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Better Auth alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Better Auth: typeScript and JavaScript only, and you are responsible for hosting, email delivery and security. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Better Auth, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Auth.js (NextAuth.js) currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Auth.js (NextAuth.js) logoAuth.js (NextAuth.js)Open sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 466.5
2ClClerkFree plan + paidNoWeb, iOS, Android4 of 462.6
3SuperTokens logoSuperTokensOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 459.6
4Logto logoLogtoOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 457.2
5Keycloak logoKeycloakOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS +14 of 455.3
  1. Auth.js (NextAuth.js) logo

    1. Auth.js (NextAuth.js)Top pickAcquired

    Best for: Existing Next.js apps that already rely on NextAuth for OAuth sign-in

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Better Auth

    The older Next.js-centred library, now maintained under the Better Auth project.

    Pros

    • Free and open source with many OAuth providers built in
    • Runs inside your app with database adapters
    • Large body of tutorials and examples

    Cons

    • No built-in MFA, organisations or admin UI
    • Project now folded into Better Auth
    • Credentials login is intentionally limited
    Visit Auth.js (NextAuth.js) Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Auth.js (NextAuth.js) a good Better Auth alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    ISC
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Status
    Part of Better Auth
    Checked Oct 25, 2026authjs.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Price
    Free and open source
    Checked Oct 25, 2026authjs.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Frameworks
    Next.js, Qwik, SvelteKit, Express
    Checked Oct 25, 2026authjs.dev(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Cl

    2. Clerk

    Best for: React and Next.js developers who want polished sign-in screens working in minutes

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Better Auth

    Hosted alternative with prebuilt UI if you would rather not own auth code.

    Pros

    • Prebuilt, customisable UI components save weeks of work
    • Excellent Next.js and React integration
    • Generous free tier per application

    Cons

    • Cloud only; user data cannot be self-hosted
    • Enterprise SSO connections are billed individually
    • Less flexible than code-first libraries for unusual flows
    Visit Clerk Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Clerk a good Better Auth alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Up to 50,000 monthly retained users per app
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clerk.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro price
    $20/month billed annually
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clerk.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Extra SSO connection
    $75/month each
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clerk.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Compliance
    SOC 2 Type 2
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clerk.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. SuperTokens logo

    3. SuperTokens

    Best for: Developers who want self-hostable auth with prebuilt UI and code-level control

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Better Auth

    Open-source with prebuilt UI and back-end SDKs beyond TypeScript.

    Pros

    • Self-hosted open-source features are free without user limits
    • Prebuilt login UI plus overrides for every step
    • Simple per-user pricing on the managed cloud

    Cons

    • Back-end SDKs cover fewer languages than larger rivals
    • Some features like MFA are paid add-ons even when self-hosted
    • You run the core service yourself when self-hosting
    Visit SuperTokens Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is SuperTokens a good Better Auth alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Self-hosting
    Free, no user limits
    Checked Oct 25, 2026supertokens.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud price
    $0.02 per MAU
    Checked Oct 25, 2026supertokens.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud free tier
    Under 5,000 MAU
    Checked Oct 25, 2026supertokens.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Backing
    Y Combinator
    Checked Oct 25, 2026supertokens.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Logto logo

    4. Logto

    Best for: SaaS developers who want open-source, standards-based auth with an affordable cloud

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Better Auth

    Standalone open-source identity service with an admin console and free cloud tier.

    Pros

    • Open source and self-hostable, with a free cloud tier
    • Clean admin console and customisable sign-in pages
    • Multi-tenant organisations and RBAC built in

    Cons

    • Smaller ecosystem than Auth0 or Keycloak
    • Some enterprise features are cloud or paid only
    • Usage-based token billing takes some estimating
    Visit Logto Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Logto a good Better Auth alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    MPL-2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Up to 50,000 MAU
    Checked Oct 25, 2026logto.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    Pro from $24/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026logto.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026logto.io(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Keycloak logo

    5. Keycloak

    Best for: Organisations that want standards-based SSO on their own infrastructure at no licence cost

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Better Auth

    Separate identity server for when several apps and languages need shared SSO.

    Pros

    • Free and open source under Apache 2.0
    • Supports OIDC, OAuth 2.0 and SAML with LDAP and AD federation
    • Mature, widely deployed and well understood

    Cons

    • You run, scale and upgrade it yourself
    • Admin concepts and theming have a steep learning curve
    • Login pages look dated without custom themes
    Visit Keycloak Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Keycloak a good Better Auth alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML
    Checked Oct 25, 2026keycloak.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Directory federation
    LDAP and Active Directory
    Checked Oct 25, 2026keycloak.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Deployment
    Container image for Docker, Podman, Kubernetes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026keycloak.org(opens source in a new tab)

The best Better Auth alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Auth.js (NextAuth.js) logo

Best Better Auth alternative for most people

Auth.js (NextAuth.js)

The older Next.js-centred library, now maintained under the Better Auth project.

SuperTokens logo

Best Better Auth alternative for a free option

SuperTokens

Open-source with prebuilt UI and back-end SDKs beyond TypeScript.

Cl

Best Better Auth alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Clerk

Hosted alternative with prebuilt UI if you would rather not own auth code.

Logto logo

Best Better Auth alternative for open source

Logto

Standalone open-source identity service with an admin console and free cloud tier.

Keycloak logo

Best Better Auth alternative for self-hosting

Keycloak

Separate identity server for when several apps and languages need shared SSO.

Keycloak logo

Best Better Auth alternative for Mac

Keycloak

Separate identity server for when several apps and languages need shared SSO.

Keycloak logo

Best Better Auth alternative for Windows

Keycloak

Separate identity server for when several apps and languages need shared SSO.

Keycloak logo

Best Better Auth alternative for Linux

Keycloak

Separate identity server for when several apps and languages need shared SSO.

Cl

Best Better Auth alternative for iPhone and Android

Clerk

Hosted alternative with prebuilt UI if you would rather not own auth code.

Auth.js (NextAuth.js) logo

Best Better Auth alternative for working in the browser

Auth.js (NextAuth.js)

The older Next.js-centred library, now maintained under the Better Auth project.

Better Auth alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Better Auth?

Auth.js (NextAuth.js) ranks first right now. The older Next.js-centred library, now maintained under the Better Auth project. Clerk and SuperTokens follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Better Auth?

Yes. Auth.js (NextAuth.js) (open source), Clerk (free plan + paid), SuperTokens (open source) and Logto (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Better Auth?

Yes: Auth.js (NextAuth.js), SuperTokens, Logto and Keycloak. Auth.js (NextAuth.js), SuperTokens and Logto can also be self-hosted.

Which Better Auth alternatives work on Linux?

Keycloak runs on Linux.

Why do people switch from Better Auth?

The complaints we hear most: typeScript and JavaScript only; you are responsible for hosting, email delivery and security; no admin dashboard without the paid infrastructure add-on.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Better Auth, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.