WorkOS startup credits: free to 1M MAUs (2026)

I quick answer

WorkOS's startup offer: no cash credits; AuthKit free up to 1M MAUs (the next 1M MAUs is priced at $2,500/mo on the public rate card).

No equity, no fees. No referral needed; apply directly.

Stage fit: Any stage. Difficulty: easy.

II key facts

WorkOS at a glance

Max value: No cash credits; AuthKit free up to 1M MAUs (the next 1M MAUs is priced at $2,500/mo on the public rate card)
Stage fit: Any stage
Takes equity: No
Who files it: You (no code needed)
Geography: Global; no geographic restriction stated on any WorkOS page
Referral needed: No
Difficulty: Easy
Review time: None
Credits expire: No fixed expiry: the 1M-user free allowance has been in place since the AuthKit launch (Nov 28, 2023 changelog) and the current pricing page shows the same 1M MAU threshold.

III available programs and tiers

What WorkOS actually gives you

AuthKit / User Management free tier
First 1,000,000 monthly active users free; $2,500/mo per additional 1M MAUs
Every WorkOS account, no application or approval
Radar (bot and fraud protection) free allowance
First 1,000 checks free; $100/mo per additional 50K checks
Every WorkOS account
Staging environments
Free for testing with no payment method needed; only production environments are billed, and a payment method must be on file to activate production
Every WorkOS account
Vercel AI Accelerator (partner cohort, not a WorkOS program)
WorkOS contributed $600K in credits to the cohort's shared pool; Vercel's accelerator page lists $15K per participant. Total pool was 'over $6M' at the Feb 5, 2026 announcement; Vercel's Apr 28, 2026 recap and current landing page say 'over $8M'
Only companies accepted into the Vercel AI Accelerator. The 2026 round closed to applications Feb 16, 2026 and the cohort ran Mar 2 to Apr 16, 2026. The next round has no published dates (Vercel's recap says applications open 'later this year')

IV eligibility

Who qualifies

You likely qualify if

You can create a WorkOS account at workos.com/signup; there is no application form, approval step or review.
Your app's AuthKit / User Management usage is at or below 1,000,000 monthly active users; above that you pay $2,500/mo per extra 1M MAUs. The allowance applies in production as well as staging.
You are not yet running Enterprise SSO or Directory Sync (SCIM) connections in production; those are billed per connection from the first one ($125/connection/month at 1-15 connections).
Staging needs no payment method. To activate a production environment you must add a payment method in the dashboard, even if your usage stays inside the free allowance.
For the separate $600K WorkOS credit pool, you must be accepted into a Vercel AI Accelerator cohort (the 2026 round's applications closed Feb 16, 2026; Vercel must be your platform and you must commit to the six-week program per the Feb 2026 terms).

You won't qualify if

There are no dollar-denominated WorkOS credits to apply for; the "up to $25,000 in perks" figure on aggregator sites does not appear on any WorkOS page.
The pricing page's "Annual Credits" / pre-pay credit discounts apply to custom paid Enterprise agreements; they are paid commitment discounts, not free startup credits.
Enterprise SSO and Directory Sync (SCIM) connections are never free in production; each costs $125/month at 1-15 connections, dropping to $100 (16-30), $80 (31-50) and $65 (51-100), with custom pricing at 101+.
Custom domain ($99/mo), Audit Logs streaming ($125/mo per SIEM connection), Audit Logs retention ($99/mo per 1M events) and the Scale support plan ($1,000/mo) are paid regardless of company stage.
No YC, accelerator or VC-specific WorkOS discount is published on workos.com; the only partner credit found was routed through the Vercel AI Accelerator, not WorkOS directly.

Geography. Global; no geographic restriction stated on any WorkOS page

V how to apply

How to apply to WorkOS for Startups

01Go to https://workos.com/signup (redirects to the WorkOS dashboard sign-up) and create a WorkOS account with your work email; no payment method is required at this step.
02Build and test in a free staging environment, integrating AuthKit / User Management via the docs at https://workos.com/docs.
03When you move to production, add a payment method in the dashboard billing page; it is required to activate production even if you expect to stay inside the free allowance. AuthKit stays free until you exceed 1M monthly active users.
04Add Enterprise SSO or SCIM connections only when a customer actually requires them, since each production connection bills at $125/month (and test connections in production are billed too).
05Optional: for partner-funded WorkOS credits, watch https://vercel.com/ai-accelerator for the next Vercel AI Accelerator round. The page shows an Apply now button but no dates, and the 2026 round (which included $600K of WorkOS credits) closed Feb 16, 2026.

Review time: None; self-serve sign-up with no application or review. Apply at workos.com/signup.

VI what changed

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Feb 5, 2026: Vercel announced its AI Accelerator with over $6M in credits, including $600K in WorkOS credits (applications closed Feb 16, 2026). Apr 28, 2026: Vercel's recap and its current accelerator page raised the stated pool to over $8M, still listing WorkOS at $600K ($15K per participant), with applications for the next round to open 'later this year' and no dates published. WorkOS's own free tier is unchanged since the November 2023 AuthKit launch (announced as free up to 1,000,000 users); the October 2026 pricing page lists it as 1M monthly active users and shows SSO/SCIM volume discounts down to $65/connection at 51-100 connections and a Radar allowance of 1,000 free checks. I could not find a dated WorkOS announcement for when the volume tiers or Radar allowance were introduced.

Dated change log for every program →

VII the AWS angle

WorkOS credits and your AWS bill

WorkOS is a hosted auth service, so it does not run on your AWS account and is not an AWS-credit-funded workload; it replaces building login, SSO and SCIM yourself on Cognito or your own infra, which removes one line of AWS spend. WorkOS also sells a paid 'Enterprise-Ready Platform' bundle on AWS Marketplace ($30,000 per 12 months for 20 SSO/Directory Sync connections, contract-based, non-refundable). That is a paid contract, not a free tier, and AWS Activate credits generally do not apply to Marketplace purchases, so check your credit terms before assuming it draws down credits. AWS and WorkOS were both credit partners in the 2026 Vercel AI Accelerator (AWS listed at $1M in Activate credits, WorkOS at $600K), so founders in that cohort can stack the two.

VIIIfaq

WorkOS startup credits, answered

How much does WorkOS give startups?

WorkOS's startup offer: no cash credits; AuthKit free up to 1M MAUs (the next 1M MAUs is priced at $2,500/mo on the public rate card). There are 4 tiers: AuthKit / User Management free tier: First 1,000,000 monthly active users free; Radar (bot and fraud protection) free allowance: First 1,000 checks free; Staging environments: Free for testing with no payment method needed; Vercel AI Accelerator (partner cohort, not a WorkOS program): WorkOS contributed $600K in credits to the cohort's shared pool.

Does WorkOS take equity?

No. WorkOS for Startups is a credits program, not an investment; you keep 100% of your company. No referral needed; apply directly.

Who qualifies for WorkOS for Startups?

Stage fit: Any stage; most valuable pre-enterprise, before customers demand SSO/SCIM connections, since those are billed per connection from day one. You usually qualify if: you can create a WorkOS account at workos.com/signup; there is no application form, approval step or review.; your app's AuthKit / User Management usage is at or below 1,000,000 monthly active users; above that you pay $2,500/mo per extra 1M MAUs. The allowance applies in production as well as staging.; you are not yet running Enterprise SSO or Directory Sync (SCIM) connections in production; those are billed per connection from the first one ($125/connection/month at 1-15 connections). You will not qualify if: there are no dollar-denominated WorkOS credits to apply for; the "up to $25,000 in perks" figure on aggregator sites does not appear on any WorkOS page.; the pricing page's "Annual Credits" / pre-pay credit discounts apply to custom paid Enterprise agreements; they are paid commitment discounts, not free startup credits.

How long does WorkOS take to approve credits?

None; self-serve sign-up with no application or review. Difficulty: easy, a short form, no referral for the base tier.

When do WorkOS credits expire?

No fixed expiry: the 1M-user free allowance has been in place since the AuthKit launch (Nov 28, 2023 changelog) and the current pricing page shows the same 1M MAU threshold. However, WorkOS Terms of Service section 3(d) lets WorkOS change or end any free tier at any time without notice, so treat it as not guaranteed.

Can I combine WorkOS credits with AWS credits?

WorkOS is a hosted auth service, so it does not run on your AWS account and is not an AWS-credit-funded workload; it replaces building login, SSO and SCIM yourself on Cognito or your own infra, which removes one line of AWS spend. WorkOS also sells a paid 'Enterprise-Ready Platform' bundle on AWS Marketplace ($30,000 per 12 months for 20 SSO/Directory Sync connections, contract-based, non-refundable). On AWS, CloudRoute matches you for free with a vetted partner who can file MAP, POC or IW funding when the workload qualifies and AWS approves it. The WorkOS application you submit yourself.

Verified against workos.com/startups on Oct 9, 2026 (confidence: high). Programs change; always confirm on the official page. 13 sources checked.