WorkOS

Overview

WorkOS is an API platform designed to help B2B SaaS companies integrate enterprise-grade features into their applications. Founded in 2019, WorkOS focuses on abstracting the complexity of common enterprise requirements, particularly in the realm of authentication and user management. This includes capabilities such as Single Sign-On (SSO) via SAML and OIDC, Directory Sync using SCIM, Audit Logs, and Magic Link authentication. The platform provides a narrow API surface, with each endpoint specifically addressing an enterprise-tier use case, allowing development teams to implement these features efficiently.

The primary use case for WorkOS is enabling product-led growth (PLG) companies to offer enterprise features that are often prerequisites for larger corporate customers. For instance, many enterprises require SAML SSO for security and compliance, or SCIM for automated user provisioning and de-provisioning. Building these integrations natively can consume significant engineering resources. WorkOS aims to reduce this development time, allowing companies to ship these features in days or weeks rather than quarters.

WorkOS offers a developer experience that includes comprehensive documentation and SDKs for multiple programming languages including Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, Java, and .NET. A notable feature is its Admin Portal, which allows customers to self-configure their SAML or OIDC providers without requiring direct intervention from the SaaS provider's engineering team. This self-service capability can reduce support overhead and accelerate customer onboarding for enterprise clients. The platform also offers a generous free tier, supporting up to 1 million monthly active users (MAUs) on its AuthKit and another 1 million MAUs for SSO and SCIM features, which can be beneficial for startups and growing SaaS businesses.

Compliance is a key aspect of enterprise software, and WorkOS addresses this by maintaining certifications such as SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, and PCI DSS, and being HIPAA-eligible. These certifications can simplify the compliance burden for SaaS companies integrating WorkOS, as the underlying infrastructure meets common regulatory requirements. For developers evaluating authentication solutions, comparing WorkOS to alternatives like Auth0 can involve considering the specific focus on B2B enterprise features versus broader identity management platforms, as highlighted in various technical comparisons of identity providers.

Key features

• AuthKit: A hosted UI for authentication flows, including login, registration, and password reset, designed to integrate with various identity providers. This can reduce the need for custom UI development for authentication.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): Supports SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocols, enabling users to log in to a SaaS application using their existing enterprise identity provider (IdP) credentials. This is a common requirement for enterprise security and user experience. Learn more about JSON Web Token (JWT) standards often used with OIDC.
• Directory Sync (SCIM): Automates user and group provisioning and de-provisioning between a SaaS application and an enterprise's identity directory (e.g., Okta, Azure AD) using the System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) protocol. This ensures user access rights are synchronized centrally. For details on the SCIM specification, refer to the IETF SCIM Protocol documentation.
• Audit Logs: Provides a stream of security-critical events within the application, typically required for compliance and security monitoring in enterprise environments. These logs record actions like user logins, role changes, and data access.
• Magic Link: An authentication method that allows users to log in by clicking a unique, time-sensitive link sent to their email, bypassing traditional password entry. This can improve user experience and reduce password-related support issues.
• Admin Portal: A self-service portal for customers to configure their enterprise connections, such as SAML SSO settings, without requiring direct developer involvement from the SaaS provider. This feature simplifies customer onboarding and reduces operational overhead.

Pricing

WorkOS offers a tiered pricing model, including a substantial free tier for initial adoption and custom pricing for higher usage volumes. The details below are current as of May 2026.

For detailed pricing information and custom quotes, refer to the official WorkOS pricing page.

Common integrations

WorkOS is designed to integrate with various enterprise identity providers and existing application stacks. Its SDKs facilitate integration into popular backend frameworks, while its focus on standard protocols like SAML and SCIM ensures compatibility with a broad range of enterprise systems.

• Identity Providers (IdPs): Integrates with major IdPs such as Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, OneLogin, Ping Identity, and others for SAML and OIDC SSO. These integrations allow enterprise customers to use their existing identity infrastructure.
• SCIM Directories: Connects with SCIM-enabled directories like Okta and Azure AD for automated user and group provisioning. This streamlines user lifecycle management for enterprise clients.
• Backend Frameworks: SDKs are available for Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, Java, and .NET, allowing developers to integrate WorkOS into their existing application backends. The WorkOS integrations guide provides specific setup instructions.
• AuthKit UI Frameworks: Compatible with common frontend frameworks when implementing AuthKit, though it's primarily a hosted solution.

Alternatives

Several platforms offer identity and access management solutions, some with a specific focus on enterprise features, while others provide broader identity services.

• Auth0: A comprehensive identity platform offering authentication, authorization, and user management for web, mobile, and legacy applications. It supports a wide range of protocols and integrations.
• Stytch: Focuses on passwordless authentication solutions, including Magic Links, OTPs, and biometrics, aiming to reduce friction and improve security.
• Frontegg: Provides an end-to-end user management platform for B2B SaaS, including authentication, authorization, and an admin portal, similar to WorkOS's offerings.

Getting started

To begin using WorkOS, developers typically install an SDK and configure their application to interact with the WorkOS API. The following Node.js example demonstrates how to initialize the WorkOS client and initiate an SSO flow. This snippet shows how to set up the WorkOS client and redirect a user for an enterprise SSO login.

const WorkOS = require('@workos-inc/node').default;

const workos = new WorkOS(process.env.WORKOS_API_KEY);

// Example: Initiating an SSO flow
async function initiateSsoLogin(organizationId, redirectUri) {
  const authorizationUrl = workos.sso.getAuthorizationUrl({
    organization: organizationId,
    redirectUri: redirectUri,
    state: 'my-custom-state',
  });

  console.log('Redirecting to:', authorizationUrl);
  // In a real application, you would redirect the user's browser to authorizationUrl
  // For example, in Express.js: res.redirect(authorizationUrl);
}

// To get your organization ID, you would typically use the WorkOS Admin Portal
// or fetch it via the WorkOS API after a customer has configured their connection.
const exampleOrganizationId = 'org_01EZ5F15T9G811111111111111'; // Replace with a real organization ID
const exampleRedirectUri = 'http://localhost:3000/auth/callback'; // Replace with your application's callback URL

initiateSsoLogin(exampleOrganizationId, exampleRedirectUri)
  .catch(error => console.error('SSO initiation failed:', error));

This example demonstrates the foundational steps to integrate WorkOS SSO. For more advanced features like handling the callback, exchanging the authorization code for a profile, or implementing Directory Sync, developers should consult the WorkOS developer documentation, which provides comprehensive guides and API references for all supported programming languages and features.