Hanko

Hanko is an open-source authentication and user-management platform for teams building modern applications. It fits developers who need passkeys and other sign-in options without giving up deployment control. The main decision is whether its hosted region and plan structure match your users, projects, and compliance needs.

Overview

Hanko combines authentication with account management rather than limiting itself to a single login method. It supports passkeys, passwords, passwordless login, multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on, including biometric login, OpenID Connect, and SAML SSO. That range suits products serving users with different security expectations, but it also means teams must choose and configure an appropriate journey instead of treating Hanko as a one-button identity service.

Deployment is unusually flexible. You can use Hanko Cloud, a private cloud, or servers you operate yourself, and Hanko says customers can move between Cloud and self-hosted deployments while retaining control of their data. Cloud is hosted exclusively in AWS Frankfurt, Germany. That is a sensible fit for teams wanting a German region, while organizations requiring another region should choose self-hosting, private cloud, or a different provider. Hanko's Trust Center lists GDPR as compliant; ISO 27001 is in progress, so buyers with certification mandates should account for that distinction.

Hanko GmbH is based in Kiel, Germany. Its privacy-first positioning and open-source model will appeal to teams that want to inspect or control more of their identity stack than a hosted-only product permits.

Key features

Hanko Elements are customizable web components for onboarding, login, and account management. They are framework-agnostic and work with web stacks using HTML and JavaScript, giving a team a ready UI without locking it to one frontend framework. When supplied components are not enough, the Flow API supports a custom authentication frontend, so a product can start quickly and later take over the presentation layer.

Passwordless coverage is broad: passkeys, email passcodes, social and OAuth sign-in, security keys, and authenticator apps are supported alongside passwords. Multi-factor authentication and SSO add controls for higher-risk accounts and business users. Quickstarts and starter templates are provided for Next.js, Remix, Nuxt, Svelte, React, Vue, Solid, and Symfony. That framework coverage lowers integration friction for common web stacks, although teams outside those ecosystems will rely more directly on the generic web components and API.

Pricing

Starter — free. The free plan includes 10,000 monthly active users, two projects, and community support. It is a credible starting point for prototypes, small products, or teams willing to solve issues through community channels. The two-project cap is the practical constraint for organizations running several environments or products.

Pro — $29 a month, billed monthly. Pro keeps 10,000 free monthly active users and raises the allowance to five projects. It adds personal support by email and Slack, making it the more suitable choice for a production team that needs direct assistance or multiple applications. The plan still has a five-project boundary, so larger portfolios may outgrow it.

Enterprise — custom pricing. Enterprise offers volume discounts, a 99.99% uptime SLA, priority support, private cloud, and a commercial-license option. It is aimed at B2C or B2B applications with high user counts or regulatory requirements. Choose it when contractual reliability, private deployment, or procurement terms matter more than a published monthly price.

All Hanko Cloud tiers include 10,000 free monthly active users, and Hanko says user limits are not enforced to stop sign-ups or logins. That removes a harsh access cutoff, but teams should still select a plan according to project count, support expectations, and deployment requirements.

Platforms

Hanko supports Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted deployments. The web components and Flow API are especially relevant for browser-based products, while self-hosting provides the broadest control over infrastructure and data location.

Who it's for

Hanko is a strong fit for developers building customer-facing or business applications that want passkeys, passwordless methods, MFA, and SSO in one platform. It is particularly suitable when a team needs customizable UI, framework flexibility, or a route from managed Cloud to private or self-hosted operation. Enterprise buyers should examine the Frankfurt-only Cloud region and ISO 27001 status before committing.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Multiple authentication methods, including passkeys, SAML SSO, security keys, and authenticator apps, cover both consumer and workforce scenarios.
• Pro: Framework-agnostic Elements, starter templates, and the Flow API let teams balance implementation speed with frontend control.
• Pro: Cloud, private-cloud, and self-hosted options support different data-governance requirements.
• Con: Hanko Cloud is limited to AWS Frankfurt, which is a poor fit when latency or residency requirements point elsewhere.
• Con: Starter's two-project and Pro's five-project limits may constrain teams managing many applications or environments.
• Con: ISO 27001 is still in progress, which may matter in regulated procurement.

Alternatives

Choose Bitwarden instead when you need a mature password-management product with unlimited devices and passwords on its free plan, across web, desktop, mobile, extensions, and self-hosted deployments.

id3 Face SDK is the better direction for teams specifically evaluating facial-biometric identity technology, with a 30-day evaluation plan and single-platform limit.

Pick StrongKey FIDO Server when an open-source FIDO server with stated unlimited users, applications, and transactions is the priority.

Ory suits teams seeking an identity platform with a paid production tier priced at $770 per year for one production environment.

Choose Clerk for a hosted developer experience whose free Hobby plan supports 50,000 monthly recurring users per app and up to three dashboard seats.

Descope is an alternative with open-source SDKs and a free tier for 7,500 monthly active users.

HUAWEI Analytics Kit is an analytics product rather than a direct authentication alternative.

Passwordless.dev is worth considering when a passwordless-focused service with a free allowance of up to 10,000 users fits your organization.

For category comparisons, see Biometric Authentication Software, Passwordless Authentication Software, Customer Identity and Access Management Software, and Passkey Authentication Software.

Verdict

Choose Hanko if you want broad authentication coverage, customizable web UI, and the option to move between hosted, private-cloud, and self-hosted deployment. Look elsewhere when you require a Cloud region outside Frankfurt, a published enterprise price, or certification coverage that already includes ISO 27001.