Hanko is open-source authentication for developers, with passkeys, passwords, social login, MFA and drop-in login components for web apps. The Starter plan is free for up to 10,000 monthly active users, and Pro costs $29 a month plus $0.01 per extra user. You can use Hanko Cloud or self-host the backend.
The bottom line
A strong, low-cost choice for passkey login in web apps, especially for EU-focused teams.
7.5
Our score
7.5 / 10
Conversion Gems editorial verdict
Free to 10,000 MAU; Pro $29/mo
Features7/10
7 - passkeys, passwords, passcodes, social login, MFA, SAML SSO, webhooks and an Admin API, per Hanko's pricing page.
Value9/10
9 - free to 10,000 MAU with MFA, then $29/mo plus $0.01 per MAU; self-hosting the open-source backend has no licence fee.
Ease of use7/10
7 - drop-in web components and framework starters, but it still needs a developer to wire up.
Ecosystem7/10
7 - guides for eight frontend frameworks, webhooks and Admin API on Pro, open-source repository with about 9,000 GitHub stars.
Support7/10
7 - community support on Starter, email and Slack on Pro, priority support and 99.99% SLA on Enterprise.
What it really is
An open-source, passkey-first authentication service for web apps, available as a cloud service or self-hosted.
Our take
Hanko makes passkeys the default rather than an add-on, and the free tier is large enough to carry most early products. Pricing on Pro is easy to model: a flat $29 plus a cent per extra active user. Two things to plan for. SAML SSO is billed per connection, so B2B apps selling to many enterprises pay per customer. And the backend is AGPL, so if you self-host inside a commercial product, check with your lawyers or budget for Hanko's commercial licence.
Why we rate it
Passkeys, MFA and social login are free up to 10,000 users, and you can self-host the open-source backend.
The catch
SAML SSO is billed per connection, and the AGPL backend licence matters if you self-host inside a commercial product.
Best for
Startups adding passkey login
Teams wanting EU hosting
Developers who may self-host later
Not good for
Non-technical site owners
Workforce SSO for employees
B2B apps needing many SAML connections on a tight budget
Friction report
Time to value
Short for developers: add the web components and point them at a Hanko Cloud project.
Scale breakpoint
Above 10,000 MAU, $0.01 per user; each SAML connection adds $49 a month.
Walled garden
Low: the backend is open source and can be self-hosted.
Hanko plans and pricing
Plan
Price
Users included
Key limits
Starter
Free
10,000 MAU
2 projects; community support
Pro
$29/mo + $0.01 per MAU over 10,000
10,000 MAU, then usage
5 projects; SAML SSO $49/mo per connection
Enterprise
Custom
Custom
Unlimited projects; 99.99% SLA; private cloud
Self-hosted
No licence fee (AGPL-3.0)
You decide
You run it; commercial licence on request
From Hanko's pricing page and GitHub repository, checked 4 October 2026. A startup program offering up to one million free MAUs requires an application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hanko's Starter plan is free for up to 10,000 monthly active users. Pro costs $29 a month plus $0.01 for each monthly active user over 10,000, and SAML SSO adds $49 a month per connection. Enterprise is custom priced (checked 4 October 2026).
Yes. The Hanko backend is licensed under AGPL-3.0, with a non-copyleft commercial licence available on request, and Hanko Elements and the frontend SDK are MIT licensed, per the project's GitHub repository.
Yes. You can run the open-source backend on your own servers, use the managed Hanko Cloud, or ask for a Hanko-managed private cloud on the Enterprise plan.
Conversion Gems is a review site, not Hanko. Developers sign in to the Hanko Cloud console at https://cloud.hanko.io/login, linked from hanko.io.
Hanko publishes guides and starters for React, Next.js, Vue, Nuxt, Angular, Svelte, Remix and Solid. Its login screens are web components, so they work in most frontends.
No. Hanko at hanko.io is authentication software for developers. The name is shared with the Japanese signature stamp and with a town in Finland.
Hanko alternatives
Other ways to add login to your app, from our directory:
Supabase: Open-source backend that bundles authentication with a hosted Postgres database.
AWS: Amazon's cloud, where Cognito handles user sign-up and sign-in next to other AWS services.
Google Cloud: Google's cloud platform, home to Firebase and its identity services.
Cisco Duo: Multi-factor authentication and access security for employees rather than app users.
