Stack Auth vs Clerk: Features, Pricing and User Reviews 2026
Stack Auth
Open-Source Authentication Platform for Developers
Clerk
Complete Authentication for Modern Apps
Stack Auth
Open-Source Authentication Platform for Developers
Clerk
Complete Authentication for Modern Apps
What are Stack Auth and Clerk?
Stack Auth is a complete authentication solution that handles all the complex parts of user login and management. When you add it to your application, you get ready-made login pages, account settings, password reset flows, and user dashboards without writing code for these features yourself.
The platform supports multiple ways for users to sign in, including regular passwords, social logins through Google or GitHub, magic email links, and modern passkeys using fingerprints or face recognition. It also handles advanced features like two-factor authentication for extra security, team management for business apps, and permission systems to control what different users can do.
Stack Auth is fully open-source and licensed under MIT and AGPL, meaning you can see exactly how it works and modify it if needed.
Clerk is an authentication platform that handles all aspects of user identity and access control. You get pre-built login screens, user profile pages, and account management tools that you can customize to match your brand. Unlike basic auth solutions, Clerk provides advanced features out of the box.
It supports multiple sign-in methods including passwords with breach detection, social logins from providers like Google and GitHub, email codes, and SMS verification. For business applications, Clerk includes organizations with roles and permissions, allowing you to build team-based features easily.
The platform also handles security requirements like multi-factor authentication, session management, and device tracking. Everything is managed through a dashboard where you can monitor users, configure settings, and access detailed analytics.
Features of Stack Auth and Clerk
Password, OAuth, and magic link authentication
Two-factor authentication and passkeys
Team and organization management
Role-based permissions and access control
Pre-built React components and UI
User impersonation for support
Webhooks and real-time notifications
Custom email templates
REST API for integrations
Open-source and self-hostable
Next.js, React, JavaScript support
Admin dashboard for user management
Pre-built authentication components and user interfaces
20+ social login providers including Google and GitHub
Multi-factor authentication with SMS and authenticator apps
Password authentication with automatic breach detection
Organizations with roles and permissions for teams
Enterprise SSO with SAML and OAuth support
Session management and device tracking
Webhooks and API access for custom integrations
SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance
Free tier with 10,000 monthly active users
Use Cases of Stack Auth and Clerk
Pricing of Stack Auth and Clerk
Stack Auth offers transparent pricing that scales with your needs. The Free plan is perfect for individuals and small projects, supporting up to 10,000 users with unlimited projects and teams. You get one dashboard administrator and access to all core authentication features.
The Team plan costs $49 per month and increases your user limit to 50,000 users. It includes three dashboard administrators, with additional admins available at $49 each. This plan is ideal for early startups and small teams building their products.
The Growth plan at $299 per month removes all user limits entirely. You get unlimited users, projects, and teams, along with five dashboard administrators included. Additional admins cost $49 each. This plan is designed for growing businesses that need to scale without worrying about user count restrictions.
All plans include the same core features, with the main differences being user limits and admin accounts.
Clerk offers flexible pricing to support projects of all sizes. The free plan includes 10,000 monthly active users with all core features, pre-built components, and custom domain support. Users who sign up but never return are completely free.
The Pro plan charges just $0.02 per monthly active user after your first 10,000 free users. Pro includes removing Clerk branding, allowlist and blocklist features, and customizable session duration.
For advanced needs, add-ons cost $100 per month each. The Enhanced Authentication add-on provides multi-factor auth, device tracking, and enterprise SSO. The Enhanced Administration add-on includes user impersonation and audit logs.
Organizations start at $1 per monthly active organization after your first 100 free, with unlimited members per organization in Pro.
Enterprise plans offer custom pricing with 99.99% uptime guarantees, support SLAs, HIPAA compliance, dedicated Slack support, and onboarding assistance. Startup discounts are available through partners like Y Combinator and Stripe Atlas.
FAQs: Stack Auth vs Clerk
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