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Clerk alternatives

Matt Turley, Continuum. Updated 2026-11-05.

We sell Continuum Supabase Security Review, so we say where the other options fit better. Links to other companies go to their own sites and carry no affiliate codes.

The short answer

Clerk alternatives

Clerk suits teams wanting hosted auth components separate from their database. If that is not you, Auth0 suits teams needing a standalone identity provider; Firebase Authentication suits apps already on Firebase or Google Cloud; Supabase Auth suits projects already on Supabase that want auth and database access rules in one system. The list is alphabetical and is not a ranking.

Why people look past Clerk

This page lists options for someone leaving Clerk, drawn from tools in the same area. We only include a tool when a page owned by the vendor backs our description of it, and we say where Clerk is the better fit.

  • Clerk's updated pricing post (older) announced 10,000 MAUs free and a new Pro plan.[1] One source only.
  • Search summaries describe overage at about $0.02 per additional user above the allowance.[2]
  • 2026 third-party sources describe the free allowance as 50,000 monthly retained users rather than MAUs, conflicting with the 10,000 MAU figure.[3] One source only.

We read each source on 2026-11-05. Prices and limits change often, so confirm on the vendor's own page before you buy. A figure marked "one source only" was not matched by a second publisher.

What Clerk does well

Before you switch, know what you would give up:

Pricing as reported for Clerk:

  • Hobby: $0 [1] One source only, so confirm it on the vendor page.
  • Pro: $25 per month ($20 per month billed annually per one third-party source; overage about $0.02 per additional user) [2]

Plan limits are longer than fit here and some sources disagree on them, so read the limits on the vendor pricing page.

At a glance

At a glance. Alphabetical order, not a ranking. Prices are as reported in the cited sources.
At a glance. Alphabetical order, not a ranking. Prices are as reported in the cited sources.
ToolWhat it isConfirmed priceSuits
ClerkHosted authentication and user managementPro $25 per month [2]Teams wanting hosted auth components separate from their database
Auth0Hosted identity platformFree $0 [4]Teams needing a standalone identity provider
Firebase AuthenticationHosted authentication on Google Identity PlatformIdentity Platform $0 up to 50,000 MAU [5]Apps already on Firebase or Google Cloud
Supabase AuthHosted authentication tied to Postgres RLSIncluded with Supabase Pro $25 per month [6]Projects already on Supabase that want auth and database access rules in one system
Continuum Supabase Security Review (ours)Human Supabase security reviewSupabase Security Review Quoted on the page [7]A team running on Supabase that wants a person to read its policies and keys before launch

The alternatives, one by one

Auth0

Auth0 is an identity platform with a Free plan and paid Essentials and Professional plans whose price scales with monthly active users.[4]

Limits and things to check:

  • Auth0's FAQ states that beyond 25,000 users a paid plan is needed.[4]
  • Auth0's pricing page lists custom tiers for Essentials and Professional external active users.[4]
  • G2 lists separate B2B plans at $150 per month (Essentials) and $800 per month (Professional).[8] One source only.

Pricing as reported for Auth0:

  • Free: $0 (Up to 25,000 monthly active users) [4]
  • Essentials: $35 per month (Most sources say up to 500 MAU; G2 lists up to 5,000 MAU. Disagreement) [8] One source only, so confirm it on the vendor page.
  • Professional: $240 per month (Most sources say 500 MAU; G2 says up to 1,000 MAU. Disagreement) [8] One source only, so confirm it on the vendor page.

Suits teams needing a standalone identity provider. That is our reading of the facts above, not something a source says.

Firebase Authentication

Firebase Authentication is billed through Google Identity Platform, which is no cost up to 50,000 monthly active users.[5]

Limits and things to check:

  • Google's Identity Platform pricing page says it is no-cost up to 50K MAUs.[5]
  • Phone and multi-factor authentication are charged per message with a region-specific rate table.[5]
  • SMS rate sources conflict: one puts US and Canada at $0.01 per SMS, another cites $0.04 in us-central1.[9] One source only.

Pricing as reported for Firebase Authentication:

  • Identity Platform: $0 up to 50,000 MAU (SAML/OIDC allowance is 50 MAUs; phone and multi-factor users are charged per message sent, with the first ten SMS per day free) [5]

Suits apps already on Firebase or Google Cloud. That is our reading of the facts above, not something a source says.

Supabase Auth

Supabase Auth issues JSON Web Tokens that scope database access row by row when used with Row Level Security policies.[10]

What the sources say:

  • Users can sign in with password, magic link, one-time password, social login and single sign-on.[10]
  • Auth uses JSON Web Tokens, and the token scopes database access on a row-by-row level when used with RLS policies.[10]
  • Any OAuth2 or OIDC-compatible identity provider can be added through custom OAuth/OIDC providers.[10]

Limits and things to check:

  • Supabase docs state that charges apply to Monthly Active Users, Monthly Active Third-Party Users, Monthly Active SSO Users and Advanced MFA add-ons.[10]

Pricing as reported for Supabase Auth:

  • Included with Supabase Free: $0 (50,000 monthly active users per third-party summaries) [11] One source only, so confirm it on the vendor page.
  • Included with Supabase Pro: $25 per month (100,000 monthly active users included; overage $0.00325 per MAU per vendor pricing page as summarised in search) [6]

Suits projects already on Supabase that want auth and database access rules in one system. That is our reading of the facts above, not something a source says.

When to stay with Clerk

Stay with Clerk if it matches your situation: it suits teams wanting hosted auth components separate from their database. Switching costs time, and none of the options above is better for everyone.

Where Continuum fits

We make Continuum Supabase Security Review. Weigh what we say here with that in mind. The tools above are the better choice when you want software you run yourself; ours is the better choice when you want a person to do or read the work.

Continuum Supabase Security Review (ours)

A human review of a Supabase app covering row level security policies, key exposure, storage rules, auth config and service-role usage.[7]

What our own page says:

  • It returns ranked findings with corrected SQL and a proof for each, in 48 hours.[7]

Limits and things to check:

  • It is a manual review of one app, not a continuous monitor.[7]

Pricing as reported for Continuum Supabase Security Review:

  • Supabase Security Review: Quoted on the page (48 hour turnaround) [7]

Suits a team running on Supabase that wants a person to read its policies and keys before launch.

Details on Continuum Supabase Security Review.

Running on Supabase?

Row level security and key handling are where most AI-built Supabase apps leak. A person can read yours. See the Supabase Security Review
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FAQ

Straight answers

What is the closest alternative to Clerk?
Auth0, Firebase Authentication, Supabase Auth are the closest options in the sources we read, but fit depends on your situation. Auth0 suits teams needing a standalone identity provider.
Is there a free alternative to Clerk?
Auth0, Firebase Authentication and Supabase Auth have a free plan or tier per the sources we read. Check the limits on each vendor page.
When were these sources read?
All sources on this page were read on 2026-11-05. Prices and limits change, so confirm on the vendor page before you buy.
Keep reading
Best backends for AI-built appsbest backend for ai built appsBest auth providers for AI-built appsbest authentication provider for ai built appsSupabase vs Firebasesupabase vs firebaseAll comparisonsBest of lists, head to heads and alternatives across every area we cover.
Sources
  1. 1. Updated pricing: 10,000 MAUs free and a new Pro plan, Clerk on DEV Community, 2026-11-05: third-party page
  2. 2. Clerk Pricing Explained, Clerk, 2026-11-05: Clerk's own page
  3. 3. Clerk Pricing in 2026, BudgetForge, 2026-11-05: third-party page
  4. 4. Auth0 pricing, Auth0, 2026-11-05: Auth0's own page
  5. 5. Identity Platform pricing, Google Cloud, 2026-11-05: Firebase Authentication's own page
  6. 6. Supabase pricing (markdown), Supabase, 2026-11-05: Supabase Auth's own page
  7. 7. Continuum Supabase Security Review on uxcontinuum.com, Continuum, 2026-11-05: Continuum Supabase Security Review's own page
  8. 8. Auth0 pricing on G2, G2, 2026-11-05: third-party page
  9. 9. Firebase Authentication pricing (Logto, Japanese), Logto, 2026-11-05: third-party page
  10. 10. Supabase Auth docs, Supabase, 2026-11-05: Supabase Auth's own page
  11. 11. Supabase Pricing: 2026 Guide, Jetadmin, 2026-11-05: third-party page
Clerk alternatives | Continuum