00/Compare
Seven comparisons with actual takes, not checkmark tables. We'll tell you where the other tool is better, where we're better, and whether a migration is worth the effort right now.
The usual compare page
What we do instead
01/Per-competitor takes
We updated these after going through each tool's public docs and running its quickstart. If something is wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.
The enterprise incumbent. Strong on SSO and policy, weak on agents and DX.
Move when
You hit the 10k MAU pricing wall, or you want edge latency under 50ms.
Auth0 is better at
Enterprise procurement. SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP all locked in for years.
kavachOS is better at
MCP OAuth 2.1, agent identity as a first-class primitive, code you can read.
Beautiful React components for human auth. Agents are not on their roadmap.
Move when
You're shipping agents, not just logged-in users, and you need scoped tokens for tools.
Clerk is better at
Prebuilt UI components. If you want drop-in React auth today, Clerk is the faster path.
kavachOS is better at
Agent delegation chains, MCP servers, audit trails that a compliance person can actually read.
Enterprise auth plumbing. SSO, SCIM, directory sync, audit logs.
Move when
You don't need enterprise plumbing yet. You need agent auth that actually exists.
WorkOS is better at
Enterprise SSO and directory sync. If Okta is on your buyer's procurement list, WorkOS wins.
kavachOS is better at
Agent identity, MCP OAuth 2.1, open source core, pricing that makes sense under 10k MAU.
TypeScript-first OSS auth. Excellent DX, human-only.
Move when
You love Better Auth's DX but you need agents, MCP, and a managed cloud option.
Better Auth is better at
Plugin ecosystem and human auth polish. Better Auth is the reason a lot of people ship fast.
kavachOS is better at
Agent primitives, MCP OAuth 2.1 as a server (not a client), managed cloud when you want one.
Auth glued to a Postgres backend. Works if you live in Supabase.
Move when
You want auth that isn't coupled to a specific database, or you need agents.
Supabase Auth is better at
Postgres integration. If your whole stack is Supabase, the auth feels free.
kavachOS is better at
Portability. Any database, any runtime, any framework. Plus agents and MCP.
Google's auth service. Huge reach, not designed for agents.
Move when
You want out of the Google Cloud gravity well, or you need agent primitives.
Firebase Auth is better at
Phone number auth at scale. Firebase handles that better than most.
kavachOS is better at
TypeScript-first types, open source code, edge runtime, agent identity.
Java-based open source. Powerful, heavy, JVM-shaped.
Move when
You don't want to run a JVM for auth. You want edge-native TypeScript.
Keycloak is better at
SAML federation depth and the kind of enterprise IAM features that took a decade to build.
kavachOS is better at
Edge runtime, TypeScript DX, agent identity, MCP as a server.
02/Decision aid
Four questions. If any one answer is yes in the top two, the switch is usually straightforward. The bottom two are reasons to stay.
Yes, switch
Probably, consider it
Not yet, stay
Not yet, stay
We won't win every comparison. We'll write the honest version anyway. Buyers can smell spin, and spin compounds.