Comparing Prefactor to Hand rolled
Apr 27, 2025
3 mins
Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)
Prefactor vs Hand-Rolled Authentication: Why Build When You Can Focus on Your Core Product?
When it comes to authentication, some teams debate whether to build their own solution or use a dedicated platform. Rolling your own auth gives you control, but it comes with hidden costs: time, maintenance, security risks, and scaling challenges. Prefactor offers a way to retain flexibility and control without reinventing the wheel. Here's why Prefactor might be a smarter choice than hand-rolling your authentication system.
Quick Comparison
Feature | Prefactor | Hand-Rolled Authentication |
|---|---|---|
Time to Implement | Rapid setup with SDK & APIs | Weeks to months |
Security | Built-in, battle-tested features | Custom, needs constant vigilance |
Maintenance | Managed, automatic updates | Ongoing internal responsibility |
Scalability | Built-in multi-tenant support | Needs to be designed from scratch |
Cost Over Time | Flat, predictable pricing | High developer & maintenance cost |
Focus | Lets you focus on your product | Diverts focus from core product |
Key Differences
1. Build vs Buy: Time and Focus
Prefactor lets you integrate authentication quickly, freeing up your team to focus on what makes your product unique.
Hand-rolled authentication can take weeks or months to build, test, and secure, taking valuable time away from product development.
2. Security Risks
Prefactor delivers robust, secure auth flows out-of-the-box.
Hand-rolled solutions require constant monitoring, patching, and testing to stay secure.
3. Long-Term Costs
Prefactor offers flat pricing with no hidden surprises.
Hand-rolled solutions incur ongoing development, security, and scaling costs that often exceed initial estimates.
Estimated Costs of Hand-Rolling:
Initial Development: 4-6 weeks of engineering time = $20,000 - $40,000
Security Audits: $5,000 - $15,000 annually
Maintenance: Ongoing developer time = $10,000 - $20,000/year
Scaling Infrastructure: Custom solutions for multi-tenancy, redundancy, etc. = $10,000+
4. Scaling Made Easy
Prefactor supports multi-tenancy, complex role-based access, and advanced authorization models like ABAC.
Scaling a custom-built auth system can become a significant engineering challenge.
When to Choose Prefactor
You want to save time and launch faster.
You value security and reliability without the overhead.
You want to scale easily as your user base grows.
You prefer predictable costs over unknown maintenance expenses.
When Hand-Rolled Might Work
You have unique requirements that no provider can meet.
You have a large, experienced security team.
You are prepared to invest heavily in long-term maintenance.
Conclusion
Hand-rolling authentication might seem appealing for control, but it comes at a cost. Prefactor gives you the flexibility and power of a custom solution without the time, risk, or maintenance burden. Want to see how Prefactor can help? Email us at hello@prefactor.tech to get started.