Overview

Descope brings a visual authentication builder together with client, mobile and backend SDKs and REST APIs. That mix gives teams a way to shape login journeys visually while retaining options for custom implementations. It supports both consumer-facing and business applications, including centralized identity across customer and internal apps.

The product covers user and machine identity: plans set limits for monthly active users, tenants, SSO connections, federated apps and machine-to-machine exchanges. Descope also supports directory synchronization, lifecycle provisioning and adaptive access policies. Founded in 2022, the company is headquartered in Los Altos, California.

Key features

Visual flows and developer integration

Descope Flows lets developers design login screens and authentication journeys without writing code for the flow design. SDKs and REST APIs provide integration paths for teams that need to connect those flows to their applications or build custom authentication implementations. This is useful when visual configuration alone is not enough, but teams that only need a basic sign-in path may not need the platform's wider toolkit.

Broad authentication choices

Supported methods include passwords, one-time passwords, magic links, passkeys, social login, SSO, biometrics, MFA and authenticator apps. The range gives teams room to offer different login experiences across applications and users. SSO protocols include SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0 and OIDC; MFA options also include security questions, recovery codes and device authentication.

Frameworks, mobile and connectors

Integrations cover React, Next.js, Vue.js, JavaScript, Angular, Python, Node.js, Java, .NET, Go, PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift, React Native and Flutter. Native mobile SDKs are supported for Swift iOS, Kotlin Android, Flutter and React Native applications. More than 50 documented third-party connectors address CRM, identity verification, fraud prevention and audit use cases. That breadth can help teams fit Descope into an existing stack, while the open-source SDKs allow teams to inspect and adapt their integration code.

Security and service commitments

Descope states that it is SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP High, CSA STAR Level 2 and PCI DSS certified or authorized, and GDPR and HIPAA compliant. It states that communications use TLS encryption and data at rest uses full-disk encryption. SLA commitments vary by plan: 99% on Free Forever and 99.99% on Pro and Growth.

Pricing

Descope has a free tier and annual-billed paid plans. The quotas matter as much as the headline price: tenant, SSO, federated-app and machine-exchange allowances differ, and paid plans add usage-based overages.

Plan	Price	Included limits and terms
Free Forever	0.00 USD per free	7,500 MAUs, 10 monthly active tenants, 3 SSO connections, 1 federated app (OIDC), 5 test users, 10,000 M2M exchanges, 2,000 MACs and 2,000 MATKs; no overages. Community support and 99% SLA.
Pro	249.00 USD per month, billed annually	10,000 MAUs, 35 monthly active tenants, 5 SSO connections, 2 federated apps (SAML/OIDC), 100 test users, 50,000 M2M exchanges, 5,000 MACs and 5,000 MATKs; usage-based overages. Web and email support, 99.99% SLA.
Growth	799.00 USD per month, billed annually	25,000 MAUs, 100 monthly active tenants, 10 SSO connections, unlimited federated apps (SAML/OIDC), 500 test users, 100,000 M2M exchanges, 10,000 MACs and 10,000 MATKs; usage-based overages and 99.99% SLA.
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Tiered discounts, premium support add-on, a dedicated customer success engineer, custom deployments, unlimited test users and unlimited anonymous users.

Free Forever is a practical starting point for projects within its caps, and its no-overages term avoids surprise charges but also means teams cannot rely on paid-style excess usage. Pro raises the quotas and adds stronger SLA and web and email support, fitting teams ready to budget annually at 249.00 USD per month. Growth costs 799.00 USD per month billed annually and is more suitable when higher user and tenant limits or unlimited federated apps matter. Enterprise is the route for teams that need custom deployments or unlimited test and anonymous users.

Platforms

Descope supports Android, iOS, web, API and self-hosted environments. Its client, backend and mobile SDKs, REST APIs and native mobile SDK support give teams multiple ways to integrate across application layers.

Who it's for

Descope is a strong fit for teams building B2C or B2B applications that need multiple authentication methods, distinct login journeys or identity spanning customer and internal apps. Its developer integrations suit stacks using the listed web, backend and mobile frameworks. Teams should compare their projected MAUs, tenants, SSO connections and machine exchanges against plan caps before choosing, particularly because Pro and Growth allow usage-based overages.

A smaller application with straightforward login needs may find the breadth unnecessary. Likewise, teams that need more usage than a plan's included allowance should account for overages rather than treating the monthly price as a fixed ceiling.

Pros and cons

Pros: Visual flow design plus SDKs and REST APIs supports both no-code journey configuration and custom integration.
Pros: A wide set of sign-in methods, SSO protocols and access controls can serve varied customer and business identity needs.
Pros: Framework coverage, native mobile SDKs and more than 50 connectors offer integration options across application stacks and adjacent services.
Pros: All SDKs are open source, and the paid plans provide a 99.99% SLA.
Cons: Free Forever is capped at 7,500 MAUs, 10 tenants and limited SSO and federation, so it may not carry a growing deployment far.
Cons: Pro and Growth are billed annually and permit usage-based overages, making quota planning important.
Cons: The 99% Free Forever SLA is lower than the 99.99% commitment on Pro and Growth.

Alternatives

Hanko is another freemium option with Android, iOS, API, self-hosted and web support; its Starter plan includes 10,000 monthly active users, two projects and community support at 0.00 USD per free.

Ory is worth comparing for teams seeking an identity platform with API, self-hosted and desktop operating-system support; its Production plan is 770.00 USD per year for one production environment and three staging environments.

Passwordless.dev is a freemium alternative with Android, iOS, API, self-hosted and web support; its Free plan covers up to 10,000 users and one app per organization.

TypingDNA Verify 2FA is a narrower alternative to consider when the requirement is API or web-based 2FA; its Starter plan is free for 100 users each month.

Clerk is another freemium choice, with a Hobby plan that includes 50,000 monthly recurring users per app and up to three dashboard seats.

fido2-lib is a free MIT-licensed library for teams evaluating a self-hosted API option.

StrongKey FIDO Server is a free alternative whose Community Edition states unlimited users, applications and transactions.

Stytch is another freemium option for Android, iOS, API and web; its Pay as you go plan starts at 0.00 USD per month and includes 10,000 monthly active users and AI agents, unlimited organizations and five SSO or SCIM connections.

For category comparisons, see Biometric Authentication Software, Identity and Access Management Software, Single Sign-On Software, Passkey Authentication Software, Customer Identity and Access Management Software and Passwordless Authentication Software.

Verdict

Choose Descope if your team needs flexible identity journeys across customer or business applications and wants visual flow design without giving up SDKs, APIs or open-source integration code. Its broad authentication support and stack coverage are compelling for complex identity requirements. Look elsewhere if your needs are limited to basic login or if annual commitments and usage-based overages do not fit your budget model.

	Descope	Locke Gateway
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	$249/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, self-hosted, Web	Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Directory sync	Yes	—
Deployment model	—	both
Passkey types	—	device_bound

Descope vs Locke Gateway

Descope

Locke Gateway