Firebase Auth is free for almost all authentication methods. The only costs come from phone (SMS) verification — and they vary significantly by country.
| Auth Method | Spark plan | Blaze plan |
|---|---|---|
| Email / Password | Free — 50,000 MAU | Free — unlimited |
| Google Sign-In | Free — 50,000 MAU | Free — unlimited |
| Apple Sign-In | Free — 50,000 MAU | Free — unlimited |
| Facebook, GitHub, Twitter, Microsoft | Free — 50,000 MAU | Free — unlimited |
| Anonymous Auth | Free — unlimited | Free — unlimited |
| Email link (passwordless) | Free — 50,000 MAU | Free — unlimited |
| SAML / OIDC (enterprise SSO) | Not available | 50 MAU free, then $0.015 per MAU |
| Phone / SMS Verification | Not available | 10,000 / month free, then per-country rate |
SMS verification rates vary significantly by country. The first 10,000 verifications per month are free (Blaze plan). Beyond that, you pay the per-country rate. This can be a meaningful cost for apps with global audiences.
| Country | Code | Rate per SMS (beyond free tier) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | US | $0.0046 | Most common use case |
| Canada | CA | $0.0046 | |
| India | IN | $0.0028 | Low cost, high volume market |
| United Kingdom | GB | $0.04 | ~9× more than US |
| Germany | DE | $0.05 | |
| Australia | AU | $0.04 | |
| Brazil | BR | $0.05 | Watch for unexpected costs |
| Nigeria | NG | $0.06 | Most expensive tier |
An app sending 15,000 SMS verifications/month to UK phone numbers: (15,000 − 10,000 free) × $0.04 = $200/month in phone auth costs alone. A predominantly UK user base at modest scale can produce significant unexpected SMS bills.
Not every phone-number-related action triggers a billable SMS. Understanding what counts is essential for cost management.