AppBreakup

Clerk alternatives: 7 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Clerk: cloud only; user data cannot be self-hosted, and enterprise SSO connections are billed individually. We ranked 7 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Clerk, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Auth0 currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Better Auth logoBetter AuthOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 462.6
2SuperTokens logoSuperTokensOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 453.6
3Supabase logoSupabaseFree plan + paidYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 446.0
  1. Better Auth logo

    1. Better AuthTop pick

    Best for: TypeScript developers who want auth as code, stored in their own database

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Clerk

    Free open-source TypeScript library that keeps users in your own database.

    Pros

    • Free, MIT-licensed and keeps users in your own database
    • Large plugin ecosystem for 2FA, passkeys, orgs and SSO
    • Works across most JavaScript frameworks

    Cons

    • TypeScript and JavaScript only
    • You are responsible for hosting, email delivery and security
    • No admin dashboard without the paid infrastructure add-on
    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 Better Auth a good Clerk alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Language
    TypeScript, framework-agnostic
    Checked Oct 25, 2026better-auth.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Framework is free and open source
    Checked Oct 25, 2026better-auth.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Infrastructure price
    Pro $20/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026better-auth.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. SuperTokens logo

    2. SuperTokens

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

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    53.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Clerk

    Open-source and self-hostable, so you avoid per-user cloud pricing.

    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
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    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 Clerk 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)
  3. Supabase logo

    3. Supabase

    Best for: Developers who want Postgres plus auth, storage and realtime without running servers

    Free plan + paidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    46.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Clerk

    Bundles auth with a Postgres database and row-level security if you also need a backend.

    Pros

    • Real Postgres underneath, so SQL, extensions and standard tooling all work
    • Auth, storage, realtime and functions in one dashboard
    • Open source and self-hostable with Docker
    • Large community and many framework guides

    Cons

    • Free projects pause after a week of inactivity
    • Usage charges for compute and egress can be hard to predict
    • Self-hosting the full stack takes real operations work
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.332
    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 Supabase a good Clerk alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    $0/month, 2 active projects
    Checked Oct 25, 2026supabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro plan
    From $25/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026supabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free project pausing
    After 1 week of inactivity
    Checked Oct 25, 2026supabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Clerk alternative for…

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

Auth0 logo

Best Clerk alternative for most people

Auth0

More mature enterprise features and SDK coverage beyond the JavaScript world.

Better Auth logo

Best Clerk alternative for a free option

Better Auth

Free open-source TypeScript library that keeps users in your own database.

Kinde logo

Best Clerk alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Kinde

Similar developer-friendly hosted auth with billing and feature flags included.

SuperTokens logo

Best Clerk alternative for open source

SuperTokens

Open-source and self-hostable, so you avoid per-user cloud pricing.

Supabase logo

Best Clerk alternative for self-hosting

Supabase

Bundles auth with a Postgres database and row-level security if you also need a backend.

St

Best Clerk alternative for iPhone and Android

Stytch

API-first alternative with strong fraud and bot protection for consumer and B2B apps.

WorkOS logo

Best Clerk alternative for working in the browser

WorkOS

Free for the first million users and strong on enterprise SSO for B2B products.

Clerk alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Clerk?

Auth0 ranks first right now. More mature enterprise features and SDK coverage beyond the JavaScript world. Better Auth and Kinde follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Clerk?

Yes. Auth0 (free plan + paid), Better Auth (open source), Kinde (free plan + paid) and Stytch (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Clerk?

Yes: Better Auth, SuperTokens and Supabase. Better Auth, SuperTokens and Supabase can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Clerk?

The complaints we hear most: cloud only; user data cannot be self-hosted; enterprise SSO connections are billed individually; less flexible than code-first libraries for unusual flows.

How is this list ranked?

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