Is Stripe + Auth0 really that hard to integrate?

The initial integration isn't terrible—both have good SDKs. The ongoing maintenance is the challenge: keeping user-customer records synced, handling webhooks from both systems, building entitlements logic, and dealing with edge cases over time. It's manageable but adds up.

What if I need social login that StackBE doesn't offer?

If social login (Google, GitHub, etc.) is essential for your user experience, StackBE's magic-link-only approach won't work. You'd need Auth0 (or similar) for auth, plus Stripe for billing. Consider whether social login is actually necessary—many SaaS products work fine with email-only authentication.

How do the costs compare at scale?

At $50K MRR with 10K customers: Stripe processing (~$1,600) + Stripe Billing ($250) + Auth0 ($200+) ≈ $2,050+/month. With StackBE: Stripe processing (~$1,600) + StackBE flat fee. The gap widens because Stripe Billing and Auth0 both charge based on usage/revenue.

Can I add Auth0 later if I start with StackBE?

Yes. If you later need Auth0's features (enterprise SSO, social login), you can add Auth0 for authentication while keeping StackBE for billing. You'd link Auth0 user IDs to StackBE customer IDs. It adds complexity, but it's a migration path if enterprise requirements emerge.

Which is better for a solo developer?

StackBE, generally. One integration is faster to ship and easier to maintain alone. The Stripe + Auth0 combination is more powerful but requires more work to connect and keep running. If you're solo, every hour spent on infrastructure is an hour not spent on product.

StackBE vs Stripe + Auth0 Combo: One Integration vs Two

Feature	Stripe + Auth0	StackBE
Authentication	Auth0 (full-featured)	Magic links
Social Login	Auth0 (yes)
Enterprise SSO	Auth0 (yes)
Billing	Stripe (full-featured)	Via Stripe Connect
Entitlements	You build	Built-in
Integrations Required	Two	One
Identity-Billing Sync	You build	Automatic
Webhook Sources	Two	One
Combined Cost	Processing + Billing + Auth	Processing + StackBE
Maintenance	Two systems	One system

The Stripe + Auth0 Stack

Combining Stripe for payments and Auth0 for authentication is a popular approach for SaaS applications. Both are excellent products—best-in-class in their domains.

Stripe provides:

Payment processing

Subscription billing

Invoicing

Customer portal

Auth0 provides:

User authentication

Social login

Enterprise SSO (SAML)

User management

Together, they cover auth and billing. But they're separate systems that you must integrate and maintain.

What is StackBE?

StackBE combines authentication, subscription billing, and entitlements in a single API. It uses Stripe Connect for payment processing but unifies identity and billing in one system.

StackBE provides:

Magic link authentication

Subscription management

Entitlements tied to plans

Unified customer identity

Customer portal

Usage tracking

The Integration Question

Stripe + Auth0: Two excellent products, two integrations, ongoing sync

StackBE: One product, one integration, inherently unified

Key Differences

Number of Integrations

Stripe + Auth0:

Integrate Auth0 SDK for authentication

Integrate Stripe SDK for billing

Build the connection between them (user → customer mapping)

Handle webhooks from both systems

Keep data synchronized

StackBE:

Integrate StackBE SDK

Authentication and billing are already connected

One webhook source

One source of truth

Identity-Billing Connection

Stripe + Auth0: Auth0 users and Stripe customers are separate entities in separate systems. You must:

1. Create a Stripe customer when a user signs up

2. Store the Stripe customer ID with the Auth0 user

3. Keep email addresses synchronized

4. Handle cases where one system changes without the other

This sync code is your responsibility. It's not hard initially, but it's ongoing maintenance.

StackBE: One customer record contains identity and billing. No sync required—they're the same entity.

Entitlements

Stripe + Auth0:

Stripe knows what plan someone is on

Auth0 knows who they are

Neither knows "can this user access feature X?"

You build entitlements logic: query Stripe for subscription, map to features, cache appropriately

StackBE:

Entitlements defined per plan

API call: "Does customer X have feature Y?"

Automatic—subscription changes update entitlements

Pricing Comparison

Stripe + Auth0:

Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction

Stripe Billing: +0.5% for subscriptions

Auth0: Free up to 7,500 MAU, then ~$23/month for 1,000 MAU (Essentials)

At 5,000 customers, $15K MRR:

Stripe: ~$480/month (processing)

Stripe Billing: ~$75/month

Auth0: ~$115/month (Essentials tier)

**Total: ~$670/month** in platform fees

StackBE:

StackBE: Flat monthly fee

Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 (processing only, no Billing surcharge)

At 5,000 customers, $15K MRR:

Stripe: ~$480/month (processing)

StackBE: Flat fee

**Total**: Stripe processing + StackBE fee (often lower than Stripe + Auth0)

Webhook Complexity

Stripe + Auth0:

Stripe webhooks: subscription events, payment events, customer events

Auth0 hooks/actions: login events, user events

You handle both, keep them coordinated

Edge cases: what if Stripe webhook fires before Auth0 user creation?

StackBE:

One webhook endpoint

All events (auth and billing) from one source

Or just query the API for current state

Feature Comparison

Auth0 advantages:

Social login (Google, GitHub, etc.)

Enterprise SSO (SAML, OIDC)

Advanced MFA options

Extensive customization

Stripe advantages:

Comprehensive payment methods

Stripe Radar for fraud

Stripe Tax for compliance

Ecosystem of Stripe products

StackBE tradeoffs:

Magic links only (no social or enterprise SSO)

Stripe-only for payments

Less customization, more simplicity

When to Choose Stripe + Auth0

The combination is right when:

You need enterprise SSO (SAML) for customers

Social login is important for your market

You want best-in-class components even if it means more integration

You have engineering resources for ongoing maintenance

You need advanced Auth0 features (MFA types, custom actions)

When to Choose StackBE

StackBE is better when:

Magic link authentication is acceptable

You want auth + billing unified from day one

You'd rather maintain one integration than two

You don't need enterprise SSO currently

You want entitlements without building them

Simplicity beats component optimization

The Maintenance Tax

The hidden cost of Stripe + Auth0 isn't the initial integration—it's ongoing maintenance:

Auth0 deprecates an API version: you update

Stripe changes webhook behavior: you adapt

New edge case in user-customer sync: you fix

Team member leaves, new person learns two systems

StackBE has one system to learn, one integration to maintain.

The Bottom Line

Stripe + Auth0 is a solid, proven combination. Both are excellent products. If you need their specific features (enterprise SSO, social login, advanced MFA), use them.

But if your requirements are more standard—authentication, subscriptions, feature access—StackBE provides a simpler path. One vendor, one SDK, inherently unified.

The best tool is the one that lets you focus on your product, not your infrastructure.

StackBE vs Stripe + Auth0

The Stripe + Auth0 Stack

What is StackBE?

The Integration Question

Key Differences

Number of Integrations

Identity-Billing Connection

Entitlements

Pricing Comparison

Webhook Complexity

Feature Comparison

When to Choose Stripe + Auth0

When to Choose StackBE

The Maintenance Tax

The Bottom Line

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