Before migrating off Auth0, you might be wondering why others have made that choice. Understanding their reasons can help you decide if a migration is the right move for you.
Why do organizations want to migrate away from Auth0?
We wrote a blog, The modern CIAM migration: Why enterprises are abandoning Auth0 for Ory, and have a recorded webinar on the subject, Is it Time to Leave Auth0? Top Reasons and Migration Best Practices.
In summary, here is a brief list of top reasons we hear from customers on why they want to leave Auth0. For more information, click links above or dive into a Auth0 feature comparison:
- Price/Subscription cost - Auth0 is one the more expensive IAM options on the market
- Poor user experience at scale - Reports of delays and disruptions during high traffic periods
- Limited ability to customize - On-brand user experiences and workflows don’t come easy
- Decline in customer support - Some report waiting months for answers
- Vendor lock-in - Proprietary nature forces customers to perform IAM the vendor’s way
We would recommend Ory because it doesn’t lock you into their way and offers flexibility of cloud or on-premises deployment, dedicated and responsive support, strong developer experience, and a reasonable price compared to other vendors.”
- Tamer Shlash, software engineer (read the case study).
Summary of best practices for migrating off of Auth0
You clicked the link for this blog because you want to learn more about best practices for migrating off the Auth0 platform. Let's summarize the recommendations below. If you want a more complete explanation, I suggest downloading the guide, Top 5 Best Practices for Migrating off Auth0 Without Breaking Everything.
Migrating from Auth0 requires careful planning to avoid major issues like broken logins, user churn, and security risks. This guide, based on real-world migrations to Ory, outlines six key best practices. The most crucial first step is to fully map your authentication flows before touching any code. Auth0's abstractions can hide the full scope of your identity behaviors, so documenting all user flows—like login, signup, and password reset— is essential. This mapping becomes your development blueprint and is the best way to de-risk the migration.
Another critical decision is your session management strategy. You need to choose early whether you will use JWT or cookie-based sessions, as changing this mid-migration can disrupt user continuity and force users to re-login. The guide also emphasizes the importance of selecting the right user migration path, such as a bulk import for a faster cutover versus a gradual migration for a smoother user experience. A gradual approach, which syncs credentials as users log in, is often safer for ongoing systems.
Finally, the migration is a great opportunity to improve your UI/UX since Auth0's Universal Login has limited deep customization. Migrating to a flexible solution like Ory allows you to fully align login flows with your brand, which can make the transition feel like an upgrade for users. Additionally, leveraging advanced data mapping for complex identity needs and migrating in stages with a modular architecture can further reduce risk and simplify the transition process. A phased rollout is particularly beneficial for complex environments, as it spreads the workload and limits risk exposure.
Next Steps
- Tired of legacy approaches, contact us for a demonstration of Ory’s capabilities.
- Read case studies on why organizations choose Ory over alternatives.
- Learn more about Ory products and deployment options.
