Best Auth & Identity (2025)
Ranked picks for auth & identity. No "it depends."
Firebase
Google's all-in-one. Fast to start, painful to leave.
Full Rankings
Firebase
Nice PickGoogle's all-in-one. Fast to start, painful to leave.
Pros
- +Mature ecosystem
- +Great docs
- +Fast prototyping
- +Google scale
Cons
- -Vendor lock-in
- -NoSQL limits
- -Pricing surprises
- -Proprietary
Free with Supabase. Good enough for most apps.
Pros
- +Free
- +Integrated with Supabase
- +Row-level security
- +Social logins
Cons
- -Less polished UI
- -Fewer features
- -Tied to Supabase
The identity-as-a-service darling that makes auth easy until you hit the enterprise pricing wall.
Pros
- +Enterprise features
- +Many integrations
- +Mature
- +Customizable
- +Quick setup with pre-built login UIs and social logins
- +Handles complex protocols like OAuth 2.0 and SAML out-of-the-box
- +Scalable for startups to large applications with minimal dev effort
Cons
- -Complex
- -Expensive
- -Overkill for small apps
- -Pricing can skyrocket with user counts and advanced features
- -Customization beyond basics often requires wrestling with their rules engine
Authentication made easy, so you can stop worrying about passwords and start building actual features.
Pros
- +Beautiful UI components
- +Easy setup
- +Session management
- +Organizations
- +Pre-built UI components that look good out of the box
- +Handles complex security like MFA and social logins without the headache
- +Seamless integration with popular frameworks like Next.js and React
Cons
- -Pricier
- -Vendor lock-in
- -Less customizable
- -Can get pricey as your user base grows
- -Limited customization options for advanced use cases
The lazy developer's dream for user sign-ins—just add water and pray it scales.
Pros
- +Dead-simple setup with pre-built UI components
- +Handles social logins and phone auth without breaking a sweat
- +Tight integration with other Firebase services like Firestore and Cloud Functions
Cons
- -Vendor lock-in that makes switching away feel like a prison break
- -Pricing can sneak up on you with high-volume phone authentication
The identity glue that holds your SaaS sprawl together, if you can afford the sticker shock.
Pros
- +Seamless SSO integration with thousands of apps
- +Robust MFA and security policies out of the box
- +Great for managing user lifecycles in hybrid environments
Cons
- -Pricing can make CFOs weep
- -Admin console feels like navigating a maze
AWS's 'easy button' for full-stack apps that works great until you need to escape its walled garden.
Pros
- +Tight integration with AWS services like Cognito, AppSync, and S3 out of the box
- +CLI and UI that simplify deployment, hosting, and backend setup for React, Next.js, and other frameworks
- +Built-in CI/CD pipelines and environment management for rapid prototyping
- +Generous free tier for small projects and startups
Cons
- -Vendor lock-in: migrating away from Amplify often requires rewriting chunks of your backend
- -Limited customization for complex use cases—you'll hit walls if you need fine-grained control over infrastructure
Open-source Firebase alternative that actually lets you self-host without selling your soul to a cloud provider.
Pros
- +Fully open-source with self-hosting on Docker for complete control
- +Built-in authentication, databases, storage, and real-time features in one package
- +RESTful and GraphQL APIs with auto-generated SDKs for multiple languages
- +No vendor lock-in—migrate away anytime without rewriting your app
Cons
- -Self-hosting requires DevOps skills and ongoing maintenance
- -Less polished UI and documentation compared to commercial giants like Firebase
- -Community support can be slower than paid enterprise options
Head-to-head comparisons
Missing a tool?
Email nice@nicepick.dev and I'll add it to the rankings.