Hanko

Hanko is an open-source authentication and user-management platform for app teams building sign-in into modern products. It is best suited to developers who want passkeys and other authentication methods alongside a choice of hosted or self-managed deployment. The combination of customizable web components and a Flow API makes it practical to start with supplied UI and retain a path to a custom frontend.

Overview

Hanko brings authentication and user management together, supporting passkeys, passwords, passwordless login, multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on. Hanko Elements are customizable web components for onboarding, login, and account management; teams that need a more tailored experience can use the Flow API to build their own authentication frontend.

The deployment choice is a meaningful advantage for teams with data-control requirements: Hanko can run in Hanko Cloud, a private cloud, or on a customer's own servers. Hanko says customers retain control of their data and can move between its hosted and self-hosted options. The trade-off for Cloud is regional: it is hosted only in AWS Frankfurt, Germany. Hanko's Trust Center lists GDPR as compliant and ISO 27001 as in progress, a distinction that matters to organizations with certification requirements.

Key features

Passkeys, email passcodes, social/OAuth sign-in, security keys, and authenticator apps give product teams multiple passwordless routes, while passwords and multi-factor authentication support other account policies. Biometric login, SAML SSO, and OpenID Connect broaden the supported sign-in approaches. This range is useful when an app needs to serve different user preferences or connect to identity systems; it also means teams can choose a focused set rather than make every method part of the experience.

Hanko Elements work as framework-agnostic web components with HTML and JavaScript, so teams are not limited to one listed frontend framework. Quickstarts and starter templates cover Next.js, Remix, Nuxt, Svelte, React, Vue, Solid, and Symfony. Those resources give teams a starting point across common stacks, while the Flow API is the better fit when prebuilt components do not suit the desired experience.

Pricing

Starter costs nothing and includes 10,000 monthly active users, 2 projects, and community support. It is a sensible starting tier for a small team evaluating Hanko or running a limited number of projects, but the project allowance and community-only support may be restrictive as an app portfolio or support needs grow.

Pro costs $29 a month, billed monthly, and includes 10,000 free monthly active users and 5 projects. It adds personal support by email and Slack, making it a better fit for teams that value direct assistance and need more projects than Starter allows. Both Cloud tiers include 10,000 free monthly active users; Hanko says user limits are not enforced to stop signups or logins, so the stated allowance is not described as a hard access cutoff.

Enterprise has custom pricing, with volume discounts, a 99.99% uptime SLA, priority support, Private Cloud, and a commercial license option. It is aimed at B2C or B2B apps with high user counts or regulatory requirements. Teams choosing between tiers should weigh those needs against the simpler public allowances and support terms of Starter and Pro.

Platforms

Hanko supports Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted deployments. The mix suits teams building app experiences across mobile and web while keeping authentication services under their own operational control if needed. Hanko Cloud's Germany-only region remains a constraint for teams that require hosted service elsewhere.

Who it's for

Hanko is a strong fit for product and engineering teams that want to implement passkeys or multiple sign-in methods, need web components compatible with different stacks, or value the option to self-host. Starter makes it approachable for small projects, while Pro adds project capacity and personal support. Organizations with high user counts or regulatory demands can consider Enterprise, though teams that require ISO 27001 certification or a Cloud region outside Frankfurt should not treat Hanko as an automatic fit.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Multiple authentication methods, including passkeys, biometrics, SAML SSO, and OpenID Connect, can cover varied app sign-in needs.
• Pros: Customizable Elements, a Flow API, and framework quickstarts give teams options from supplied UI to custom frontend work.
• Pros: Cloud, private-cloud, and self-hosted deployment choices support different data-control requirements.
• Cons: Hanko Cloud is hosted only in AWS Frankfurt, which rules it out for teams whose regional needs cannot be met there.
• Cons: ISO 27001 is in progress rather than compliant, so organizations requiring that certification need another solution or to wait.
• Cons: Starter is limited to 2 projects and community support; Pro's 5-project allowance and personal support require a monthly paid plan.

Alternatives

For a different approach or product emphasis, consider these alternatives:

• Bitwarden is a freemium password manager with a free plan for basic password management and unlimited devices and passwords, making it a better match for people seeking password storage rather than an app authentication platform.
• id3 Face SDK offers a free 30-day evaluation with limited API calls and a single platform; consider it when evaluating a face SDK rather than a broader authentication and user-management service.
• Ory is a freemium alternative with a Developer tier and a Production plan at $770 a year; consider it when comparing a separate identity platform and production-plan structure.
• StrongKey FIDO Server has a free open-source Community Edition stating unlimited users, applications, and transactions; it may suit teams prioritizing that stated scale in a free FIDO server.
• HUAWEI Analytics Kit is a free analytics product with 30+ automatically collected events and 500 custom events, rather than an authentication platform.
• HYPR Authenticate has a paid Identity Assurance Access plan at $3 a month and a free trial; consider it when comparing a paid authentication option with a lower stated monthly entry price.
• Passwordless.dev has a free tier for up to 10,000 users and 1 app per organization; it is worth comparing for a passwordless-focused project with a single app.
• Clerk has a free Hobby plan with 50,000 MRU per app, up to 3 dashboard seats, and up to 5 user impersonations; consider it when those stated free-plan allowances are a closer match.

Readers comparing by category can also browse Biometric Authentication Software, Customer Identity and Access Management Software, Passwordless Authentication Software, and Passkey Authentication Software.

Verdict

Choose Hanko if you are building app authentication and want passkeys, several other sign-in methods, and the flexibility to use hosted, private-cloud, or self-hosted deployment. Its main appeal is giving developer teams both reusable web UI and a custom-frontend route without locking them into a single deployment model. Look elsewhere if your hosted deployment must run outside Frankfurt or ISO 27001 compliance is a current requirement.