Okta vs WorkOS: Which Identity Platform Should You Use in 2026?

Okta and WorkOS both handle authentication, but they solve different problems. Okta manages employee access to internal apps; WorkOS gives developers auth infrastructure to embed in their own SaaS product. Here's how pricing and features compare.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

Okta

Enterprise identity and access management platform

$2/user/monthuser/month for SSO, billed annually (add-ons priced separately)

Strengths

+7,000+ pre-built app integrations
+Mature lifecycle management and provisioning rules
+Strong compliance certifications (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA)

Weaknesses

-Costs stack up fast — SSO, MFA, and lifecycle management are separate add-ons
-Annual contracts and seat minimums, not friendly to small teams
-Complex configuration compared to developer-first tools

Best for

IT teams managing employee access to internal and third-party SaaS apps

WorkOS

Authentication and user management infrastructure for B2B SaaS applications

Freeup to 1M MAUs on User Management; SSO/SCIM $125/connection/month after the first

Strengths

+Free User Management (AuthKit) up to 1 million MAUs
+Developer-first APIs and SDKs, fast to integrate
+No seat minimums or annual contracts required

Weaknesses

-Not built for managing your own employees' internal app access
-Smaller integration catalog than Okta's app marketplace
-Enterprise SSO/SCIM still costs per customer connection at scale

Best for

SaaS companies adding login, SSO, and user management to their own product

Feature Comparison

Feature	Okta	WorkOS
Primary use case	Workforce identity (employee access to apps)	Customer-facing auth for your own SaaS product
Free tier	No free tier, trial only	Free up to 1M MAUs (User Management)
SSO pricing	~$2/user/month, billed annually	Free for first connection, $125/connection/month after
SCIM/Directory sync	Included in Lifecycle Management add-on (~$4/user/mo)	Free for first connection, then per-connection pricing
Developer experience	Admin-console driven, config-heavy	API/SDK-first, built to embed in your app
Pre-built login UI	Limited, mostly admin-facing	Yes — AuthKit hosted login components
MFA	Adaptive MFA add-on (~$3/user/mo)	Included in User Management
App integration catalog	7,000+ pre-built app integrations	Smaller catalog, focused on IdP/SCIM connections
Contract terms	Annual contracts, seat minimums typical	No minimums, pay-as-you-go
Audit logs	Included in higher tiers	Included
Target buyer	IT/security teams	Product/engineering teams

The Verdict

Okta and WorkOS aren't really competing for the same job. Okta secures your employees' access to internal and third-party apps; WorkOS gives your engineering team the API to add login, SSO, and SCIM to the product you're selling. If you're paying Okta's per-user fees to give your customers SSO, switch to WorkOS — the free MAU tier and per-connection pricing will almost always be cheaper. If you need workforce IT identity management, Okta stays the right tool.

How to switch from Okta to WorkOS

1Export your user directory from Okta using Admin Console > Reports > System Log or the Users API (GET /api/v1/users) as JSON/CSV, and manually document each app's SAML metadata (Entity ID, ACS URL, certificate) since SSO configs aren't bulk-exportable.
2Sign up for WorkOS and create a project; import your existing users into WorkOS User Management (AuthKit) via the Bulk Import API or CSV upload, mapping Okta user attributes to WorkOS profiles.
3Recreate each customer's SSO connection in the WorkOS Dashboard using the SAML/OIDC metadata exported from Okta, and test each one in a staging environment before go-live.
4Rebuild any SCIM-based provisioning workflows using WorkOS Directory Sync, replicating the user lifecycle rules that previously lived in Okta Lifecycle Management.
5Update your application code to call WorkOS SDKs (Node, Python, Ruby, etc.) for login, session handling, and MFA in place of the Okta SDK.
6Run both systems in parallel with a pilot group of customers, confirm SSO and login flows work end-to-end, then cut over all remaining customers and deactivate the corresponding Okta apps and connections.

Okta vs WorkOS: common questions

How do I export my user and SSO connection data from Okta?+

Use Okta's Admin Console (Reports > System Log) or the Users API (GET /api/v1/users) to export your full user directory as JSON or CSV. SSO configurations aren't bulk-exportable — you'll need to manually document each app's SAML metadata (Entity ID, ACS URL, X.509 certificate) before migrating.

What do I lose moving from Okta to WorkOS?+

You lose Okta's 7,000+ pre-built app integrations and workforce IT features like device management and lifecycle provisioning rules. WorkOS doesn't manage employee access to third-party apps — it's built purely for authenticating users of your own product.

Is WorkOS's free tier enough for a small team?+

Yes, if you're adding login/auth to your own SaaS product — User Management (AuthKit) is free up to 1 million monthly active users. Once you start selling SSO or SCIM to enterprise customers, budget $125/month per customer connection after the first free one.

Does WorkOS integrate with the same identity providers as Okta?+

WorkOS connects to the same major providers via SAML/OIDC — Azure AD, Google Workspace, OneLogin, and even Okta itself — and supports SCIM for directory sync. It doesn't have Okta's catalog of pre-built third-party app integrations because it isn't solving workforce app access.

Will switching from Okta to WorkOS actually save money?+

If you're using Okta for workforce identity, switching doesn't apply — WorkOS isn't a workforce IdP replacement. But if you were using Okta to add customer-facing SSO to your product, WorkOS's free MAU tier plus per-connection SSO pricing is usually much cheaper than Okta's per-user-per-month model across your whole customer base.