforms
  • Audit solutions
  • Fraud detection systems
Independently observed

Zitadel

12 total
  • Google
  • Microsoft
  • GitHub
  • LDAP
  • SAML 2.0
  • SCIM 2.0
  • OpenID Connect
  • gRPC
  • connectRPC
  • REST API
  • Webhooks
  • Actions
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.