WorkOS
Enterprise-readiness platform adding SSO, directory sync, audit logs and user management to an app.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $125 a month per connection for Single Sign-On or Directory SyncOpen source noStars 223npm a week 4.3M
Clerk alternatives
7 tools you can use instead of Clerk, ranked by live GitHub stars and npm downloads. WorkOS, SuperTokens and Ory are the most used. Stats updated 16 hours ago.
When Clerk is not a good fit
Clerk is a hosted authentication and user management service made by Clerk, Inc., a San Francisco company founded in 2019. It gives developers prebuilt UI components and APIs for sign-up, sign-in, user profiles and B2B organizations, with SDKs for Next.js, React, Expo and many other frameworks. Since 5 February 2026 it bills by monthly retained users: the free Hobby plan covers 50,000 per app and Pro costs $25 a month, or $20 a month billed yearly.
It is a weaker choice for:
- Teams that must self-host user data: Clerk is a hosted service only
- Free-plan apps that need MFA, passkeys or enterprise SSO, which all require Pro
- Fully custom login UI on non-React stacks, where the prebuilt components don't apply
- Large B2B organizations on a tight budget: unlimited members per organization needs a $100 a month add-on
The alternatives
Most used first.
View WorkOS
SuperTokens
Open source authentication platform, free to self-host with no limits, or managed cloud from $0.02 per MAU.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $0.02 per MAU (managed cloud, beyond free tier)Open source yesStars 15.3knpm a week 78.3k
Ory
Open source identity and access management platform, self-hosted or as a managed cloud service.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $770 a year for the Production planOpen source yesStars 13.9knpm a week 200k
Auth0
Identity and access management platform for authentication and single sign-on, owned by Okta.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $35 a month for Essentials (up to 500 monthly active users)Open source noStars 2.3knpm a week 1.1M
Stytch
Authentication platform with passwordless, fraud prevention and B2B SSO/SCIM support, priced pay-as-you-go.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from Usage-based pricing beyond free tier limits (Pay as You Go plan)Open source noStars 116npm a week 351k
FusionAuth
Authentication and user management platform, free to self-host or available as a hosted service.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $162 a month billed annually (Starter, hosted)Open source nonpm a week 79.8k
Kinde
Authentication and user management platform with a generous free tier and built-in billing tools.
Pricing FreemiumPaid from $25 a month (Pro plan)Open source noStars 185npm a week 51.9k
Clerk and its alternatives, side by side
| Tool | Pricing | Free plan | Paid from | Open source | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerk | Freemium | Yes: Hobby plan with 50,000 monthly retained users per app and up to 3 dashboard seats | $25 a month, or $20 a month billed yearly (Pro) | No | 1.8k |
| WorkOS | Freemium | Yes: AuthKit is free for up to 1 million monthly active users | $125 a month per connection for Single Sign-On or Directory Sync | No | 223 |
| SuperTokens | Freemium | Yes: self-hosted open source features are free with no limits; managed cloud is free under 5,000 MAU | $0.02 per MAU (managed cloud, beyond free tier) | Yes, Apache-2.0 | 15.3k |
| Ory | Freemium | Yes: the Developer plan is free, with 2 development environments and community support; self-hosting the open source components is also free | $770 a year for the Production plan | Yes, Apache-2.0 (core open source components) | 13.9k |
| Auth0 | Freemium | Yes: up to 25,000 monthly active users, 1 custom domain, passwordless auth, unlimited social connections, 5 organizations | $35 a month for Essentials (up to 500 monthly active users) | No | 2.3k |
| Stytch | Freemium | Yes: 10,000 monthly active users and AI agents, unlimited organizations, 5 SSO/SCIM connections and 1,000 M2M tokens included free | Usage-based pricing beyond free tier limits (Pay as You Go plan) | No | 116 |
| FusionAuth | Freemium | Yes: Community edition is free and self-hosted with unlimited users | $162 a month billed annually (Starter, hosted) | No | None |
| Kinde | Freemium | Yes, forever free: 10,500 monthly active users included, no setup or hidden fees | $25 a month (Pro plan) | No | 185 |
Pricing facts come from each tool's official pricing page, with the checked date on the tool's own page.
Questions
What is the most popular alternative to Clerk?
By GitHub stars, WorkOS is the most used alternative to Clerk listed on ScratchDB, with 223 stars.
Which Clerk alternatives are open source?
SuperTokens and Ory are open source.
Which Clerk alternatives have a free plan?
WorkOS, SuperTokens, Ory, Auth0, Stytch, FusionAuth and Kinde have a free plan. The table on this page shows what each one includes.