Clerk

clerk.com
Identity & Access Management
Few Days

More than authentication, Complete User Management

How to Replace Clerk

Overview

Clerk is a complete user management and authentication platform that provides full stack auth, user management, B2B features, and billing capabilities. It offers drop-in UI components and SDKs for modern frameworks, enabling developers to launch faster and scale easier without building authentication from scratch.

Features

74 features across 11 categories

Administration(3)

Audit LogsPremium

Comprehensive audit logging for compliance and security tracking

Enhanced Dashboard RolesPremium

Advanced role management for dashboard team collaboration

User Impersonation

Access application as a user for easy troubleshooting and support

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Smartsheet

Authentication(16)

Email and SMS One-Time Passcodes

Fast and reliable OTP delivery with brute force prevention

Email Codes

Six-digit code authentication sent to user email

Email Links

Passwordless magic link authentication via email

Enterprise ConnectionsPremium

SAML, OIDC, and EASL-supported enterprise authentication

Magic Links

Passwordless authentication using email magic links with spam/fraud filtering

Passkeys AuthenticationPremium

Authenticate users with passkeys across devices

Password Authentication

Secure password authentication with breach detection and recovery options

Satellite DomainsPremium

Use same session across applications on different domains

Sign In Tokens

Single-use token authentication generated by API

SMS CodesPremium

SMS-based authentication codes for users

Social Connections

Enable users to sign in with social providers

Social Sign-On (SSO)

Social authentication with 20+ options including Google, GitHub, Facebook, and more

User Sign In

Drop-in component for user authentication and login

User Sign Up

Drop-in component for user registration and account creation

Usernames

Classic username-based authentication method

Web3 Wallet Authentication

Authenticate with MetaMask and Coinbase Wallet

Also in: LastPass, Dashlane, 1Password

B2B Features(11)

Auto-Join OrganizationsPremium

Allow users to discover and join organizations based on email domain

Automatic InvitationsPremium

Automatically invite users based on verified email domain membership

Basic RBAC

Basic role-based access control with Admin and Member roles

Create Organization

Component allowing users to create new organizations

Custom Roles and PermissionsPremium

Fully customizable authorization with custom roles and permission sets

Organization Invitations

Simple team invitation system to fuel application growth

Organization List

Component displaying list of organizations and memberships

Organization Management

Full suite of components for managing organizations and team structures

Organization Profile

Component for managing organization settings and details

Organization Switcher

Component for users to switch between multiple organizations

Verified DomainsPremium

Restrict organization members to specific email domains

Billing(7)

Billing Management

Subscription billing with React components, no payment code or webhook management needed

Billing-Aware Authorization

Plan-based access control and feature gating based on subscription level

Plan Definition and Management

Define and manage subscription plans with pricing tiers

Pricing Table

Component to display pricing plans with feature comparisons and subscription options

Stripe Integration

Native integration with Stripe for payment processing

Subscription Self-Service Components

Prebuilt components for pricing pages and customer self-service subscription management

Unified User and Subscription Data

Unified view of user and subscription information in one system

Also in: Insightly, Airtable, Obsidian

Compliance(4)

CCPA Compliance

California Consumer Privacy Act compliance

GDPR Compliance

Service built to comply with GDPR principles with Data Privacy Agreement

HIPAA CompliancePremium

HIPAA compliance available with Business Associate Agreement

SOC 2 ReportPremium

SOC 2 Type 2 compliance report available

Also in: Insider CDP, Airtable, 1Password

Customization(3)

Custom DomainPremium

Deploy authentication components to custom domain

Custom Email and SMS TemplatesPremium

Tailor authentication messages users receive

Remove Clerk BrandingPremium

Remove 'Secured by Clerk' branding from prebuilt UIs

Also in: monday.com, Obsidian, Smartsheet

Integration(1)

Webhooks for Data Sync

Synchronize Clerk user data with external systems via webhooks

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Reliability(1)

99.99% Uptime SLAPremium

Service uptime guarantee of 99.99%

Security(18)

Account Lockout and Brute Force Protection

Protect users from automated brute forcing attacks

Advanced SecurityPremium

SOC 2 type 2 compliant with regular third-party audits and penetration tests

Allowlist/BlocklistPremium

Allow and deny users based on domain, phone number, Web3 wallet address, etc.

Block Disposable Email Addresses

Prevent sign-ups from known disposable email services

Block Email Subaddresses

Prevent abuse by blocking email subaddresses with plus separator

Bot DetectionAI

Machine learning-powered bot detection to reduce fraudulent sign-ups

Custom JWT Templates

Completely custom token claims for external service integration

Custom Password RequirementsPremium

Set custom password requirements beyond NIST 800-63B defaults

Custom Session Duration

Set maximum session duration from 5 minutes to 10 years

Custom Session Tokens

Add custom data into default authentication tokens

Device Tracking and Revocation

Allow users to view and log out devices actively accessing their account

Fraud and Abuse Prevention

Block high-risk disposable email domains and restrict email subaddresses

Multifactor Authentication (MFA)Premium

Self-serve MFA settings with authenticator apps, SMS codes, and backup codes

Password Breach Detection

Automatically check passwords against leaked password databases

Require Invitations

Restrict application access to invited users only

Session Management

Full session lifecycle management including device monitoring and session revocation

Simultaneous SessionsPremium

Allow users to sign in to multiple accounts on one device

User BansPremium

Prevent unwanted users from returning to application

Support(4)

Community Support

Active Discord community with over 10,000 members supported by Clerk staff

Email SupportPremium

24/7 access to expert support staff

Onboarding and Migration SupportPremium

Dedicated onboarding and migration assistance for enterprise customers

Priority SupportPremium

Priority email support and SLA guarantees

User Management(6)

Automatic Account Linking

Ensure only one account created when using multiple authentication methods

Full Data Exports

No-questions-asked data exports of all Clerk user data

User Button

Dropdown menu component providing account access and user options

User Metadata

Store custom data with user objects in Clerk

User Profile Management

Component to manage user profile information and settings

Waitlist

Component for managing waitlists and signups

Pricing

Hobby

Free
  • Unlimited applications
  • 50,000 MRU limit per app
  • 3 dashboard seats
  • Up to 5 user impersonations
  • APIs and prebuilt UIs for Sign up, Sign in, and User profile
  • Most authentication features included
  • Account lockout/brute-force protection
  • Bot protection
  • Block email subaddresses
  • Block disposable email addresses
  • Require invitations
  • Custom session tokens
  • Custom JWT templates
  • Device tracking and revocation
  • Full data exports
  • Community support
  • GDPR/DPAs compliance
  • Web3 wallet authentication
  • Usernames
  • Passwords
  • Email codes
  • Email links
  • Sign in tokens
  • Automatic account linking
  • User metadata
  • Webhooks for data sync
  • Basic RBAC with custom permissions
  • 100 MRO included per app
  • Up to 20 members per Organization
  • Admin & Member roles

Pro

$20/mo billed annually
  • Everything in Hobby
  • 50,000 MRU included per app
  • $0.02/mo each for additional users
  • 1 Enterprise connection included
  • $75/mo each for additional connections
  • Remove Clerk branding
  • Multifactor authentication (MFA)
  • Satellite domains at $10/mo each
  • Custom session lifetime
  • SMS Authentication available
  • Passkeys authentication
  • Custom password requirements
  • Custom email & SMS templates
  • User bans
  • Allowlist/blocklist
  • Simultaneous sessions
  • Social connections (unlimited)
  • Unlimited social connections
  • Email support for billing, registration, and abuse queries
  • SOC2 Report available
  • B2B Authentication add-on available
  • Administration add-on available

Business

$250/mo billed annually
  • Everything in Pro
  • 10 dashboard seats included
  • $20/mo each for additional seats
  • SOC 2 Report
  • Enhanced dashboard roles
  • Priority support
  • Audit Logs (coming soon)
  • Custom email & SMS templates
  • Verified domains & automatic invitations
  • Custom roles & role sets
  • HIPAA compliance available

Enterprise

Custom
  • Everything in Business
  • Annual committed use discounts
  • 99.99% Uptime SLA
  • Premium support SLA with dedicated Slack channel
  • HIPAA compliance with BAA available
  • Onboarding & migration support
  • Tailored solutions and guarantees

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Clerk

Monthly$25/mo
Yearly$300/yr
5-Year Total$1.5k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~8 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyEasy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $60
SaaS
$300
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $180
SaaS
$900
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $300
SaaS
$1.5k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 74 features at easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Clerk alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 74 features.

Buy Clerk

Better Value
Monthly cost$250/mo
3-year total$9,000
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$60,000
Maintenance$900/mo
3-year total$92,400
Dev time~5 months

Buying Clerk saves ~$83,400 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 74 features and a BuildScore of 4/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

15 known integrations

AstroCoinbase WalletConvexExpoFacebookGitHubGoogleMetaMaskNext.jsReactReact RouterStripeSupabaseTanStack React StartVercel