WorkOS vs Stytch vs FusionAuth: Auth 2026

TL;DR: WorkOS is the enterprise-ready identity platform — SAML/OIDC SSO, SCIM directory sync, admin portal, and audit logs purpose-built for B2B SaaS selling to enterprises. Stytch is the passwordless-first auth platform — magic links, OTPs, OAuth, session management, and a flexible API that makes modern authentication easy for any app. FusionAuth is the self-hosted identity server — full CIAM features, multi-tenant, customizable login flows, and no per-user pricing. In 2026: WorkOS for B2B SaaS with enterprise SSO requirements, Stytch for modern passwordless auth, FusionAuth for self-hosted identity with full control.

Key Takeaways

• WorkOS: Cloud-only, enterprise B2B focused. SAML + OIDC SSO, SCIM directory sync, admin portal for IT admins, audit logs. Best for SaaS products that need to support enterprise customers' identity providers
• Stytch: Cloud-only, developer-first. Magic links, OTPs, OAuth, WebAuthn/passkeys, session management. Best for apps wanting modern passwordless authentication with flexible building blocks
• FusionAuth: Self-hosted or cloud, full CIAM. Multi-tenant, customizable themes, connectors, lambdas, webhooks. Best for teams needing complete identity control without per-user pricing surprises

WorkOS — Enterprise Identity for B2B SaaS

WorkOS provides the enterprise features your B2B customers demand — SSO, directory sync, and admin portal — so you don't build them yourself.

SSO Integration

import { WorkOS } from "@workos-inc/node";

const workos = new WorkOS(process.env.WORKOS_API_KEY!);

// Step 1: Generate an authorization URL for SSO
function getAuthorizationUrl(organizationId: string): string {
  return workos.sso.getAuthorizationUrl({
    organization: organizationId,
    clientId: process.env.WORKOS_CLIENT_ID!,
    redirectUri: "https://app.yourproduct.com/auth/callback",
  });
}

// Step 2: Handle the callback
app.get("/auth/callback", async (req, res) => {
  const { code } = req.query;

  const { profile } = await workos.sso.getProfileAndToken({
    code: code as string,
    clientId: process.env.WORKOS_CLIENT_ID!,
  });

  const user = await findOrCreateUser({
    email: profile.email,
    name: `${profile.firstName} ${profile.lastName}`,
    organizationId: profile.organizationId,
  });

  const session = await createSession(user.id);
  res.cookie("session", session.token).redirect("/dashboard");
});

Directory Sync (SCIM)

// Automatically sync users from customer's identity provider
app.post("/webhooks/workos", async (req, res) => {
  const payload = workos.webhooks.constructEvent({
    payload: req.body,
    sigHeader: req.headers["workos-signature"] as string,
    secret: process.env.WORKOS_WEBHOOK_SECRET!,
  });

  switch (payload.event) {
    case "dsync.user.created": {
      const { directoryUser } = payload.data;
      await createUser({
        email: directoryUser.emails[0].value,
        name: `${directoryUser.firstName} ${directoryUser.lastName}`,
        organizationId: directoryUser.organizationId,
        role: mapGroupsToRole(directoryUser.groups),
      });
      break;
    }

    case "dsync.user.updated": {
      const { directoryUser } = payload.data;
      await updateUser(directoryUser.emails[0].value, {
        name: `${directoryUser.firstName} ${directoryUser.lastName}`,
        role: mapGroupsToRole(directoryUser.groups),
        active: directoryUser.state === "active",
      });
      break;
    }

    case "dsync.user.deleted": {
      const { directoryUser } = payload.data;
      await deactivateUser(directoryUser.emails[0].value);
      break;
    }
  }

  res.status(200).send("OK");
});

Admin Portal and Audit Logs

// Generate a link for customer IT admins to configure SSO + SCIM
const portal = await workos.portal.generateLink({
  organization: organizationId,
  intent: "sso",
  returnUrl: "https://app.yourproduct.com/settings",
});

res.redirect(portal.link);

// Send audit events — required for enterprise compliance
await workos.auditLogs.createEvent({
  organizationId: "org_...",
  event: {
    action: "document.updated",
    occurredAt: new Date().toISOString(),
    actor: {
      type: "user",
      id: userId,
      name: "Jane Doe",
    },
    targets: [
      {
        type: "document",
        id: documentId,
        name: "Q4 Report",
      },
    ],
    context: {
      location: "198.51.100.1",
      userAgent: req.headers["user-agent"],
    },
  },
});

Stytch — Passwordless-First Authentication

Stytch provides modern authentication primitives — magic links, OTPs, OAuth, passkeys — with a flexible API that lets you build exactly the auth flow you want.

Magic Link Authentication

import * as stytch from "stytch";

const client = new stytch.Client({
  project_id: process.env.STYTCH_PROJECT_ID!,
  secret: process.env.STYTCH_SECRET!,
  env: stytch.envs.live,
});

// Send a magic link
app.post("/auth/magic-link", async (req, res) => {
  const { email } = req.body;

  await client.magicLinks.email.loginOrCreate({
    email,
    login_magic_link_url: "https://app.yourproduct.com/auth/verify",
    signup_magic_link_url: "https://app.yourproduct.com/auth/verify",
    login_expiration_minutes: 30,
  });

  res.json({ message: "Check your email for a login link" });
});

// Verify the magic link token
app.get("/auth/verify", async (req, res) => {
  const { token } = req.query;

  const response = await client.magicLinks.authenticate({
    token: token as string,
    session_duration_minutes: 60 * 24 * 7,
  });

  res.cookie("stytch_session", response.session_token, {
    httpOnly: true,
    secure: true,
    sameSite: "lax",
  }).redirect("/dashboard");
});

OTP and OAuth

// Send OTP via email or SMS
app.post("/auth/otp/send", async (req, res) => {
  const { email, phone } = req.body;

  if (email) {
    await client.otps.email.loginOrCreate({
      email,
      expiration_minutes: 10,
    });
  } else if (phone) {
    await client.otps.sms.loginOrCreate({
      phone_number: phone,
      expiration_minutes: 10,
    });
  }

  res.json({ message: "Code sent" });
});

// Start OAuth flow
app.get("/auth/oauth/:provider", (req, res) => {
  const { provider } = req.params;

  const url = client.oauth.getAuthorizationUrl({
    provider: provider as stytch.OAuthProvider,
    login_redirect_url: "https://app.yourproduct.com/auth/oauth/callback",
    signup_redirect_url: "https://app.yourproduct.com/auth/oauth/callback",
  });

  res.redirect(url);
});

// Handle OAuth callback
app.get("/auth/oauth/callback", async (req, res) => {
  const { token } = req.query;

  const response = await client.oauth.authenticate({
    token: token as string,
    session_duration_minutes: 60 * 24 * 7,
  });

  res.cookie("stytch_session", response.session_token).redirect("/dashboard");
});

Session Management

async function authenticateSession(req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) {
  const sessionToken = req.cookies.stytch_session;
  if (!sessionToken) return res.status(401).json({ error: "Unauthorized" });

  try {
    const response = await client.sessions.authenticate({
      session_token: sessionToken,
    });

    // Rotate session token on each request for security
    res.cookie("stytch_session", response.session_token, {
      httpOnly: true,
      secure: true,
    });

    req.user = response.user;
    req.session = response.session;
    next();
  } catch {
    res.status(401).json({ error: "Session expired" });
  }
}

Passkeys (WebAuthn)

// Register a passkey
app.post("/auth/passkey/register/start", async (req, res) => {
  const response = await client.webauthn.registerStart({
    user_id: req.user.userId,
    domain: "app.yourproduct.com",
    authenticator_type: "platform",
  });

  res.json(response);
});

// Authenticate with passkey
app.post("/auth/passkey/login/start", async (req, res) => {
  const response = await client.webauthn.authenticateStart({
    domain: "app.yourproduct.com",
  });

  res.json(response);
});

app.post("/auth/passkey/login/complete", async (req, res) => {
  const response = await client.webauthn.authenticate({
    public_key_credential: JSON.stringify(req.body.credential),
    session_duration_minutes: 60 * 24 * 7,
  });

  res.cookie("stytch_session", response.session_token).redirect("/dashboard");
});

FusionAuth — Self-Hosted Identity Server

FusionAuth is a full-featured identity platform you can self-host — multi-tenant, customizable login flows, connectors, and no per-user pricing.

Docker Setup

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3"
services:
  fusionauth:
    image: fusionauth/fusionauth-app:latest
    depends_on:
      - postgres
      - opensearch
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: jdbc:postgresql://postgres:5432/fusionauth
      DATABASE_USERNAME: fusionauth
      DATABASE_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
      FUSIONAUTH_APP_MEMORY: 512M
      FUSIONAUTH_APP_URL: http://fusionauth:9011
    ports:
      - "9011:9011"

  postgres:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: fusionauth
      POSTGRES_USER: fusionauth
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}

volumes:
  fusionauth_config:
  pg_data:

OAuth/OIDC Integration and User Management

import { FusionAuthClient } from "@fusionauth/typescript-client";

const client = new FusionAuthClient(
  process.env.FUSIONAUTH_API_KEY!,
  "http://localhost:9011"
);

// Start OAuth login — redirect to FusionAuth hosted login
app.get("/auth/login", (req, res) => {
  const authUrl = new URL("http://localhost:9011/oauth2/authorize");
  authUrl.searchParams.set("client_id", process.env.FUSIONAUTH_CLIENT_ID!);
  authUrl.searchParams.set("redirect_uri", "http://localhost:3000/auth/callback");
  authUrl.searchParams.set("response_type", "code");
  authUrl.searchParams.set("scope", "openid email profile");

  res.redirect(authUrl.toString());
});

// Register a user
const registration = await client.register(undefined, {
  user: {
    email: "jane@acme.com",
    password: "securePassword123!",
    firstName: "Jane",
    lastName: "Doe",
    data: {
      company: "Acme Corp",
      plan: "enterprise",
    },
  },
  registration: {
    applicationId: process.env.FUSIONAUTH_APP_ID!,
    roles: ["admin"],
  },
});

Multi-Tenancy and Lambdas

// Create a tenant for each customer
const tenant = await client.createTenant(null, {
  tenant: {
    name: "Acme Corp",
    issuer: "https://auth.acme.yourproduct.com",
    jwtConfiguration: {
      accessTokenKeyId: keyId,
      timeToLiveInSeconds: 3600,
      refreshTokenTimeToLiveInMinutes: 43200,
    },
    passwordValidationRules: {
      minLength: 12,
      requireMixedCase: true,
      requireNumber: true,
      requireSpecialCharacter: true,
    },
  },
});

// JWT populate lambda — add custom claims to access tokens
await client.createLambda(null, {
  lambda: {
    name: "JWT Populate",
    type: "JWTPopulate",
    body: `
      function populate(jwt, user, registration) {
        jwt.roles = registration.roles;
        jwt.org_id = user.data.organizationId;
        jwt.plan = user.data.plan;
      }
    `,
    enabled: true,
  },
});

Feature Comparison

Feature	WorkOS	Stytch	FusionAuth
Deployment	Cloud only	Cloud only	Self-hosted or cloud
Primary Focus	Enterprise B2B SSO	Passwordless auth	Full CIAM
SSO (SAML/OIDC)	✅ (core feature)	✅ (B2B product)	✅
Directory Sync (SCIM)	✅ (core feature)	✅ (B2B product)	✅ (via connectors)
Magic Links	❌	✅ (core feature)	✅
OTP (Email/SMS)	❌	✅ (core feature)	✅
Passkeys/WebAuthn	❌	✅ (core feature)	✅
OAuth Social Login	✅ (limited)	✅ (30+ providers)	✅ (configurable)
Session Management	Basic	✅ (advanced)	✅ (JWT + refresh)
Multi-Tenancy	Organizations	Organizations	✅ (full isolation)
Admin Portal	✅ (hosted for IT admins)	❌	✅ (self-hosted UI)
Audit Logs	✅ (enterprise)	Basic	✅ (detailed)
Lambdas/Hooks	Webhooks	Webhooks	✅ (JS lambdas + webhooks)
MFA	Via IdP	✅ (TOTP, SMS)	✅ (TOTP, SMS, email)
Pricing	Per SSO connection	Per user (MAU)	Free self-hosted / paid cloud
Best For	B2B enterprise SSO	Modern passwordless apps	Self-hosted full CIAM

When to Use Each

Choose WorkOS if:

• You're a B2B SaaS product and enterprise customers need SAML/OIDC SSO
• SCIM directory sync for automatic user provisioning/deprovisioning is required
• You want an admin portal that customer IT admins use to self-serve SSO setup
• Audit logs and compliance features are enterprise deal requirements
• You want to add enterprise features without rebuilding your auth system

Choose Stytch if:

• You want passwordless authentication (magic links, OTPs, passkeys) as the primary flow
• Building a modern consumer or B2C app where passwords are a bad experience
• You need flexible auth building blocks to compose custom flows
• Session management with automatic token rotation matters
• You want to add multiple auth methods (email, phone, social, passkeys) incrementally

Choose FusionAuth if:

• Self-hosting for data residency, compliance, or cost control is important
• You need full multi-tenancy with isolated users, themes, and configs per tenant
• No per-user pricing — you host it, you control costs
• Custom token logic (lambdas) for adding claims, transforming data, or validating
• You want a single identity server covering SSO, MFA, social login, and user management

---

Ecosystem and Community

WorkOS was founded in 2020 with a clear thesis: B2B SaaS companies waste engineering time building SSO, SCIM, and audit logs from scratch for each enterprise customer. The WorkOS SDK covers Node, Python, Ruby, Go, .NET, and PHP. The company has raised over $95 million and powers enterprise auth at hundreds of B2B SaaS companies. WorkOS AuthKit (launched 2024) added hosted authentication UI components that handle the front-end login flow, making WorkOS a more complete alternative to Auth0 for B2B products.

Stytch has raised $90 million and focuses on the developer-experience angle of authentication. The Stytch Node SDK has clean TypeScript types and comprehensive documentation. Stytch's B2B product (separate from their consumer auth product) added SSO and SCIM in 2023, making it a more complete competitor to WorkOS for teams that want passwordless-primary flows alongside enterprise features. The Stytch community Discord is active and the team responds quickly to SDK issues.

FusionAuth is bootstrapped and profitable, which gives it a different dynamic than VC-backed competitors. The self-hosted nature means you download and run it yourself — there's no vendor lock-in and no per-user pricing. FusionAuth's GitHub repository has over 450 open-source contributions, and the community forum is the primary support channel. The enterprise cloud version provides managed hosting with SLA guarantees for teams that want the software without the operational overhead.

---

Real-World Adoption

WorkOS is the dominant choice for growth-stage B2B SaaS companies that are starting to close enterprise deals. The sales cycle for enterprise software typically requires SOC 2 compliance, SAML SSO, and audit logs as baseline requirements — WorkOS allows a company to check all three boxes quickly. Companies like Vercel, Loom, and Webflow have used WorkOS for enterprise features. The WorkOS Admin Portal is particularly valued because it lets customer IT administrators configure their own Okta/Azure AD/Ping Identity SSO connection without requiring your engineering team's involvement.

Stytch is popular in consumer apps and fintech products that want a passwordless-first experience. Mobile apps that use biometric authentication (Face ID, Touch ID) benefit from Stytch's passkey implementation, which handles the WebAuthn credential management. The magic link flow has become standard for developer tools and productivity apps — it eliminates password resets entirely and reduces account security issues. Stytch's B2B product has gained traction at mid-market SaaS companies that want a unified platform for both their consumer-facing and enterprise-facing auth.

FusionAuth's self-hosted model has a loyal following in regulated industries — healthcare (HIPAA), financial services, and government — where data residency requirements make cloud-only auth providers problematic. A hospital network can run FusionAuth on their own AWS account, keeping all patient authentication data within their security boundary. The unlimited user pricing (you pay a flat fee for the software, not per user) makes FusionAuth economical at scale — a platform with 10 million users pays the same license fee as one with 100,000.

---

Developer Experience Deep Dive

WorkOS's TypeScript SDK is well-maintained and straightforward to use. The primary DX challenge is understanding the data model — Organizations, Connections, DirectoryUsers, and Events each have distinct purposes, and getting the mental model right takes a few hours. The WorkOS dashboard is excellent for debugging SSO issues — it shows the full SAML assertion and maps it to the user profile you receive, which is invaluable when customers have misconfigured their identity provider. WorkOS's documentation includes a "selling enterprise features" guide that helps developers understand what IT administrators need to see in the admin portal.

Stytch's SDK follows REST API conventions closely and has good TypeScript types throughout. The session management API is particularly well-designed — the automatic session token rotation pattern (issue a new token on each authenticated request) is security best practice and Stytch makes it easy to implement. One DX friction point: Stytch has separate products for consumer auth and B2B auth, with different SDKs and APIs. Teams that start with consumer auth and later add enterprise features need to understand which product they're using.

FusionAuth's TypeScript client is a thin wrapper over the REST API, so the TypeScript types match the JSON response shapes directly. The admin UI is comprehensive but can be overwhelming — FusionAuth has more configuration options than most auth systems because it's designed to handle every possible CIAM scenario. The Kickstart JSON configuration system (which lets you define your entire FusionAuth setup as code) is powerful for infrastructure-as-code teams but has a steep learning curve.

---

Migration Guide

Adopting WorkOS in an existing auth system is an additive migration — you don't replace your existing login system, you add SSO alongside it. Enterprise customers who need SAML SSO use the WorkOS SSO path; regular users continue with your existing password or OAuth flow. The WorkOS Admin Portal gives enterprise customers self-service SSO setup, so the integration can be made available to customers without engineering involvement per customer.

Moving from Auth0 to WorkOS or Stytch is a common migration for B2B SaaS companies that outgrew Auth0's pricing model. Auth0's per-user pricing at scale becomes expensive, and both WorkOS and Stytch offer better pricing for high-volume usage. The technical migration involves exporting users from Auth0, importing them into the new provider, and updating your frontend login flow. Stytch provides a migration guide for common providers. See also Best Next.js Auth Solutions 2026 for how authentication integrates with Next.js applications.

Deploying FusionAuth on Kubernetes is documented in FusionAuth's deployment guides but requires understanding their PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch (or OpenSearch) dependencies. FusionAuth's Kickstart system makes the initial configuration reproducible — define your tenants, applications, and roles as JSON and FusionAuth bootstraps from that configuration on first startup.

---

Final Verdict 2026

WorkOS has the clearest value proposition of the three: if you're a B2B SaaS product that needs enterprise SSO, SCIM, and audit logs, WorkOS is the fastest path to those features. The cost per SSO connection is high (typically $500-1000/month per enterprise customer), but it's justified if SSO is a deal requirement — without it, you lose the enterprise deal entirely. WorkOS has expanded beyond SSO into a more complete auth platform with AuthKit, making it a viable Auth0 alternative for B2B-focused products.

Stytch's passwordless-first approach is the right direction for 2026. Passwords are a security liability and a UX friction point — the industry is moving toward passkeys and biometric auth, and Stytch's investment in WebAuthn and passkey support positions it well for this transition. For consumer apps or developer tools where the auth experience directly affects user sentiment, Stytch's polish and flexibility justify the monthly active user pricing.

FusionAuth's self-hosted model is uniquely compelling for regulated industries and cost-sensitive high-volume use cases. The unlimited user pricing and complete feature set make it the best total-cost-of-ownership choice for mature products with large user bases. The operational overhead of running FusionAuth's infrastructure is real, but for teams with existing infrastructure management capabilities, it's manageable.

---

Methodology

Feature comparison based on WorkOS, Stytch, and FusionAuth documentation as of March 2026. WorkOS evaluated on SSO, directory sync, and admin portal. Stytch evaluated on passwordless flows, session management, and API flexibility. FusionAuth evaluated on self-hosted deployment, multi-tenancy, and customization. Code examples use official SDKs (WorkOS Node, Stytch Node, FusionAuth TypeScript client).

---

Related: Best Next.js Auth Solutions 2026, Best JavaScript Testing Frameworks 2026, Gemini API vs Claude API vs Mistral API 2026