Stytch Pricing: Plans, Tiers, & Cost Analysis (2026)

Pricing overview

Stytch's pricing structure is primarily usage-based, with Monthly Active Users (MAUs) serving as the core metric for determining costs. An MAU is defined as a unique user who successfully authenticates with Stytch at least once within a 30-day billing cycle. This model is common among authentication providers, allowing costs to scale with an application's user base rather than fixed upfront fees or per-API-call charges.

The service offers a free tier, the Developer Plan, which supports up to 1,000 MAUs, providing full access to Stytch's core passwordless authentication features, including email magic links, OAuth, and social logins. Beyond the free tier, Stytch provides tiered plans designed for growing applications and enterprises, each with increasing MAU allowances and additional features like B2B authentication tools, custom branding, and dedicated support options.

Costs can also be influenced by overage charges for SMS and email authentications beyond included allowances, as well as premium features such as advanced B2B organization management and enterprise-grade security controls. Stytch publishes its pricing details on its official pricing page, outlining the specifics of each plan and any associated additional costs.

Plans and tiers

Stytch offers several plans tailored to different stages of application development and user scale, ranging from a free developer plan to custom enterprise solutions.

Each plan includes core authentication methods such as email magic links, OAuth, social logins, and one-time passcodes (OTP) via email, as well as passwordless multi-factor authentication (MFA) and device management. Higher-tier plans introduce more advanced features, increased MAU limits, and enhanced support options.

The Growth Plan represents the entry point for paid services, offering an increased MAU allowance and additional features that support scaling applications. Beyond the Growth Plan, the Scale and Enterprise plans provide custom pricing models that are negotiated directly with Stytch, based on specific MAU requirements, feature sets (e.g., B2B SSO with SAML or OIDC, custom branding, audit logs), and support needs.

It is important to review the Stytch pricing page for the most current details regarding included features, overage rates for SMS/email, and specific MAU tiers, as these can be updated by the vendor.

Free tier and limits

Stytch offers a Developer Plan as its free tier, designed to enable developers to build and test applications using Stytch's authentication services without initial cost. This plan includes most of Stytch's core authentication methods, such as email magic links, OAuth, social logins (e.g., Google, Apple, Microsoft), and email one-time passcodes (OTPs).

• MAU Limit: The primary limitation of the Developer Plan is 1,000 Monthly Active Users (MAUs). An MAU is counted if a user successfully authenticates using Stytch within a 30-day billing cycle.
• Included Features: Developers on this plan can access Stytch's API and SDKs for integrating passwordless authentication, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and device management into their applications. This includes access to basic authentication flows and developer tools.
• Support: Support for the Developer Plan typically involves community forums and self-service documentation.

When an application exceeds the 1,000 MAU limit on the Developer Plan, it becomes necessary to upgrade to a paid plan. Features such as SMS-based OTPs, B2B authentication tools (like Organization SSO for SAML/OIDC), and custom branding are generally available only on paid plans or as add-ons, even if the MAU count remains below 1,000.

Real-world cost examples

Understanding Stytch's MAU-based pricing requires considering typical usage patterns and feature requirements. These examples are illustrative and based on the published pricing structure:

1. Small Startup with Consumer-Facing App (Basic Passwordless)

   • Scenario: A new mobile application aiming for consumer adoption, using email magic links for passwordless login. The app anticipates reaching 800 MAUs within its first few months and uses email OTP as a backup.
   • Plan: Developer Plan
   • Cost: $0 per month.
   • Rationale: The application remains within the 1,000 MAU free tier limit, utilizing Stytch's core passwordless features with email-based authentication. This covers development and initial growth without charge.

2. Growing SaaS Platform (Expanded User Base)

   • Scenario: A SaaS platform with 4,000 active users needs robust passwordless and MFA, including SMS OTPs. They anticipate steady growth.
   • Plan: Growth Plan
   • Cost: Approximately $99 per month (for up to 5,000 MAUs).
   • Rationale: Exceeds the free tier MAU limit and requires SMS OTPs. The Growth Plan accommodates the current user base and allows for future growth up to 5,000 MAUs within the fixed monthly fee. Any SMS overages beyond included amounts would be billed separately.

3. Mid-Market B2B Application (SSO & Org Management)

   • Scenario: A B2B application serving 15,000 MAUs across various organizations, requiring Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities (SAML/OIDC) for enterprise clients and advanced organization management features.
   • Plan: Scale Plan
   • Cost: Custom pricing (negotiated based on MAU volume and specific B2B features).
   • Rationale: The user count significantly exceeds the Growth Plan. The need for B2B SSO and organization-specific features places this use case firmly within the Scale or Enterprise tiers, where pricing is tailored.

4. Large Enterprise with High Volume & Custom Requirements

   • Scenario: A global enterprise managing authentication for hundreds of thousands of users, requiring strict compliance (e.g., HIPAA readiness), custom security policies, dedicated support, and specialized integrations.
   • Plan: Enterprise Plan
   • Cost: Custom pricing (significantly higher, based on extensive requirements and MAU volume).
   • Rationale: High MAU volume, advanced compliance, and custom support needs necessitate an Enterprise-level agreement with personalized terms and pricing, typically including SLAs and dedicated account management.

How the pricing compares

Stytch's MAU-based pricing model is a common approach in the authentication-as-a-service market, shared by competitors. Comparing Stytch's pricing requires looking at its MAU allowances, feature set at each tier, and the cost of specific add-ons relative to alternatives like Auth0 (an Okta company) and Magic.link.

• MAU-centric Model: Many providers, including Stytch and Google Cloud Identity Platform, base their pricing on Monthly Active Users. This allows for clear scalability as an application grows. Differences often appear in the MAU thresholds for each tier and the per-MAU cost once those thresholds are exceeded.

• Free Tier Comparison: Stytch's Developer Plan offers 1,000 MAUs for free. This is generally competitive, with some alternatives offering similar or slightly different free tier limits. For example, some providers might offer a lower MAU count but include more advanced features in their free tier, while others might offer a higher MAU count with more limited features.

• Feature Inclusions: Stytch emphasizes passwordless authentication, MFA, and B2B capabilities. When comparing to alternatives, it is important to assess which features are included at each price point. For instance, SAML/OIDC SSO for B2B applications is often a premium feature across providers, and its inclusion or cost can vary significantly. Some alternatives might bundle more advanced security features or integrations at lower tiers, while others might gate them behind expensive enterprise plans.

• Overage Costs: Stytch, like many providers, charges for SMS and email authentications that exceed included allowances. These overage rates should be considered, as high-volume communication can add to the total cost. Platforms like Twilio's Verify API, a common underlying service for SMS OTPs, also charges per message, indicating that such costs are generally passed through.

• B2B vs. B2C Focus: Stytch highlights its B2B specific features. For applications primarily serving other businesses, the cost and breadth of B2B authentication tools (e.g., multi-tenancy, directory sync, SSO) can be a critical differentiator. Providers specializing in enterprise identity often have more sophisticated and potentially more expensive offerings in this area.

• Support & SLAs: Higher-tier plans for all authentication providers, including Stytch, typically come with enhanced support, faster response times, and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). These factors are important for enterprise-grade applications and should be factored into the overall value proposition, even if they don't appear as direct per-MAU costs.

Ultimately, the optimal choice depends on the specific MAU volume, the required authentication methods, critical B2B features, and the importance of compliance certifications (e.g., SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA readiness), all of which contribute to the total cost of ownership.