Amazon Cognito vs Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform

Amazon Cognito8.8Visit Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform8.7Visit

Higher score Amazon Cognito #6 in Identity and Access Management Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Amazon Cognito

vs

Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform #7 in Identity and Access Management Software 8.7/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Thales

• Amazon Cognito fits best

  Low-cost application authentication on AWS

• Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform fits best

  Enterprise federation with adaptive authentication

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Amazon Cognito 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.7
Ranking	#6 in Identity and Access Management Software	#7 in Identity and Access Management Software
Best for	Low-cost application authentication on AWS	Enterprise federation with adaptive authentication
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$0.0055/user/mo	Pricing on request
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web
Integrations	13 integrations	10 integrations
Features Amazon Cognito 1/3 · Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform 3/3
Directory sync	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Lifecycle provisioning	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Adaptive access policies	✓	✓
Specs
SSO protocols	SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), OAuth 2.0	SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect 1.0
MFA methods	Email, SMS, TOTP authenticator apps, WebAuthn passkeys with user verification	OTP by SMS, OTP by voice call, OTP by email, TOTP authenticator, push notification, magic link, QR code
Included users	10000 users	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free plan with 10,000 MAUs for eligible Lite and Essentials accounts OAuth, OIDC, SAML, social login, MFA, and passwordless access Identity pools issue temporary credentials for AWS resource access	Supports SAML, OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SCIM Offers broad MFA, step-up authentication, and risk-based access Combines federation, lifecycle management, and delegated administration
Cons	Usage-based pricing can vary with monthly active users Plus has no free tier and adds cost for threat protection Developer-oriented customer IAM rather than a workforce directory	Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales Its broad scope may exceed simpler IAM requirements Configuration can involve multiple identity and provisioning components
Our verdict	Amazon Cognito is a managed identity and access service for web, iOS, Android, and API applications. It provides user directories, authentication, authorization, identity federation, and temporary AWS credentials. The service is aimed… Read the review →	Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform is a modular SaaS customer identity and access management platform for organizations serving customers, citizens, business partners, contractors, gig workers, and employees. It combines identity storage,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Amazon Cognito — where it wins

  • Free plan with 10,000 MAUs for eligible Lite and Essentials accounts
  • OAuth, OIDC, SAML, social login, MFA, and passwordless access
  • Identity pools issue temporary credentials for AWS resource access

  Where it doesn't

  • Usage-based pricing can vary with monthly active users
  • Plus has no free tier and adds cost for threat protection
  • Developer-oriented customer IAM rather than a workforce directory

• Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform — where it wins

  • Supports SAML, OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SCIM
  • Offers broad MFA, step-up authentication, and risk-based access
  • Combines federation, lifecycle management, and delegated administration

  Where it doesn't

  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
  • Its broad scope may exceed simpler IAM requirements
  • Configuration can involve multiple identity and provisioning components

• Amazon Cognito8.8/10 · Free plan

  A low-cost AWS-native choice for application authentication and customer identity.

  Visit Amazon CognitoFull verdict →
• Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform8.7/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad CIAM platform for federation, adaptive authentication, and lifecycle control.

  Visit ThalesFull verdict →