Auth0 Takes “Free for Developers” to a New Level with More Users, More Security, Free MFA & Passwordless

Rhea-AI Summary

Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA) has announced significant enhancements to its Auth0 Free Plan and paid plans, aimed at providing developers with improved scalability, security, and customization options. The Auth0 Free Plan now includes:

• Increased capacity to 25,000 monthly active users
• Passwordless authentication
• Unlimited social & Okta connections
• Custom domain support

Paid plans now offer enterprise-grade identity security with multi-factor authentication (MFA), SCIM support, and enhanced log retention. These upgrades are designed to help developers combat increasingly sophisticated AI-powered bot attacks and meet the growing demand for rapid application deployment. The expanded features aim to strengthen authentication mechanisms, simplify customization of sign-up and login experiences, and provide a more secure and user-friendly identity management solution for businesses.

Positive

• Increased Free Plan capacity to 25,000 monthly active users
• Addition of passwordless authentication and unlimited social & Okta connections to Free Plan
• Inclusion of enterprise-grade MFA in all paid tier plans
• Enhanced customization options for authentication experiences
• Improved security features to combat AI-powered bot attacks

Negative

• None.

Insights

Tech Expert

Auth0's expansion of its free plan and enhanced security features is a significant move in the identity management space. By increasing the monthly active user limit to 25,000 and including passwordless authentication, Okta is lowering the barrier to entry for developers to implement robust identity solutions. The addition of MFA and SCIM support in paid plans addresses the growing threat of AI-powered bot attacks, which now constitute nearly 50% of internet traffic.

The focus on customization, including unlimited social connections and custom domain support, demonstrates Okta's understanding of the importance of user experience in authentication processes. With 83% of consumers abandoning sign-ups due to complex logins, these features could significantly impact user acquisition and retention for businesses using Auth0.

While this move doesn't directly generate revenue, it positions Okta to capture more market share in the developer community, potentially leading to increased adoption of their paid services as these applications scale. This strategy aligns with the growing demand for secure, scalable and user-friendly identity solutions in an increasingly AI-driven threat landscape.

Market Research Analyst

Okta's expansion of Auth0's capabilities is a strategic move to capture a larger share of the developer market, particularly targeting early-stage startups and SaaS builders. By offering enterprise-grade features like MFA and passwordless authentication in their free tier, Okta is positioning itself as an attractive option for developers from the outset of their projects.

This "land and expand" strategy could prove effective in driving long-term growth for Okta. As developers build their applications with Auth0, they're more likely to stick with the platform and upgrade to paid tiers as their user base grows. The inclusion of advanced features in paid plans, such as enhanced log retention and SCIM support, creates a clear upgrade path for maturing businesses.

The focus on combating AI-powered bot attacks also aligns with current market trends and concerns. By highlighting that their AI-powered bot detection blocked 79% of automated login attempts, Okta is demonstrating the value proposition of their advanced security features. This could be particularly appealing to businesses in sectors that are frequent targets of such attacks, potentially driving adoption in high-value industries.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA), the leading independent Identity partner, today announced that it's expanding the capabilities of Auth0 and the Okta Customer Identity Cloud to give developers more of the scalability, security, and customization they need. These enhancements start with the Auth0 Free Plan, including an increase to 25,000 monthly active users (MAUs), passwordless, unlimited* social & Okta connections, and custom domain support. Paid plans also now include enterprise-grade identity security with multi-factor authentication (MFA), support for System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM), enhanced log retention, and more.

“Developers are grappling with greater demand to rapidly deploy applications while facing increasingly sophisticated AI-powered bot attacks to defend against,” said 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.”

Securing Applications with Stronger and Scalable Authentication

Traditional identity threats are being bolstered by artificial intelligence (AI) advances, enabling low-quality, high-intensity attacks to become more dangerous and helping new, personalized attacks to emerge. With bots making up nearly 50% of all internet traffic¹, developers are challenged with securing their applications in this landscape. MFA, specifically with possession-based or biometric factors, remains as one of the most effective defenses. Conversely, AI can also power bot detection, with AI helping Okta block 79% of automated login attempts and reduce bot traffic by 90%² over a 90 day period.

The expanded free plan provides developers with stronger authentication mechanisms, enabling Auth0 advances including passwordless to be implemented earlier in the application development lifecycle. For software-as-a-service (SaaS) builders, Okta now includes Pro MFA and Enterprise MFA in all paid tier plans to help embed security in an affordable and scalable way.

Customize Sign-Up and Login to Deliver Intuitive User Experiences

Developers find it essential to create an identity experience that is not only secure but reduces friction and builds trust, with 83% of consumers abandoning their cart or sign-up attempt³ because of an arduous login process. To help simplify customizing these authentication experiences, certain Auth0 features have been added or expanded within free and/or paid plans, including:

• Unlimited* Okta Social Connections to allow customers and employees to securely access their applications through 70 different social login providers. It also ensures up-to-date user information can be gathered without creating friction or compromising the user experience.
• Unlimited* Okta Connections to easily integrate applications with Okta Workforce Identity Cloud and to streamline user access.
• Additional Okta Organizations to better manage partners and customers for business-to-business (B2B) applications and customize how end-users access each app.
• Additional Actions + Forms to extend identity flows using a visual editor with different authentication factors and business logic.
• Support for a Custom Domain to help create a seamless branded experience for users by replacing the Okta domain name with a custom domain name, allowing URLs to be more uniform within the application.

For specific details on these changes, visit Auth0’s blog and pricing page.

“With Auth0, we were able to direct our limited resources towards innovation and enhancing user experiences instead of developing another user authentication system,” said Ardy Naghshineh, Founder and CEO at Browse AI. “Whenever we experience a significant spike in new user signups, we remain confident in the reliability and scalability of Auth0. It has saved our team several months of engineering time and enables us to continue building our platform that automates web data extraction using AI robots for half a million users.”

*subject to system limitations

¹ Imperva, “2024 Bad Bot Report,” April 16, 2024.
² Auth0, “Auth0 Bot Detection Reduces Bot Attacks by 79%,” September 24, 2024.
³ Auth0, "Expectation vs. Reality at The Log Inn: How to create the identity experience your customers want," 2021.

About Okta

Okta is The World’s Identity Company™. We secure Identity, so everyone is free to safely use any technology. Our customer and workforce solutions empower businesses and developers to use the power of Identity to drive security, efficiencies, and success — all while protecting their users, employees, and partners. Learn why the world’s leading brands trust Okta for authentication, authorization, and more at okta.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240924926860/en/

Kyrk Storer

press@okta.com

Source: Okta, Inc.

FAQ

What new features does Okta's Auth0 Free Plan include?

Okta's Auth0 Free Plan now includes an increase to 25,000 monthly active users, passwordless authentication, unlimited social & Okta connections, and custom domain support.

How does Okta's Auth0 help developers combat bot attacks?

Okta's Auth0 offers multi-factor authentication (MFA) and AI-powered bot detection, which has helped block 79% of automated login attempts and reduce bot traffic by 90% over a 90-day period.

What security enhancements are included in Okta's paid plans for Auth0?

Okta's paid plans for Auth0 now include enterprise-grade identity security with multi-factor authentication (MFA), support for System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM), and enhanced log retention.

How does Okta's Auth0 improve user experience for application logins?

Okta's Auth0 offers customizable sign-up and login experiences, including unlimited social connections, custom domain support, and additional actions and forms to extend identity flows, reducing friction and building trust with users.