Solidus Auth
Solidus Auth vs WorkOS
WorkOS turns enterprise SSO into a $125/month line item per customer connection; Solidus's DID-based credential carries the same federation handshake at protocol cost — but WorkOS ships this today, self-serve, and Solidus's version is tested code behind an admin gate.
Solidus is a public testnet: no mainnet, no token, no external audit, and no paying customer. Every claim below is checkable; none of them are a substitute for the certifications an incumbent already holds.
What WorkOS does better
- Shipped, self-serve SSO, SAML, SCIM, Directory Sync, and Audit Logs — 'handles the SAML implementation hellscape so B2B SaaS founders don't have to' (brief, their own words). Solidus has none of this as a self-serve product.
- AuthKit free to 1M MAU removes Auth0's per-MAU economics — live and self-serve, no admin gate required.
- Best-in-class developer experience: the brief rates it 8/10 Aesthetic — 'clean docs, sharp dashboard, frictionless DX that sets the B2B SaaS bar.'
- A mature, centralized SaaS with real production traffic today; Solidus's OID4VP-as-federation alternative is tested code, but admin-token-gated with no self-serve signup.
Where Solidus is different
- No per-connection rent: WorkOS charges $125/connection/month (down to $65 at volume) for SSO/Directory; the brief's own Solidus Counter section states it plainly — 'Solidus = $0/connection, credential portable across all customers' apps.'
- Open protocol vs closed: the brief itself concedes 'WorkOS is centralized and proprietary — Solidus shares the open-protocol moat that WorkOS cannot match.'
- Portability: the credential travels with the user across every customer's app, not billed per integration.
Side by side
| Feature | Solidus | WorkOS |
|---|---|---|
| What it actually is | Testnet-anchored OID4VP verifier + Solid-OIDC/DPoP provider | "Enterprise readiness in a box" — SSO + SAML + SCIM + Directory + Audit Logs as composable services |
| SSO / SAML connection pricing | $0/connection — the credential carries its own handshake | $125/connection/month (volume tiers to $65) |
| Free tier | Testnet | AuthKit free to 1M MAUWorkOS wins |
| Audit Logs | Not offered | $125/mo + $99/mo per 1M eventsWorkOS wins |
| SSO / SAML / SCIM / directory sync | None shipped as a self-serve product | Shipped, mature, self-serveWorkOS wins |
| Where the user directory lives | With the user — a W3C VC they hold | In your WorkOS-connected IdP + WorkOS's directory sync layer |
| Architecture | Open protocol — did:solidus, W3C-registered | Centralized, proprietary SaaS |
| Self-serve signup for the differentiating feature | Plain OIDC: yes. Credential verifier: admin-gated, no self-serve signup | Yes, fully self-serveWorkOS wins |
Check it yourself
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/w3c/did-extensions/pulls/713 | jq '{state,merged,merged_at}' → merged 2026-07-04 — the DID method behind the $0/connection claim, registered and checkable in under a minute.