I'm building an app for enterprise customers and need SAML SSO. What should I choose?

If you’re building for enterprise customers, the best choice is usually SAML 2.0 SSO, but the right implementation depends on your product and customer base.

Quick recommendation

• Choose SAML 2.0 if your enterprise customers expect classic IdP-driven SSO from systems like Okta, Azure AD/Entra ID, Ping, ADFS.
• Also consider OIDC if you’re building a modern app and want a simpler protocol with better developer ergonomics.
• If you can support both, do that. Many enterprise apps offer SAML + OIDC, because customers and identity providers vary.

How to decide

Choose SAML if:

• Your customers are mostly large enterprises with existing SSO setups
• They specifically ask for “SAML”
• You need compatibility with older corporate identity stacks
• You want to integrate with common enterprise IdPs out of the box

Choose OIDC if:

• You’re starting fresh and want easier implementation
• You’re building a modern web/mobile app
• You want better support for SPAs, APIs, and native apps
• You care about simpler token handling and less XML complexity

Important note

“SAML SSO” is about authentication, but enterprise buyers often also expect:

• SCIM for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Just-in-time provisioning
• Role/group mapping
• Audit logs
• Domain discovery / IdP routing
• Support for multiple organizations / tenants

Practical recommendation

For an enterprise SaaS app:

1. Support SAML 2.0 for SSO
2. Support SCIM 2.0 for provisioning
3. If possible, also support OIDC
4. Make it tenant-specific, so each customer can configure their own IdP

If you meant “what product/library should I choose?”

I can recommend specific options based on your stack, like:

• Auth0 / Okta CIC
• WorkOS
• Microsoft Entra ID integration
• OneLogin
• Sustainsys / Spring Security SAML / passport-saml / simpleSAMLphp, etc.

If you tell me your stack and whether you want build vs buy, I can suggest the best option.