AWS Cognito vs Supabase Auth: Which API for AI agents?
Category: Authentication & Identity
Supabase Auth scores higher overall (10/10 vs 9/10). For most agent use cases, start with Supabase Auth. Switch to AWS Cognito if you specifically need its capabilities or you're already locked into its ecosystem.
Score breakdown
| AWS Cognito | Supabase Auth | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 9/10 | 10/10 |
| CLI relevance | 10 | 10 |
| Quality | 9 | 10 |
| Pricing | freemium | freemium |
| Install | npm install @aws-sdk/client-cognito-identity-provider | npm install @supabase/supabase-js |
Agent-friendliness signals
Only AWS Cognito
No unique signals
Both
- ✓Official SDK
- ✓Env var auth
- ✓Headless compatible
- ✓CLI tool
- ✓JSON response
- ✓curl/CLI docs
- ✓Reasonable rate limits
- ✓Machine-readable pricing
Only Supabase Auth
No unique signals
Capabilities
Only AWS Cognito
- • manage user pools
- • enforce mfa
Both
- • authenticate users
- • implement sso
Only Supabase Auth
- • manage user accounts
- • manage row-level security
When to choose each
Choose AWS Cognito when...
- -Cheapest auth at scale - 50k MAU free, then pennies after
- -Already in AWS? IAM integration is seamless
- -Handles user pools, federation, and OAuth out of the box
Choose Supabase Auth when...
- -Postgres-first apps
- -budget-sensitive projects
- -full-stack with RLS
Full scores
For full scoring details, install gotchas, and reviews:
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for AI agents - AWS Cognito or Supabase Auth?
Supabase Auth scores higher overall (10/10 vs 9/10). For most agent use cases, start with Supabase Auth. Switch to AWS Cognito if you specifically need its capabilities or you're already locked into its ecosystem.
Can I use AWS Cognito and Supabase Auth together?
Technically yes - they're separate APIs, so nothing stops you from calling both. In practice, most teams pick one and stick with it to avoid maintaining two SDKs and two sets of API keys. The exception is if each one covers a use case the other doesn't.
What pricing model do AWS Cognito and Supabase Auth use?
AWS Cognito: freemium. Supabase Auth: freemium. For exact rates, check each provider's pricing page directly - prices change and we don't track real-time pricing here.