AWS IAM Identity Center vs Amazon Cognito

AWS IAM Identity Center8.9Visit Amazon Cognito8.8Visit

Higher score AWS IAM Identity Center #5 in Identity and Access Management Software 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit AWS IAM

vs

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

• AWS IAM Identity Center fits best

  AWS organizations managing multi-account access

• Amazon Cognito fits best

  Low-cost application authentication on AWS

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	AWS IAM Identity Center 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Amazon Cognito 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.8
Ranking	#5 in Identity and Access Management Software	#6 in Identity and Access Management Software
Best for	AWS organizations managing multi-account access	Low-cost application authentication on AWS
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	$0.0055/user/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations	10 integrations	13 integrations
Features AWS IAM Identity Center 2/3 · Amazon Cognito 1/3
Directory sync	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Lifecycle provisioning	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Adaptive access policies	—	✓ (best)
Specs
SSO protocols	SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, OIDC	SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), OAuth 2.0
MFA methods	FIDO2 authenticators, virtual authenticator apps, RADIUS MFA	Email, SMS, TOTP authenticator apps, WebAuthn passkeys with user verification
Included users	Not checked yet	10000 users
Our review
Pros	Free access with SSO, permission sets, and multi-account assignments SCIM provisioning and federation through SAML 2.0 MFA, temporary CLI credentials, and deep AWS integrations	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
Cons	Adaptive-access policy features are not part of the documented feature set Its strongest capabilities are tied to AWS accounts and services Non-AWS application access centers on SAML-enabled cloud applications	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
Our verdict	AWS IAM Identity Center centralizes workforce access across AWS accounts, AWS-managed applications, and SAML-enabled cloud applications. It is designed for organizations using AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts and needing… Read the review →	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 →

Strengths and trade-offs

• AWS IAM Identity Center — where it wins

  • Free access with SSO, permission sets, and multi-account assignments
  • SCIM provisioning and federation through SAML 2.0
  • MFA, temporary CLI credentials, and deep AWS integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Adaptive-access policy features are not part of the documented feature set
  • Its strongest capabilities are tied to AWS accounts and services
  • Non-AWS application access centers on SAML-enabled cloud applications

• 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

• AWS IAM Identity Center8.9/10 · Free plan

  A free, AWS-centered IAM service for multi-account SSO and access control.

  Visit AWS IAMFull verdict →
• Amazon Cognito8.8/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Amazon CognitoFull verdict →