Okta expands Auth0’s free plan with passwordless authentication, developer tools

Okta has upgraded its Auth0 platform and Customer Identity Cloud to offer developers enhanced scalability, security, and customization features. These updates, available across free and paid plans, are designed to help developers tackle the growing challenges posed by increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

One of the main changes involves the expansion of the Auth0 free plan, which now supports up to 25,000 monthly active users (MAUs), a notable jump from the 7,500 MAUs previously offered last year. Other new features include passwordless authentication, unlimited social and Okta connections, and support for custom domains.

For the company’s paid plans, enterprise-level security measures, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), support for the System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM), and enhanced log retention, is now also on the cards.

“Developers are grappling with greater demand to rapidly deploy applications while facing increasingly sophisticated AI-powered bot attacks to defend against,” says Shiven Ramji, president, customer identity cloud at Okta.

“To help them stay ahead of these threats and grow their businesses, developers require solutions that can take care of identity and security for them. By making more Auth0 capabilities available at no added cost, developers can build secure apps from the start and feel confident in their ability to scale alongside significant user growth.”

Okta has been running Auth0 as an independent business since its $6.5 billion 2021 acquisition. In 2023, Worldcoin’s digital ID authentication feature was integrated into Okta’s Auth0 marketplace, expanding the offerings of the identity and access management platform.

Okta suggests that developers integrating security earlier in the development process could help with solving traditional identity threats. This is the thought process that essentially led to its free plan now including stronger authentication options, such as passwordless logins.

In addition to bolstering security, the new features are also aimed at improving user experiences by reducing friction in the login process. Studies show that 83 percent of consumers abandon sign-up processes due to complicated authentication steps. Okta plans to capitalize on this by expanding the customization options for developers.

Okta’s Unlimited Okta Social Connections allows users to log in through over 70 social platforms and also serves as a bridge for developers to integrate their applications with the Okta Workforce Identity Cloud.

Finalists for SaaS startup competition

In a related development, the company recently announced the finalists for its SaaS startup competition, aimed at encouraging startups to build identity security applications. The initiative is part of Okta’s broader effort to enable developers and entrepreneurs to focus on scalable identity systems in the digital space.

The finalists include Block Party, a social media and settings deep cleaning app, RunReveal, a security tool provider, and Validia, a real-time identity verification provider.

Article Topics

Auth0  |  digital identity  |  identity access management (IAM)  |  multifactor authentication  |  Okta  |  passwordless authentication  |  SaaS