Staxly

PocketBase vs WorkOS

Open-source backend in a single Go binary
vs. The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS

PocketBase (OSS)WorkOS website

Pricing tiers

PocketBase

Self-Hosted
MIT-licensed single binary. Run on any VPS / Docker / bare metal. No usage caps — only limited by your server.
$0 base (usage-based)
PocketBase (OSS)

WorkOS

AuthKit Free
First 1M MAUs free. Unlimited organizations, user management, social OAuth, passwordless.
Free
AuthKit Scale
Per 1M additional MAUs.
$2500/mo
Enterprise / Annual Credits
Custom with 99.99% SLA, guided migration, dedicated support.
Custom
WorkOS website

Free-tier quotas head-to-head

Comparing self-hosted on PocketBase vs authkit-free on WorkOS.

MetricPocketBaseWorkOS
mau included1000000 users/month
organizationsunlimited orgs
staging environmentsfree envs

Features

PocketBase · 12 features

  • Access RulesRecord-level access rules (filter expressions) referencing @request and @collect
  • Admin DashboardBuilt-in web UI for schema + data management.
  • AuthEmail+password, OAuth2 (Google, GitHub, Facebook, Apple, Discord, Microsoft, etc
  • BackupsBuilt-in backup/restore with S3 upload option.
  • Built-in MailerSMTP integration for verification, password reset, magic link emails.
  • CollectionsSchema-defined record types with fields, validations, and record/admin/auth acce
  • Embedded JS EngineJavaScript VM (goja) lets you write hooks in JS without recompiling.
  • Extend as Go LibraryEmbed PocketBase in a larger Go app, add custom routes and events.
  • File StorageLocal filesystem or S3-compatible storage with access rules.
  • HooksServer-side Go or JavaScript hooks that run on CRUD events (OnRecordBeforeCreate
  • MigrationsJS/Go migration scripts applied on startup.
  • Realtime SubscriptionsSSE-based subscriptions to collection changes.

WorkOS · 13 features

  • Audit LogsStandardized audit log pipeline with streaming to SIEMs (Splunk, Datadog, Sumo L
  • AuthKitComplete drop-in user management UI + hosted auth flows. Built on top of WorkOS.
  • Directory SyncSCIM-based user provisioning/deprovisioning from Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspac
  • FGA (WorkOS)Fine-grained authorization based on Google Zanzibar / OpenFGA.
  • Magic AuthPasswordless email codes + links. Good alternative to password auth for B2B.
  • Multi-Factor AuthTOTP + SMS MFA enrollment and verification APIs.
  • OrganizationsMulti-tenant B2B primitive. Attach SSO/Directory/Audit to specific customer orgs
  • PasskeysWebAuthn passkeys as a first-class factor.
  • RadarFraud protection: device fingerprinting + risk scoring at signup and login.
  • Single Sign-OnPlug-and-play SAML 2.0 + OIDC SSO with 30+ identity providers pre-mapped.
  • User ManagementREST API + webhooks for user CRUD, email verification, sessions, MFA, metadata.
  • VaultSecret storage for tokens + per-tenant credentials.
  • WidgetsEmbeddable admin portals (SSO setup, directory mapping) that your customers self

Developer interfaces

KindPocketBaseWorkOS
SDKGo API (extend as library), pocketbase (Dart), pocketbase (JS SDK)workos-go, @workos-inc/authkit-nextjs, workos-java, workos-node, workos-php, workos-python, workos-ruby
RESTREST APIWorkOS REST API
OTHERAdmin Dashboard, Realtime SSEWebhooks
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Outbound links to PocketBase and WorkOS are plain references to their official websites. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.

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