Which Auth Setup Does Your MVP Need? A Guide by App Type

The baseline every MVP needs

Every app with accounts needs the same core. For many v1s, the list below is the whole list. Founders often add more because they're scared of rebuilding later. A better question is this: which of your first 50 users will ask for anything beyond this list? Before you think about MFA or SSO, make sure your spec covers:

• Sign up with email and password, plus email verification.
• Log in, log out and "forgot password".
• Google sign in. If you ship on iOS with social login, add Sign in with Apple too. Apple's App Review Guidelines (section 4.8, Login Services) say an app that uses a third-party login such as Google Sign-In for the user's main account must also offer an equivalent login option. That option must limit data collection to name and email and let users keep their email address private. Sign in with Apple is the usual way to meet this rule.
• Sessions that keep users logged in on web, iOS and Android.
• At least two roles: user and admin.
• An onboarding flow right after the first sign up.

Pick your auth setup by type of app

The right setup depends on who signs in and what they do after. Here are the four common cases: consumer apps, B2B tools sold to companies, marketplaces and regulated apps.

Consumer app (B2C)

Think fitness apps, habit trackers, social apps or booking tools for individuals.

• What you need: the baseline, with social login front and centre. Most people won't create a password if they can tap "Continue with Google" or "Continue with Apple". Every extra field on the sign up screen costs you sign ups.
• What you can skip in v1: SSO and organizations. You can also skip MFA unless you handle money or health data.
• Example: a meal planning app. One user, one account, one subscription. Email plus Google plus Apple, a three-screen onboarding, done.

B2B tool sold to companies

Think dashboards, internal tools or SaaS sold to teams.

• What you need: the baseline plus organizations from day one. One person signs up, creates a workspace and invites colleagues. Each colleague gets a role, for example owner, admin or member. Skip this and you'll be rebuilding your data model the week your first customer pays.
• What can wait: SSO, unless you sell to large companies. Small teams are happy with email and Google sign in.
• Example: a project reporting tool for agencies. The agency owner signs up and invites three account managers. Each of them sees only their own agency's data. That takes organizations plus roles, and it shapes your database from the start.

Marketplace or two-sided app

Think a platform that connects clients with service providers, or buyers with sellers.

• What you need: the baseline plus two account types with different onboarding. A client signs up in two steps. A provider might need a profile, documents, a payout account and approval from an admin. The login is the same, but the journeys after it are very different.
• What can wait: MFA for clients. You might want it for providers who receive payouts.
• Example: a cleaning services marketplace. Clients log in with Google and book. Cleaners fill in a profile, and your admin approves them before they show up in search.

Regulated app (health, finance, legal)

What you need: the baseline plus MFA, stricter session rules and an audit trail of who did what. The rules depend on your sector and your market. Before you scope, check them with someone who knows your compliance needs. Example: a patient intake app for clinics. MFA for staff, short sessions, and records of who opened which file.

The 3 features that make auth cost more, sooner

Build time and scope change with these three features. For each one, here is what it is, who asks for it and when to add it.

• MFA. What it is: a second step at login, a code by SMS or from an authenticator app. Who asks for it: fintech, health, admin panels. When to add it: day one if you handle money or sensitive data, otherwise later.
• Enterprise SSO. What it is: staff log in with their company account (Microsoft, Okta, Google Workspace). Who asks for it: IT teams at larger companies. When to add it: when a real customer makes it a condition of signing.
• Organizations. What it is: workspaces, invites, roles per team. Who asks for it: any B2B tool with more than one user per customer. When to add it: day one for B2B, or you'll redo your data model.

MFA: choose the cheaper method first

An authenticator app is often enough for v1. SMS codes cost money for every message sent, and they depend on phone networks. Start with the authenticator and add SMS if your users ask for it.

SSO: wait for the request

It's easy to overpay for SSO in advance. Don't build it on a guess. When a company says "we'll sign if our team can log in with Microsoft", that's your signal. You'll also know which identity provider to connect.

Organizations: decide on day one

This is the one you can't easily add later. If you sell your product to teams, your data needs a "workspace" layer from the start. Adding it later touches almost every table and every screen. Want a second opinion on which of these your app needs? Book a call and we'll go through it feature by feature.

Managed provider or custom auth?

For almost every MVP, use a managed provider. Custom auth looks free, but then you write and maintain password storage, token handling, rate limits and account recovery yourself. Every bug there is a security bug. If you're still choosing the rest of your stack, try our free tech stack picker. Two things matter more than the brand name:

• Where user data lives. Some setups keep users in the same database as your app data, so your access rules can use the logged in user directly. Others keep users with the provider, and you sync what you need.
• Switching later. Moving to a new provider means migrating accounts, and often asking users to reset their passwords. Choose for the features you'll build over the next two years, not the next two weeks.

What this changes in a fixed price MVP

Our MVP Development package includes "User authentication & onboarding" in the scope, Fixed at $3,460 for your app on the web, iOS and Android. We build web apps on Next.js, and iOS and Android apps "from one Expo project". Design is included and you see progress every week. Delivery takes about 20 days, you get 2 weeks of fixes after launch, and the code is 100% yours on your GitHub. Here's how each app type usually fits:

• Consumer app: the baseline fits the standard package.
• Marketplace: two account types and an admin approval step are core features, so we scope them on the call.
• B2B with organizations: we scope the workspace and roles model on the call, because it shapes the whole data model.
• Enterprise SSO or compliance (HIPAA, PCI): this moves to our Custom Enterprise Build. It's listed on our services page with multi-tenant SaaS architecture and compliance-ready builds.

A fixed quote before any work begins

Either way, you get a fixed quote before we start, so you know the price before any work begins. Already built a login with an AI tool and not sure it's secure? Our guides on taking an AI prototype to production cover auth, roles and secrets.

What auth does a simple MVP need?

Email and password with verification, password reset and Google sign in. Add Sign in with Apple if you ship on iOS with social login. You also need sessions across devices, two roles and an onboarding flow. Most consumer MVPs need nothing more at launch.

Do I need SSO for my B2B MVP?

Only if a customer makes it a condition of buying. Small teams usually accept email or Google sign in. Add SSO when a real deal depends on it. By then you'll know which identity provider to connect.

When should I add MFA?

From day one if your app handles payments, payouts, health data or admin access. Otherwise, add it once users or customers ask for it. An authenticator app is a good first method.

Can I add organizations and teams later?

You can, but it's expensive. Organizations change your data model, your permissions and most of your screens. If you sell to teams, build them into v1. Ready to launch with login, accounts and onboarding handled? Book a call and get your fixed quote before we start.