OpenCIAM vs Descope

OOpenCIAM8.6Visit Descope7.2Visit

Higher score O OpenCIAM #5 in Passwordless Authentication Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit OpenCIAM

vs

Descope #19 in Passwordless Authentication Software 7.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Descope

• OpenCIAM fits best

  Open-source teams wanting broad identity flows

• Descope fits best

  Enterprise-grade adaptive passwordless workflows

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Side by side

Feature	OOpenCIAM 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Descope 7.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	7.2
Ranking	#5 in Passwordless Authentication Software	#19 in Passwordless Authentication Software
Best for	Open-source teams wanting broad identity flows	Enterprise-grade adaptive passwordless workflows
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$249/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations	30+ integrations	10 integrations
Features OpenCIAM 4/5 · Descope 1/5
Magic links	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Biometric login	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
SAML SSO	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
OpenID Connect	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Directory synchronization	✓	✓
Specs
Passwordless methods	FIDO2/WebAuthn passkeys, magic links, email OTP, SMS OTP, push approval	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports passkeys, magic links, OTP, push approval, and adaptive MFA Self-hosted Community plan includes unlimited monthly active users Covers OAuth, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, REST, GraphQL, and SDKs	Passkeys, magic links, OTP, MFA, and adaptive authentication flows Visual flow builder with web, iOS, Android, and API support SSO, SCIM, federation, tenant management, and authorization controls
Cons	Cloud pricing becomes usage-based beyond 7,500 monthly active users Enterprise capabilities such as 24/7 support are plan-specific Its platform coverage is narrower than some established alternatives	The first paid tier costs $249 per month when billed annually Free Forever is limited to 7,500 monthly active users and 10 tenants Advanced capabilities are split across higher-cost Growth and Enterprise plans
Our verdict	OpenCIAM is an open-source customer identity and access management platform for developers and teams adding authentication to applications. It supports passwordless login through FIDO2/WebAuthn passkeys, magic links, email and SMS OTP, and… Read the review →	Descope is a customer identity and access management platform for developers building B2C and B2B applications. It combines passwordless authentication with passkeys, magic links, OTP, MFA, step-up authentication, SSO, user and tenant… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• OpenCIAM — where it wins

  • Supports passkeys, magic links, OTP, push approval, and adaptive MFA
  • Self-hosted Community plan includes unlimited monthly active users
  • Covers OAuth, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, REST, GraphQL, and SDKs

  Where it doesn't

  • Cloud pricing becomes usage-based beyond 7,500 monthly active users
  • Enterprise capabilities such as 24/7 support are plan-specific
  • Its platform coverage is narrower than some established alternatives

• Descope — where it wins

  • Passkeys, magic links, OTP, MFA, and adaptive authentication flows
  • Visual flow builder with web, iOS, Android, and API support
  • SSO, SCIM, federation, tenant management, and authorization controls

  Where it doesn't

  • The first paid tier costs $249 per month when billed annually
  • Free Forever is limited to 7,500 monthly active users and 10 tenants
  • Advanced capabilities are split across higher-cost Growth and Enterprise plans

• OOpenCIAM8.6/10 · Free plan

  A flexible open-source identity platform for teams building passwordless login flows.

  Visit OpenCIAMFull verdict →
• Descope7.2/10 · Free plan

  A feature-rich passwordless platform for teams building enterprise application identity workflows.

  Visit DescopeFull verdict →