Pricing overview

Frontegg's pricing model is primarily based on the number of Monthly Active Users (MAUs) and the specific features required. It offers a free Developer Plan, designed for getting started and testing, along with paid tiers that provide expanded capabilities and higher MAU allowances. The core premise is to provide embedded authentication and user management solutions for SaaS applications, where the cost scales with user adoption.

The MAU system counts unique users who perform an authentication-related action within a 30-day period. This includes logins, sign-ups, password resets, or API calls that interact with Frontegg's user management services. The pricing structure is common among identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) providers, aligning costs with application usage. For example, similar MAU-based models are used by other authentication platforms like Auth0, which also factors in MAUs for its pricing tiers Auth0 pricing page, and Clerk, which uses a similar model Clerk pricing details.

Frontegg provides transparency for its Growth plan with published pricing up to 100,000 MAUs, beyond which custom enterprise agreements are necessary. This allows businesses to project costs as their user base grows, although unforeseen spikes in MAUs could lead to higher-than-anticipated billing if not monitored.

Plans and tiers

Frontegg offers three primary plans: Developer, Growth, and Enterprise. Each plan is structured to serve different stages of application development and user scale, with increasing feature sets and MAU allowances.

The Developer Plan is the entry point, providing essential user management and authentication features for free, albeit with MAU limitations and reduced support options. It is suitable for proof-of-concept projects, development environments, and small-scale applications.

The Growth Plan targets growing applications that require more robust features, higher MAU limits, and dedicated support. This plan introduces capabilities such as Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), audit logs, and webhooks, which are critical for most commercial SaaS offerings. Pricing for the Growth Plan is tiered based on MAU ranges, with listed prices starting at $200 per month for 1,000 MAUs and scaling upwards. The official pricing page details these specific MAU increments and corresponding costs Frontegg's official pricing page.

The Enterprise Plan is designed for large organizations with significant user bases, complex security requirements, and specific compliance needs. This plan typically includes custom MAU limits, advanced security features (e.g., dedicated environments, custom security policies), enhanced support, and specialized integrations. Pricing for the Enterprise Plan is negotiated directly with Frontegg, allowing for tailored solutions to meet specific business demands.

Here is a comparison of Frontegg's plans:

Plan Starting Price Key MAU Limit / Feature Best For
Developer Free Up to 500 MAUs; Core authentication, basic user management Development, testing, small personal projects, proof-of-concept
Growth $200/month Starts at 1,000 MAUs; SSO, MFA, Audit Logs, Webhooks, custom domains Growing SaaS applications, commercial products with increasing user bases
Enterprise Custom Custom MAUs; Enhanced security, dedicated support, custom integrations, compliance Large organizations, high-scale applications, stringent security/compliance needs

Free tier and limits

Frontegg's free tier is known as the Developer Plan. This plan provides a fully functional instance of Frontegg's platform, allowing developers to integrate core authentication and user management features into their applications without initial cost. The primary limitation of the Developer Plan is the Monthly Active User (MAU) count, which is capped at 500 MAUs. Additionally, it offers community support rather than dedicated technical support, and certain advanced features available in paid tiers, such as specific SSO providers or audit log retention policies, may be restricted or unavailable.

The Developer Plan includes essential features such as user registration and login, password management, basic roles and permissions, and access to Frontegg's SDKs and API documentation Frontegg API reference. This makes it suitable for individual developers, startups in their early stages, or teams looking to evaluate Frontegg's capabilities before committing to a paid plan. It allows for the full development lifecycle of authentication flows, including UI customization and integration with existing application backends. Users can upgrade from the Developer Plan to a paid plan at any time to remove MAU limits and unlock additional features.

Real-world cost examples

Understanding Frontegg's MAU-based pricing requires considering different user growth scenarios:

  • Scenario 1: Small Startup (500 MAUs)
    A new SaaS application launches with an initial user base of 500 MAUs. For this scenario, the application can operate entirely on Frontegg's free Developer Plan. This covers core authentication, user registration, and basic user management without any direct cost from Frontegg. The startup can focus resources on product development and marketing rather than identity infrastructure costs.

  • Scenario 2: Growing Application (5,000 MAUs)
    An application experiences moderate growth, reaching 5,000 MAUs. This level typically exceeds the free tier's limits and necessitates moving to the Growth Plan. Based on Frontegg's published pricing, the cost for 5,000 MAUs would be approximately $600 per month. This tier provides essential features like SSO, MFA, and audit logs, which become critical for compliance and security as the user base expands. The pricing for this MAU band can be found on the official pricing page Frontegg pricing details.

  • Scenario 3: Mid-Sized SaaS (25,000 MAUs)
    A successful SaaS platform with 25,000 MAUs would fall within a higher band of the Growth Plan. At this scale, the monthly cost would be approximately $1,800. This includes all Growth Plan features, which are vital for managing a significant user base, ensuring robust security, and supporting various enterprise client requirements like custom domains and advanced integration capabilities.

  • Scenario 4: Large Enterprise (150,000 MAUs)
    For applications with 150,000 MAUs or more, Frontegg's Enterprise Plan becomes the standard. While specific pricing is custom, it typically involves a dedicated account manager, enhanced Service Level Agreements (SLAs), custom security configurations, and advanced compliance features. The cost would be negotiated directly, reflecting the scale of usage and the specific enterprise requirements. This plan often includes features like private cloud deployments or advanced data residency options.

These examples illustrate how costs scale with user adoption, making it important for businesses to project their MAU growth accurately when budgeting for identity management solutions like Frontegg.

How the pricing compares

Frontegg's pricing model, based on Monthly Active Users (MAUs) and feature tiers, is consistent with many providers in the authentication and user management space. Understanding how it compares to alternatives like Auth0 and Clerk can help in decision-making.

  • Frontegg vs. Auth0: Auth0, a widely adopted identity platform, also uses an MAU-based pricing model. Auth0's free tier, its Developer plan, offers up to 7,000 MAUs for free for its core features, significantly more than Frontegg's 500 MAUs on its free Developer Plan. However, Auth0's paid plans can become more expensive at higher MAU counts, particularly for advanced features like enterprise SSO or HIPAA compliance, which are often priced as add-ons. For instance, Auth0's Essentials plan for 10,000 MAUs is $299/month, while Frontegg's Growth plan for 10,000 MAUs is $1,000/month Auth0 pricing tiers versus Frontegg's official pricing page. Frontegg generally positions itself as a more deeply embedded solution for SaaS, potentially offering a different value proposition in terms of developer experience and out-of-the-box UI components.

  • Frontegg vs. Clerk: Clerk is another strong alternative focusing on developer-first authentication. Clerk also operates on an MAU model, offering a generous free tier with up to 10,000 MAUs and unlimited API requests. This free tier is substantially larger than Frontegg's. Clerk's paid plans start at $25/month for 5,000 MAUs (after the free tier), which is lower than Frontegg's starting Growth plan rate for 1,000 MAUs. However, Clerk's pricing can increase with additional features like SSO, which is included in higher-tier plans or as an add-on. For example, Clerk's Business plan at 25,000 MAUs is $250/month, compared to Frontegg's Growth plan for 25,000 MAUs at $1,800/month Clerk pricing details compared to Frontegg's official pricing page. Frontegg's value proposition often includes a broader suite of user management tools beyond just authentication, such as fine-grained authorization and audit logs, which might justify a different cost structure for specific use cases.

  • Frontegg vs. SuperTokens: SuperTokens offers an open-source alternative with a self-hosted option, providing a different pricing dynamic. While its core features can be self-hosted for free, relying on developers' infrastructure and operational costs, SuperTokens also offers a managed service with MAU-based pricing. Its managed service tiers are generally competitive, especially for developers who prioritize ownership and customization. However, the total cost of ownership for self-hosting can vary significantly based on operational expertise and infrastructure requirements. The flexibility of self-hosting SuperTokens SuperTokens pricing and managed service means direct price comparisons for managed services require careful feature matching.

In summary, Frontegg's pricing sits within the competitive landscape, offering a comprehensive suite for embedded identity. While its free tier has lower MAU limits compared to some competitors, its paid tiers bundle a rich set of features that might be add-ons with other providers. The decision often comes down to the specific feature set required, the expected MAU growth, and the desired level of embedding and customization within a SaaS application.