PocketBase vs Auth0
Open-source backend in a single Go binary
vs. Customer identity platform from Okta
Pricing tiers
PocketBase
Self-Hosted
MIT-licensed single binary. Run on any VPS / Docker / bare metal. No usage caps — only limited by your server.
$0 base (usage-based)
Auth0
B2C Essentials
Starting at 500 MAUs. Pro MFA, RBAC, passwordless, SAML, 10 orgs.
$35/mo
B2B Essentials
Unlimited orgs, 3 SSO connections, RBAC.
$150/mo
B2C Professional
Starting at 500 MAUs. Includes attack protection, custom DB, enterprise MFA.
$240/mo
B2B Professional
5+ SSO connections, attack protection, custom DB.
$800/mo
Enterprise
Custom. 99.99% SLA, dedicated support.
Custom
Free-tier quotas head-to-head
Comparing self-hosted on PocketBase vs b2c-essentials on Auth0.
| Metric | PocketBase | Auth0 |
|---|---|---|
| mau start | — | 500 MAU |
| sso connections | — | 0 conns |
Features
PocketBase · 12 features
- Access Rules — Record-level access rules (filter expressions) referencing @request and @collect…
- Admin Dashboard — Built-in web UI for schema + data management.
- Auth — Email+password, OAuth2 (Google, GitHub, Facebook, Apple, Discord, Microsoft, etc…
- Backups — Built-in backup/restore with S3 upload option.
- Built-in Mailer — SMTP integration for verification, password reset, magic link emails.
- Collections — Schema-defined record types with fields, validations, and record/admin/auth acce…
- Embedded JS Engine — JavaScript VM (goja) lets you write hooks in JS without recompiling.
- Extend as Go Library — Embed PocketBase in a larger Go app, add custom routes and events.
- File Storage — Local filesystem or S3-compatible storage with access rules.
- Hooks — Server-side Go or JavaScript hooks that run on CRUD events (OnRecordBeforeCreate…
- Migrations — JS/Go migration scripts applied on startup.
- Realtime Subscriptions — SSE-based subscriptions to collection changes.
Auth0 · 14 features
- Attack Protection — Bot detection, brute-force protection, breached-password detection, suspicious I…
- Auth0 Actions — Node.js + TS hooks that run during auth flows (login, post-login, signup, MFA). …
- Auth0 FGA (OpenFGA) — Fine-grained relationship-based authorization (ReBAC). Based on Google Zanzibar.
- Custom Database — BYO user DB: scripts in Actions read from your database and create Auth0 users o…
- Custom Domain — Serve auth at auth.yourbrand.com with managed cert.
- Enterprise SSO — SAML 2.0 + OIDC + AD/LDAP enterprise connections. Per-tenant or per-org.
- Log Streaming — Stream tenant logs to Datadog, Splunk, Sumo Logic, Azure Sentinel, HTTP, Mixpane…
- Machine-to-Machine — Client-credentials grant for backend services.
- Multi-Factor Auth — SMS, Voice, Email, TOTP, WebAuthn (biometrics), Push (Guardian app), Duo.
- Organizations — Multi-tenant B2B: orgs with invitations, roles, branding, enterprise connections…
- Passkeys — FIDO2/WebAuthn passkey sign-in.
- Passwordless — Email magic link + code, SMS code, WebAuthn.
- RBAC — Roles, permissions, API scopes — attach to users or orgs.
- Universal Login — Hosted login page with customization, multi-factor flows, passwordless, social, …
Developer interfaces
| Kind | PocketBase | Auth0 |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | — | Auth0 CLI |
| SDK | Go API (extend as library), pocketbase (Dart), pocketbase (JS SDK) | Auth0 Android, Auth0 iOS/Swift, @auth0/nextjs-auth0, Auth0 React SDK, Auth0 SPA.js SDK, Go Auth0 SDK, Node Auth0 Backend SDK, Python Auth0 SDK |
| REST | REST API | Authentication API, Management API |
| OTHER | Admin Dashboard, Realtime SSE | — |
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Some links to PocketBase and Auth0 may be affiliate links — Staxly may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.
Want this comparison in your AI agent's context? Install the free Staxly MCP server.