About Authgear
Authgear is an enterprise IAM platform built by SkyMakers Digital Group, a company that has been serving enterprises and startups across the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong, and Taiwan since 2009.
Their platform, available as both a cloud product and a self-hosted deployment (Authgear ONCE), handles authentication for organizations like MTR Corporation, Hongkong Land, and Bupa.
What makes Authgear distinct is its focus on frontline and non-digital-native workers: the retail staff, QSR employees, and field teams who don't sit at a desk. Features like WhatsApp OTP, biometric login, and adaptive MFA are built specifically for that use case, something Auth0 and Stytch don't prioritize.
The Problem
Despite strong credentials, Authgear had a visibility problem. When buyers asked AI search engines for IAM recommendations, the answers kept coming back with Auth0 and Stytch. Authgear barely registered.
When they started tracking in early January on Perplexity, they appeared in 1 out of 100 queries. Auth0 appeared in 27 of those same queries.
What We Tracked
Every week, Citeful ran 100 high-intent prompts through Perplexity, the exact questions real buyers ask when evaluating IAM tools.
Prompts like:
- “Auth0 alternative for frontline workers and partners”
- “Self-hosted auth platform that separates workforce and customer identities”
- “QSR employee identity solution with SMS and WhatsApp OTP”
- “Open source identity platform to replace Cognito and Firebase Auth”
- “Stytch alternative that supports WhatsApp OTP and biometrics”
These aren't generic keywords. They're the specific, high-intent questions buyers ask before shortlisting a vendor.
How We Improved Visibility
Tracking alone doesn't move the needle. Once Citeful identified the queries where Authgear was invisible, we ran a systematic content and distribution playbook across multiple channels:
Content
- Updated Authgear's marketing blog with posts targeting the exact query topics Perplexity was being asked
- Refreshed landing page copy to better match the language buyers use when searching for Auth0 and Stytch alternatives
Community and Forums
- Posted and engaged on Reddit threads where IAM, open source auth, and frontline worker identity topics came up
- Contributed to GitHub discussions and repositories relevant to self-hosted authentication and open source IAM
- Published thought leadership posts on LinkedIn targeting decision makers evaluating enterprise IAM solutions
Review Platforms
Optimized Authgear's profile and responses on G2 and LinkedIn, since AI engines frequently cite these when recommending vendors.
The Logic
AI search engines like Perplexity don't index brands directly. They surface whatever the broader internet considers authoritative on a topic. By increasing Authgear's share of voice across blogs, communities, review platforms, and professional networks, Citeful gave AI engines more sources to pull from when answering buyer queries.
The Result
Over 3 weeks, Authgear's Perplexity mentions went from 1 to 19, a 17.6% mention rate, up from 0.9%. Auth0 and Stytch didn't move.
| Week | Authgear | Auth0 | Stytch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 1 | 27 | 14 |
| Week 2 | 6 | 29 | 15 |
| Week 3 | 14 | 26 | 16 |
| Week 4 | 19 | 25 | 14 |
Authgear went from 1/27th of Auth0's AI visibility to nearly equal, on the same 100 prompts, in the same 3 weeks.
The Queries That Moved
The mentions didn't come from broad awareness. They came from precise, niche queries matching Authgear's ICP:
- Frontline worker authentication
- Open source alternatives to Auth0 / Stytch
- Hybrid on-prem and cloud deployments
- WhatsApp OTP and biometric login for non-digital-native staff
Citeful surfaced exactly where their content was landing, and where the gaps still were.