Data as of Aug 25, 2026 · Based on 281 AI responses from ChatGPT Search and Google AI Mode · See how Parse measures this
Pick Stytch if you want a developer-friendly, all-in-one authentication API supporting email
Magic links and WebAuthn/passkeys. Choose
FusionAuth for an API-first, highly customizable passwordless platform. Use Bitwarden Passwordless.dev for a plug-and-play SDK to add links and passkeys quickly. Pick when you need enterprise governance plus FastPass/WebAuthn biometrics.
Brands AI recommends here
Best for developer teams wanting an all-in-one API: Stytch supports email magic links and WebAuthn/passkeys for device biometrics with developer-focused APIs. Caveat: enterprise governance depth may be lighter.
Best when you need an API-first, flexible platform: FusionAuth supports magic links and WebAuthn/passkeys so you can fully customize passwordless flows. Caveat: requires more setup and configuration than plug‑and‑play SDKs.
Best if you want a plug-and-play SDK: Bitwarden Passwordless.dev provides easy APIs for magic links and passkeys so teams can add biometric logins with minimal code. Caveat: narrower scope than full IAM suites.
Best for enterprise identity and governance: Okta offers magic links plus Okta FastPass and WebAuthn biometrics with deep IAM integration. Caveat: heavier and more feature-rich than lightweight developer APIs.
Several leading Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) providers offer a login API that simultaneously supports both magic links and biometric authentication (typically delivered via the WebAuthn / Passkeys standard).
The top platforms offering this unified API functionality include:
Quick Comparison Matrix
| Provider | Primary Focus | Best For | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stytch | API & SDK First | B2B SaaS & Complex App Logic | 5,000 MAU (Monthly Active Users) |
| Descope | Visual Workflow Engine | Rapid UI/UX Iteration | 7,500 MAU |
| Magic | Low-friction UX | Web3 & Mobile-first Web Apps | Based on logins / tier |
| Auth0 | Enterprise Breadth | Large Organizations & Ecosystems | 7,500 MAU |
| FusionAuth | Deployment Flexibility | Self-hosting & Data Sovereignty | Unlimited (Self-hosted) |
Would you like to know more about the setup complexity for one of these specific providers, or are you looking for an open-source solution you can host yourself?
If by biometric authentication you mean device biometrics such as Face ID, Touch ID, Android biometrics, or Windows Hello, the key technology to look for is passkeys/WebAuthn. The strongest options I found are:
| Provider | Magic links | Biometric/passkeys | API/SDK | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descope | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Modern passwordless + flexible auth flows |
| Stytch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Developer-first consumer apps |
| Supabase | ✅ | ✅* | ✅ | Apps already using Supabase/Postgres |
| Auth0 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Enterprise identity + SSO |
If you specifically want one API that can offer either “email me a magic link” or “authenticate with Face ID/Touch ID,” I'd start with Descope or Stytch. Descope is particularly compelling if you want to compose the two methods into a broader authentication/MFA flow.
Several modern Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) platforms and authentication APIs support both passwordless magic links (via email) and biometric authentication (via WebAuthn, passkeys, or native device biometrics like FaceID/TouchID).
Top providers offering APIs and SDKs for both methods include:
If you'd like to narrow this down, let me know:
I can help recommend the ideal provider and outline a quick implementation path.
If by biometric authentication you mean Face ID / Touch ID / fingerprint via passkeys/WebAuthn, several identity platforms support both magic links and biometrics:
| Provider | Magic link | Passkey/biometric | Native mobile biometrics | API-first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stytch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Clerk | ✅ | ✅ | — | ⭐⭐ |
| Descope | ✅ | ✅ | ✅/FIDO | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Auth0 | ✅ | ✅ | Via WebAuthn/native integration | ⭐⭐ |
If you're building a mobile app and specifically want “email magic link → subsequently unlock/login with Face ID or fingerprint,” I'd look at Stytch first. It explicitly supports both magic links and native mobile biometrics rather than relying solely on browser passkeys.
If you tell me whether this is for web, iOS/Android, or both, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 best APIs and compare pricing, SDK quality, and implementation complexity.
Several modern Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) platforms and authentication APIs support both email-based magic links and biometric authentication (typically implemented via the WebAuthn / Passkeys standard for Face ID, Touch ID, or Windows Hello).
Prominent login APIs and identity providers offering both features include:
If you'd like, tell me more about your project:
I can help you compare pricing, SDK availability, or implementation complexity for these options.
Yes. If by biometric authentication you mean device biometrics such as Face ID, Touch ID, Android fingerprint, or Windows Hello, the strongest options I found are:
| Provider | Magic links | Biometrics / passkeys | API/SDK | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stytch | ✅ | ✅ Passkeys + native biometrics | ✅ | Best overall match |
| Descope | ✅ | ✅ Passkeys/biometrics | ✅ REST API + SDKs | Flexible authentication journeys |
| Auth0 | ✅ | ✅ Passkeys/biometrics | ✅ Authentication API | Mature enterprise ecosystem |
Stytch explicitly supports email magic links, passkeys using biometrics or PINs, and native biometrics for mobile apps. Its Consumer API/SDKs are designed specifically for building these authentication flows.
It also has a direct API endpoint for authenticating a magic-link token, and its SDKs handle sessions on web and mobile.
I'd start here if you want one vendor that natively covers both requirements.
Descope provides magic-link authentication through REST APIs, backend SDKs, and client SDKs. It also supports passkeys and biometric authentication and allows magic links to be combined with biometrics as part of an MFA/step-up flow.
This is particularly attractive if you want to build more complicated authentication journeys visually rather than coding every flow yourself.
Auth0 has a mature Authentication API and supports passwordless email magic links. Its passwordless platform also encompasses passkeys and biometric authentication.
One caveat: Auth0's documented magic-link implementation has some constraints around Classic Login vs. Universal Login, so I'd evaluate that carefully if magic links are a core requirement.
If your requirement is specifically:
“Give me an API/SDK where users can initially log in with a magic link and subsequently authenticate with Face ID/Touch ID/passkey.”
I'd rank them:
1. Stytch — cleanest feature match
2. Descope — excellent for customizable auth flows
3. Auth0 — strongest if you're already in the Auth0/enterprise ecosystem
One important distinction: biometrics and passkeys aren't quite the same thing. In a modern passkey flow, Face ID/fingerprint generally unlocks a cryptographic credential; the biometric itself isn't sent to the authentication provider.
If you tell me whether this is for a web app, iOS/Android app, or both, I can narrow this down further and compare pricing, SDK support, API capabilities, and the exact magic-link → biometric login flow.
If you mean an authentication API/identity provider that can give you both email magic links and biometric login, the strongest options are:
| Provider | Magic links | Biometrics / passkeys | API/SDK | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stytch | ✅ | ✅ Passkeys + native biometrics | ✅ | Developer-first consumer apps |
| Descope | ✅ | ✅ Passkeys/biometrics | ✅ REST + SDKs | Flexible authentication flows |
| Auth0 | ✅ | ✅ Passkeys/biometrics | ✅ | Enterprise/established identity platform |
| WorkOS | ⚠️ Magic Auth is now preferred | Passkeys available | ✅ | B2B SaaS/enterprise |
Stytch is probably the closest match if you want a single API-oriented service supporting both methods. Its Consumer Authentication platform explicitly supports email magic links, passkeys, and native biometrics for mobile apps.
Its magic-link API lets you initiate and authenticate a login directly, while its passkey/WebAuthn support provides biometric authentication such as Face ID, Touch ID, or Android biometrics when the device/platform supports it.
Descope is another particularly good option if you want to build more complex authentication journeys—for example, magic link → biometric/passkey step-up → session. Its documentation explicitly describes combining magic links with biometrics in MFA flows and offers REST APIs as well as SDKs.
One important distinction: “biometric authentication” usually means passkeys/WebAuthn backed by the device's biometric unlock, rather than the auth provider receiving or storing a user's fingerprint/face data. The biometric check normally happens locally on the user's device.
If you tell me whether this is for a web app, iOS/Android app, or both, I can narrow these down to the best 2–3 and compare pricing, SDK quality, and implementation complexity.
Several prominent identity and authentication platforms (often referred to as Customer Identity and Access Management or CIAM providers) offer APIs and SDKs supporting both magic links (email-based passwordless links) and biometric authentication (typically implemented via the WebAuthn standard for passkeys, Touch ID, Face ID, or Windows Hello).
The primary providers offering both capabilities include:
If you have a preference for self-hosted vs. cloud-managed or a specific tech stack (like Next.js, React, or Node.js ), let me know and I can recommend the best fit and point you to the relevant documentation.
Several modern customer identity and access management (CIAM) platforms and authentication APIs support both magic links (email or SMS one-time links) and biometric authentication (typically implemented via the W3C/FIDO2 WebAuthn standard for passkeys, Face ID, or Touch ID).
Top providers offering APIs with support for both paradigms include:
If you can share whether you are building for web or mobile and your preferred backend stack , I can help recommend the most suitable integration path or provide a structural overview for one of these APIs.
If you mean a developer-facing login/authentication API that supports both magic links (email-based passwordless login) and biometric authentication (usually via WebAuthn/passkeys), several providers offer this combination:
| Provider | Magic links | Biometric / passkeys | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descope | ✅ | ✅ | Passwordless auth platform with magic links, passkeys, and FIDO-based biometrics. Good for hosted flows and APIs. www.descope.com |
| Authsignal | ✅ | ✅ | Unified authentication API covering passkeys, biometrics, magic links, OTP, and step-up authentication. www.descope.comwww.authsignal.com |
| FusionAuth | ✅ | ✅ | Self-hostable identity platform supporting passwordless login via magic links, passkeys, and device-based biometric methods. fusionauth.io |
| Magic | ✅ | ✅ | Provides passwordless authentication and WebAuthn-based biometric login options. docs.magic.link |
| Stytch | ✅ | ✅ | Popular API-first authentication provider with passwordless flows and passkey support. |
| Clerk | ✅ | ✅ | Developer-focused authentication platform; supports passwordless email flows and passkeys. |
A few implementation notes:
For a new consumer app, I’d generally shortlist:
If you tell me your stack (e.g., React Native, Flutter, Node, Go, .NET) and whether you need B2C, B2B/SSO, or self-hosting, I can narrow it down.