Auth0 vs Hanko for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Auth0 Overview

Auth0, part of Okta, is the enterprise identity platform that covers every auth scenario. Social logins, MFA, passwordless, SAML SSO, SCIM, machine-to-machine tokens, and RBAC. It's a fully managed service where Auth0 handles hosting, security, compliance, and scaling.

The Universal Login redirects users to Auth0's hosted page for authentication. Actions let you customize auth flows with serverless code. SDKs exist for every major framework. The dashboard manages applications, connections, users, and policies.

Auth0 has been the standard recommendation for enterprise auth for years. The depth of features and the breadth of framework support make it a safe choice for almost any project.

Hanko Overview

Hanko is an open-source authentication platform built around passkeys and WebAuthn. It's designed for the passwordless future: users authenticate with biometrics (Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello) instead of typing passwords. No passwords means no password breaches, no reset flows, and no credential stuffing attacks.

Hanko provides web components that you drop into your app. The <hanko-auth> element renders a complete login flow with passkey registration, email fallback, and passcode verification. It's framework-agnostic and works with React, Vue, Svelte, or plain HTML. The backend is a Go server you can self-host or use Hanko Cloud.

I tried Hanko in a side project specifically to test passkey-based auth. The setup was surprisingly quick. The web component handled the entire flow, and the user experience was genuinely better than traditional login. Tap Face ID, you're in. No password to remember, no 2FA codes to enter.

Key Differences

Authentication philosophy. Auth0 supports everything: passwords, social, passwordless, passkeys, MFA. It's the Swiss army knife of auth. Hanko is opinionated. It pushes passkeys as the primary auth method with email passcodes as fallback. If you believe passwordless is the future, Hanko aligns with that vision. If you want every option available, Auth0 provides it.

User experience. Hanko's passkey-first flow is genuinely smoother than traditional login. Users register once with a biometric, then log in with a tap. No password manager needed, no MFA step. Auth0's Universal Login is functional but conventional: email, password, maybe a 2FA code. The UX gap is real for end users.

Cost. Hanko's open-source server is free to self-host. Auth0 charges $35/month after 7,500 MAU. If you're self-hosting Hanko on infrastructure you already have, auth costs you nothing. Auth0's costs scale with your user base.

Enterprise features. Auth0 has SAML SSO, SCIM, organizations, and compliance certifications. Hanko focuses on passkeys and doesn't have enterprise SSO features. If your customers need SAML login, Auth0 is the answer. Hanko isn't built for that market.

Maturity and ecosystem. Auth0 has been around since 2013, processes billions of logins monthly, and has SDKs for every framework. Hanko is younger and smaller. The community and ecosystem are growing but not comparable to Auth0's. If you need battle-tested stability, Auth0 has the track record.

Browser support. Passkeys require WebAuthn browser support. Modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) support it, but older browsers and some edge cases don't. Hanko provides email passcode fallback. Auth0 works everywhere because traditional auth flows don't depend on browser capabilities.

When to Choose Auth0

• You need enterprise SSO (SAML, SCIM) for B2B customers
• You want maximum compatibility with every browser and device
• Compliance certifications are required
• You need auth features beyond login (machine-to-machine, LDAP)
• You prefer a battle-tested platform with years of production use

When to Choose Hanko

• You want to offer passkey-first authentication (the best UX)
• Passwordless security is a priority for your product
• You prefer open-source and want to self-host your auth
• You're building a modern consumer app where UX matters
• You want to eliminate password-related support tickets entirely

The Verdict

Auth0 is the safe, proven choice with maximum flexibility. It handles every auth scenario and works with every framework. For solo developers building products that need to work reliably today, Auth0 is the practical pick. You can always add passkey support through Auth0 later.

Hanko is the forward-looking choice. Passkeys are the future of authentication, and Hanko is built specifically for that future. If you're building a new consumer product and want the best possible login experience, Hanko delivers that. The passwordless flow genuinely delights users.

My recommendation: if you're building a consumer product from scratch, give Hanko a serious look. The UX improvement from passkeys is meaningful, and Hanko makes it easy to implement. If you need enterprise features, broad framework support, or can't risk any compatibility issues, Auth0 is the reliable default. Most solo developers should at least prototype with Hanko to see what passwordless feels like in practice.