WorkOS is a great enterprise auth suite. But you might only need RBAC.
WorkOS bundles authentication + SSO + SCIM + RBAC into one platform. Their FGA (Radar) charges $100 per 50,000 authorization checks — that's $2,000/month at 1M checks alone. WardenAuth covers 1M checks for $79/month with audit, API keys, and unlimited tenants included, not as add-ons.
Overview
WorkOS is excellent. If you need to ship enterprise SSO, SCIM, and RBAC in a single integration, it's one of the cleanest DX experiences in the industry.
But their FGA pricing compounds aggressively: $100/50K checks means $2,000/month at just 1M checks. Add SSO connections at $125/connection per enterprise customer, directory sync at $125/connection, and audit log streaming at $125/SIEM — and costs become unpredictable fast. WardenAuth bundles audit, webhooks, API keys, and multi-tenancy at every paid tier without per-connection fees.
WorkOS — Strengths
- Complete enterprise auth bundle: SSO + SCIM + RBAC
- Excellent DX and documentation
- Pre-built Admin Portal component
- Strong compliance certifications
- Very active development team
WorkOS — Limitations
- FGA charges $100/50K checks — $2,000/month at 1M checks, $10,000/month at 5M
- SSO connections billed at $125/connection/month — per enterprise customer
- No free tier for FGA in production
- Tight coupling between auth and authorization layers
- Forces migration away from existing auth providers
Pricing comparison
| Scenario | WorkOS | WardenAuth |
|---|---|---|
| 1K MAU, 100K checks | ~$200/mo (Radar only) | $79/mo (Starter) |
| 10K MAU, 1M checks | ~$2,000/mo (Radar only) | $79/mo (Starter) |
| 50K MAU, 5M checks | ~$10,000/mo (Radar only) | $249/mo (Growth) |
| 100K MAU, 10M checks | ~$20,000/mo (Radar only) | $249/mo (Growth) |
| SSO + directory sync (per customer) | $125/mo per connection each | Included (no per-tenant fees) |
Feature comparison
| Feature | WorkOS | WardenAuth |
|---|---|---|
| Fine-grained RBAC | ||
| Authorization engine (per-check) | ||
| Built-in audit trail (40+ events) | $125/mo per SIEM | |
| API key management + rotation | ||
| Multi-tenant scopes (unlimited) | ||
| Deny-wins + decision reasoning | ||
| SoD / Approval workflows | ||
| Anomaly detection | ||
| Self-hosted deployment | Available (Enterprise) | |
| No per-connection SSO fees | ||
| Flat-rate, predictable billing | ||
| Auth-agnostic (keep your auth) |
When each makes sense
Choose WorkOS if you're building an enterprise-focused B2B product that needs SSO, SCIM, and RBAC as a bundle. The single integration story is compelling and the DX is excellent. It's worth the premium if you'd otherwise build all three things separately.
Choose WardenAuth if you have existing auth (Cognito, Clerk, NextAuth) and want to add fine-grained authorization without touching your auth layer. WardenAuth integrates with any auth provider via JWT claims or API key, and starts free.
WorkOS is the right choice if you need the full enterprise auth suite (SSO + SCIM + RBAC + FGA) in a single integration. But if you already have authentication and just need fine-grained authorization with audit, API keys, and multi-tenancy — without per-connection fees or per-check billing that hits $2,000/month at 1M checks — WardenAuth is the clear winner.
See for yourself — no credit card required.