SuperTokens vs FusionAuth

SuperTokens vs FusionAuth comparison for self-hosted authentication. Compare two open-source auth solutions for your app.

🏆

Quick Verdict

Winner: Depends

Both are excellent self-hostable auth solutions. SuperTokens is lighter with great Node.js integration. FusionAuth is more enterprise-featured with Java backend. Choose based on your stack and feature needs.

Choose SuperTokens if...

✓ You're building with Node.js/TypeScript
✓ You want a lighter-weight solution
✓ You prefer modern, minimalist design
✓ You need good React Native support
✓ You want simple self-hosting

Choose FusionAuth if...

✓ You need enterprise features
✓ You want advanced consent management
✓ You need comprehensive user management
✓ You prefer Java/JVM ecosystem
✓ You need detailed audit logs

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Category	SuperTokens	FusionAuth	Winner
Pricing	Free self-hosted. Managed: Free 5k MAU, then from $0.02/MAU.	Free Community edition. Paid: From $125/mo (flat fee).	Tie
Free Tier	Unlimited self-hosted. Managed: 5,000 MAU free.	Unlimited self-hosted Community edition.	Tie
Developer Experience	Modern SDK. Great TypeScript support. Recipe-based architecture.	Solid SDK. More traditional API design. Good but less modern feel.	SuperTokens
Documentation	Good docs with framework guides. Recipe explanations.	Comprehensive technical docs. Detailed API reference.	Tie
Scalability	Scales well. Lightweight core service.	Enterprise-proven. Elasticsearch backend. Scales excellently.	FusionAuth
Features	Social login, passwordless, MFA, session management, RBAC.	Social login, MFA, consent management, SCIM, advanced registration, webhooks.	FusionAuth

Code Comparison

Initialize SuperTokens

typescript

import SuperTokens from 'supertokens-node';
import Session from 'supertokens-node/recipe/session';
import EmailPassword from 'supertokens-node/recipe/emailpassword';

SuperTokens.init({
  supertokens: { connectionURI: 'http://localhost:3567' },
  appInfo: {
    appName: 'My App',
    apiDomain: 'http://localhost:3000',
    websiteDomain: 'http://localhost:3000',
  },
  recipeList: [EmailPassword.init(), Session.init()],
});

SuperTokens uses a recipe-based configuration.

typescript

import { FusionAuthClient } from '@fusionauth/typescript-client';

const client = new FusionAuthClient(
  process.env.FUSIONAUTH_API_KEY!,
  'http://localhost:9011'
);

const response = await client.login({
  applicationId: 'your-app-id',
  loginId: 'user@example.com',
  password: 'password123',
});

FusionAuth has a comprehensive client SDK.

🔄 Migration Notes

Both support user import/export. Migration requires recreating OAuth configurations and updating SDK integrations. Test session handling carefully.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is easier to self-host? ▼

SuperTokens is lighter (Node.js core) and easier to get running. FusionAuth requires more resources (Java + Elasticsearch) but is more feature-complete.

Which has better enterprise features? ▼

FusionAuth has more enterprise features like SCIM, advanced consent management, and detailed audit logging. SuperTokens is catching up.

Try SuperTokens

Open source Auth0 alternative

Try FusionAuth

Auth built for developers

⚖ Compare in Interactive Tool

Last updated: January 11, 2026