Comparing Auth0 vs. Bare.ID - the Auth0 alternative

IAM SaaS solutions such as Auth0 and Bare.ID have the advantage that operation, hosting and development are taken over by the provider and therefore no effort is required by the customer for independent operation and integration of security updates. Depending on the scope of services required, the costs of a SaaS solution are also affordable for SMEs due to the lack of additional resources and significantly cheaper than comparable OnPremise license models.

Auth0 (since 2021: part of Okta) is one of the leading US providers of identity and access management in the cloud and offers a similar range of functions to Bare.ID. Both SaaS providers help companies secure their login and authentication processes while increasing usability via single sign-on. However, since digital sovereignty plays a major role, especially in the cloud environment, Auth0 as a US provider is considered risky within the framework of German security requirements. The extent to which server locations play a role and Bare.IDi otherwise differentiates itself from Auth0 is explained in more detail below:

Hosting & operation

Auth0 as a US solution primarily relies on Amazon web services as cloud infrastructure, while Bare.ID uses SysEleven's Managed OpenStack provided in Germany as infrastructure. Compared to its US competitor, Bare.ID therefore hosts exclusively in Germany, multiple redundant and geo-redundant even in compliance with KRITIS regulations. The multi-redundant Bare.ID setup guarantees 99.9% availability in every tariff, which allows reliable use regardless of tariff level. Auth0, on the other hand, only offers SLAs in terms of availability from Custom Enterprise tariffs and thus limits the reliable use of smaller providers. Another strong differentiation is that Bare.ID uses the established IAM open source framework Keycloak at its core, extended by its own user interface and numerous features. Since it is always an advantage in the area of IT security to access established standards and open source libraries whenever possible, Keycloak is a solid basis. However, companies often have difficulties with independently hosting such security-relevant software of the appropriate quality and are actively seeking Keycloak-as-a-Service. In addition, with Bare.ID, there is no vendor lock-in, which means that if you want to change providers, data and configuration can simply be taken along.

Data protection and compliance

Companies in European, especially German-speaking regions, are subject to strict GDPR guidelines and industry-specific regulations. GDPR-compliant use is only possible if technical measures ensure that personal data either only leaves the EU in encrypted form or that other organizational measures prevent the evaluation of it. In the case of logins and identity management, however, this is almost impossible, as in order to log in or manage the identity, it must be available in plain language with the provider hosted in the third country. The GDPR-compliant use represents the most relevant differentiation between providers; in contrast to the US provider Auth0, only Bare.ID DSGVO-compliant cloud service offers. In addition, the basic configuration of Bare.ID already meets legal and industry-specific security requirements and can therefore be used in a compliant manner even in heavily regulated areas.

MFA variants

Auth0 and Bare.ID offer various authentication methods, which can be activated as required. From basic methods such as OTP via email, SMS or an authenticator app, to WebAuthn to passwordless authentication, the two providers offer a wide range. However, Bare.ID allows you to choose from all available MFA methods in every tariff, while with Auth0, all plans under Enterprise only include Authenticator App MFA. Bare.ID also enables mobile phone or Windows-based multi-factor authentication “Secure Login to Web Services” from secunet Security Networks AG for passwordless authentication, which meets all current legal security requirements, complies with BSI guidelines and is a leading provider on the German market in this environment - without integration costs and can be activated with one click.

Support

As SaaS solutions, both Auth0 and Bare.ID offer dedicated support and implementation assistance. However, as a German company, Bare.ID Support is available to customers in the same language and offers first-class support during European working hours compared to Auth0.

conclusion

As explained at the beginning, the most decisive differentiation between the two providers is that Auth0 cannot be used as a GDPR-compliant cloud service, while Bare.ID realizes digital sovereignty. This difference is so decisive because the requirements for IT security, both in the private sector and in the public sector, have increased drastically in recent years as a result of various regulations and the need for German-certified partners in the software environment has increased as a result of various decisions. As also mentioned in our article on Zero Trust Architecture (link), the Federal Ministry of the Interior is promoting strengthening the domestic economy, especially in the cloud environment. In addition, only providers with controlled German or European origin should be used in the long term, especially in the critical IT infrastructure (KRITIS) environment, and a solution such as Auth0 would not be sustainable at this point.

Learn more? The Bare.ID team of experts has experience at your side and will be happy to advise you on how our solution can fit into your IT environment. Simply arrange a non-binding consultation via our contact form and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

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