FusionAuth vs Shibboleth
FusionAuth
fusionauth.ioShibboleth
shibboleth.netSide by side
| Figure | FusionAuth | Shibboleth |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $162/mo | $279.50/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 10 |
| Spec score · Single Sign-On Software | 9.3 (#1) | 7.8 (#21) |
| Authentication | It supports username/password login, identity providers, passkeys, and one-time passwords. | The Identity Provider has built-in support for a range of authentication systems and customizable authentication and data manipulation features. |
| Authorization | FusionAuth provides role-based access control and fine-grained authorization capabilities. | The Service Provider includes a variety of policy-oriented authorization features. |
| Support | Community support is provided through forums, Slack, and GitHub; Essentials includes email support with a 24 to 48 hour business-hours response time, and Enterprise includes 24/7 email and phone support. | General users can use Wiki documentation, community forums and mailing lists, while Consortium members receive developer Q&A and members-only Slack support. |
| Target users | FusionAuth is intended for managing end users at scale and does not offer native desktop integration or position itself as an Active Directory replacement. | Shibboleth is used by academic institutions, identity federations and commercial organisations worldwide. |
Plans
FusionAuth
- CommunityFree
- CommunityFree
- Starter$162 a month
- Starter$162 a month
- Enterprise$2,970 a month
- Enterprise$2,970 a month
- Essentials$2,970 a month
- Essentials$2,970 a month
Shibboleth
- Shibboleth softwareFree
- Academic/Non-Profit Small$3,354 a year
- Academic/Non-Profit Medium$6,707 a year
- Commercial Small$6,707 a year
- Academic/Non-Profit Large$10,061 a year
- Commercial Medium$13,415 a year
- NREN/Federation Small$15,244 a year
- Commercial Large$26,829 a year
- NREN/Federation Medium$30,488 a year
- NREN/Federation Large$60,976 a year
In their own words
FusionAuth
FusionAuth is a Customer Identity and Access Management server for authentication, authorization, and user management. It supports username and password login, passkeys, one-time passwords, and external identity providers, including Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter. It implements OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML v2. Authorization includes role-based access across users, roles, groups, applications, and entities, plus fine-grained authorization integration. Teams can customize pages and messages and use lambda functions and webhooks. It can run locally, on-premises, in private or air-gapped cloud environments, or as a managed FusionAuth Cloud instance. The free Community Edition is self-hosted and unlimited, with no trial clock. Starter costs $162 a month billed annually and includes one connector and 100 machine-to-machine entities; Essentials and Enterprise cost $2,970 a month billed annually. FusionAuth supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, web, and API deployments.
Shibboleth
Shibboleth is open-source identity management software for individual organizations and multi-site federations. Its Identity Provider offers single sign-on for complex identity needs, supports multiple authentication systems, and can handle millions of authentication requests per day. Authentication and data handling features are customizable. The Service Provider works with a wide range of web applications, integrates with popular web servers, and provides policy-oriented authorization features. An Embedded Discovery Service helps users choose an Identity Provider from a shorter list and supports screen readers. The Metadata Aggregator verifies signed metadata, filters selected elements, and provides a web service for querying processed metadata. Shibboleth supports SAML 1.1, SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, and CAS, along with LDAP and Kerberos directory integrations. Built-in MFA and adaptive access are listed, while lifecycle provisioning is not included. The software is free to download and use, with Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted platforms listed. General users can consult wiki documentation, forums, and mailing lists; Consortium members also receive developer Q&A and members-only Slack support. The project recommends Identity Provider version 5.2.2 or later for a May 2026 XML parsing vulnerability.