Ory

Overview

Ory is an identity and access management platform for customer apps, business partners, machines and AI agents. It suits teams that want modular, headless IAM with a choice of managed cloud or self-hosting. Its breadth is a strength, but B2B authentication is reserved for higher tiers, and the paid cloud plans carry substantial annual costs.

Key features

Ory covers authentication and user identity management alongside OAuth2, OIDC, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication and fine-grained permissions. Customer SSO, social login, passkeys and customer profiles are supported, as are directory synchronization, lifecycle provisioning and adaptive access policies. That range makes Ory relevant to teams building both customer-facing sign-in and more involved access workflows; it may be more platform than a project needs if it only requires a narrow authentication component.

Teams can use Ory's open-source self-hosted components, buy a self-hosted enterprise license, or run IAM through Ory Network. The modular, headless design leaves teams in control of their UI and UX, which is useful when authentication needs to fit an existing product experience, but means Ory is not a ready-made customer interface.

Supported SSO protocols include SAML 2.0, OIDC and OAuth 2.0. MFA methods include TOTP, WebAuthn/FIDO2, SMS, email and recovery codes. The integration directory includes Amazon SES, AWS API Gateway, GitHub, Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra ID and HubSpot, with protocols and interfaces including SCIM, JWT, SMTP, REST API and webhooks.

Ory describes security measures including CI/CD vulnerability scans, runtime container monitoring, third-party penetration tests and a public disclosure and reward program. It says data is protected with TLS 1.2+ in transit and AES-256 at rest, while passwords use salted bcrypt. Ory also says its cloud runs on Google Cloud Platform, logs access for auditing and incident analysis, and spreads services across multiple data centers and zones. Its products are described as GDPR compliant, and Ory's 2026 timeline states that the company achieved PCI DSS compliance.

Pricing

Ory uses a freemium model. The Developer tier is a free Ory Network developer tier, but B2B authentication is unavailable on it. The pricing comparison also marks B2B authentication unavailable on Production, so teams that need that capability must look to Growth or Enterprise.

Production costs $770 a year, billed $770 / year. It includes one production environment, three staging environments, five development environments and $21.00 in included monthly credit. This is the lower-priced paid tier for teams deploying beyond development, but its environment allowances are limited and it does not include B2B authentication.

Growth costs $9,350 a year, billed $9,350 / year. It includes two production environments, five staging environments, 20 development environments, B2B SSO (OIDC only) and $255.00 in included monthly credit. The higher price buys more environments and B2B SSO, but the listed B2B SSO protocol is OIDC only.

Enterprise has custom pricing and includes multi-region deployments with data residency, multi-tenancy, premium support with SLAs and a 99.99% uptime SLA. It is aimed at organizations that need those deployment and support commitments rather than simply more environments. The Ory Enterprise License also has custom pricing and is the self-hosted option, with full hosting control, premium enterprise integrations and premium support with SLAs.

Platforms

Ory supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows. Its CLI installation instructions cover macOS, Linux and Windows, offering command-line access across the main desktop operating systems alongside its web and API options.

Who it's for

Ory is a strong fit for product and platform teams that need control over sign-in UX, a broad set of authentication protocols, and a choice between managed cloud and self-hosted deployment. It is also worth considering for organizations managing customer, partner and machine identities in one IAM platform. Teams that need B2B authentication should budget for Growth or Enterprise; those who want a simpler, lower-cost starting point without that requirement can begin with Developer or Production.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Broad IAM coverage includes passkeys, social login, customer SSO, MFA, provisioning and adaptive access, giving teams room to support varied identity needs.
• Pros: Managed cloud, open-source self-hosted components and a self-hosted enterprise license provide meaningful deployment choice.
• Pros: Headless architecture lets teams retain control of the authentication interface and product experience.
• Cons: B2B authentication is unavailable on Developer and Production, making Growth the first listed tier with that capability.
• Cons: Production and Growth have annual prices of 770.00 USD and 9350.00 USD respectively, a significant commitment for teams that need paid cloud IAM.
• Cons: Growth's listed B2B SSO support is limited to OIDC, which may not suit teams requiring another SSO protocol at that tier.

Alternatives

For a free self-hosted option with unlimited monthly active users and passkeys, compare OpenCIAM. Descope may suit teams looking for a freemium service whose free tier includes 7,500 MAUs, 10 monthly active tenants and three SSO connections. SuperTokens is worth considering when an open-source self-hosted plan with no MAU limit is the priority.

FusionAuth offers a free self-hosted Community plan for core authentication features, while Clerk offers a free Hobby plan with 50,000 MRU per app, up to three dashboard seats and three social connections. Stytch is another freemium option, with its listed pay-as-you-go plan starting at $0 /Month and including 10,000 monthly active users and AI agents.

HYPR Authenticate is a paid alternative with a free plan and free trial, while Secret Double Octopus offers cloud and self-hosted plans for workforce passwordless MFA. For further comparisons, browse Passwordless Authentication Software, Single Sign-On Software, Identity and Access Management Software, and Passkey Authentication Software. Biometric Authentication Software is another category to explore.

Verdict

Choose Ory if your team needs broad, headless IAM and values the choice of managed cloud or self-hosting. Its deployment flexibility and extensive authentication capabilities are compelling; the main reason to look elsewhere is the steep jump to Growth for B2B authentication, especially when OIDC-only B2B SSO does not meet your requirements.