Auth0 Alternatives for Indie Developers: EU-Based Options (2026)

Auth0 is widely used, well-documented, and genuinely excellent — but for indie developers it has two recurring problems: it gets expensive fast (the free tier caps at 7,500 MAUs), and it's a US-hosted service, which means EU user data flows through Okta's US infrastructure.

If you're building for European users, or you simply want authentication that doesn't double your SaaS bill once you get traction, here's what's actually available in 2026.

What you're replacing

A typical Auth0 setup gives you:

• Email/password login
• Social OAuth (Google, GitHub, Apple…)
• Passwordless / magic link
• MFA
• Machine-to-machine tokens (client credentials)
• User management dashboard
• Customisable login UI (Universal Login)

Your replacement needs to hit most of these without requiring you to become a security engineer.

EU-based Auth0 alternatives

Keycloak (self-hosted, open source)

Keycloak is the enterprise-grade open-source identity provider from Red Hat. It supports OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, social login, MFA, fine-grained permissions, and a full admin UI. Run it on any EU VPS.

The downside: Keycloak has a steep learning curve and requires a JVM runtime. Expect an hour or two of setup for a basic deployment, and real effort to tune it for production.

Best for: teams who need enterprise SSO, SAML federation, or fine-grained authorization policies.

Authentik (self-hosted, open source)

Authentik is the indie-friendly Keycloak alternative. It's written in Python/Django with a clean UI, Docker Compose setup, and support for OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, LDAP, and SCIM. Much easier to operate than Keycloak.

Deploy it on a Hetzner CX22 (€4/month), point your DNS at it, and you have a self-hosted auth server that's entirely under your control.

Best for: solo founders and small teams who want self-hosted auth without the Keycloak complexity.

Supabase Auth (EU region)

If you're already using Supabase as your backend (see our Firebase alternative guide), Supabase Auth is the cleanest option. It handles email/password, magic link, OAuth providers, and phone auth — all wired into your Postgres RLS policies. The Frankfurt region keeps everything EU-resident.

Best for: projects already on Supabase; zero extra infrastructure.

Better Auth (self-hosted, open source)

Better Auth is a TypeScript-first authentication library designed to run inside your own application rather than as a separate service. There is no external auth server — you ship auth as part of your app, backed by your own database.

• Works with any TypeScript stack (Next.js, Hono, Express, SvelteKit)
• Handles email/password, magic link, OAuth, sessions, and 2FA out of the box
• Plugins for organisation/team support, passkeys, and two-factor
• Zero external service dependency — your session data never leaves your own infrastructure

Deploy on any EU VPS and your auth data stays exactly where your application data does. For solo founders and small teams, this is the lowest-operational-overhead option.

Best for: Next.js and TypeScript projects where you want auth baked into the app rather than managed as a separate service.

Logto (self-hosted, open source)

Logto is a modern open-source auth solution focused on developer experience. It ships with a polished admin UI, OIDC-compliant API, and SDK support for React, Next.js, Vue, and mobile.

• OIDC and OAuth 2.0 compliant
• Built-in multi-tenancy for B2B SaaS (organisations, roles, invitations)
• Email/password, social OAuth, passwordless, MFA
• Docker Compose deployment in under 10 minutes
• Self-hosted on any EU server or use their EU cloud region

Logto hits the sweet spot between Keycloak's complexity and Supabase Auth's Postgres coupling. It is a genuine standalone identity provider with a better DX than Keycloak.

Best for: B2B SaaS that needs multi-tenancy, organisations, and role-based access — without Auth0's pricing.

WorkOS (EU region)

WorkOS is a developer-first auth platform focused on enterprise SSO and SCIM provisioning. It's US-founded but offers an EU data residency option. If you need to sell to enterprise customers who require SAML SSO, WorkOS is the easiest path.

Best for: B2B SaaS selling to enterprises that need SSO/SCIM.

Pricing comparison (2026)

For most indie developers, Better Auth (zero infrastructure overhead, pure TypeScript) or Authentik on a €5 Hetzner VPS covers 95% of use cases at a fraction of Auth0's price — while keeping data fully in the EU.

Migration checklist

1. Audit your Auth0 usage — which grant types, social providers, and rules/actions do you use?
2. Export users — Auth0 lets you export users with bcrypt password hashes for import into Keycloak/Authentik.
3. Redirect URIs — update authorized callback URLs; your app code just changes the issuer URL.
4. Test social providers — reconfigure OAuth apps with your new auth server's redirect URI.
5. Sign a DPA — all EU-hosted providers listed above will sign a GDPR-compliant Data Processing Agreement.

Which EU Auth0 alternative should you pick?

Building a Next.js app and want zero extra infrastructure? Use Better Auth — it runs inside your application, your session data never leaves your own server, and the TypeScript DX is excellent.

Want a full self-hosted identity server with a UI? Authentik on a €4–5/month Hetzner CX22. Docker Compose up in minutes, handles social OAuth, magic links, MFA, and LDAP.

Already on Supabase? Supabase Auth on the Frankfurt region is the obvious choice — everything stays in one place.

Building B2B SaaS with multi-tenant organisations? Logto (self-hosted) handles organisations, roles, invitations, and OIDC out of the box, at a fraction of Auth0's B2B plan pricing.

Selling to enterprises that require SAML SSO? Keycloak (for full control) or WorkOS (for the easiest managed path).

Frequently asked questions

Is Auth0 GDPR compliant?

Auth0 (now Okta) offers a GDPR-compliant DPA, but user data is processed on US infrastructure by default. You can request EU data residency, but this is an enterprise-tier feature and requires a separate contractual arrangement. For most indie developers, this makes EU-native alternatives simpler to operate.

Can I migrate from Auth0 without forcing users to reset their passwords?

Yes, if your replacement supports bcrypt password hashes. Auth0 lets you export a user management API backup with hashed passwords. Keycloak and Authentik both support importing Auth0 user exports — your users can log in with the same passwords after migration.

What is the cheapest EU-hosted authentication option?

Better Auth (self-hosted, open-source) and Authentik (self-hosted on a €4/month Hetzner VPS) are the cheapest options with no per-seat or per-MAU pricing. You pay only for the server.

Are open-source EU auth tools production-ready?

Yes. Keycloak is used by banks, hospitals, and governments across Europe. Authentik and Logto are actively maintained with thousands of production deployments. Better Auth has grown rapidly in the TypeScript ecosystem and is production-ready for new projects.

Bottom line

Auth0 is no longer the default choice for EU-focused indie developers. Better Auth, Authentik, Supabase Auth, and Logto have all closed the feature gap significantly, and self-hosting auth on EU infrastructure is now a realistic option even for solo founders.

Browse all EU authentication and identity tools or explore EU security tools and EU developer tools on EU Alts.