01
Auth in your first afternoon
clerkMiddleware plus the SignIn and UserButton components handle 90 percent of our auth needs. We get back to building product the same day.
$281 value
Clerk
CRM
4.7 (3)
Verified Editor's pick CRM
Clerk discount for founders: Verified founder pricing
Clerk is the developer-first auth and user-management platform that drops into your app in minutes — no auth boilerplate, no migrations dram
- Beautiful, pre-built UI components that match your app design out of the box
- Developer experience is exceptional — production auth in under an hour
- Organizations feature simplifies B2B multi-tenant app development
- Generous free tier: 50K monthly retained users at no cost
Editor's pick
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Verified 2 weeks ago · live
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About Clerk
Quick answer: Clerk is a developer-first authentication and user-management platform that ships drop-in React, Next.js, Remix, and Astro components for sign-up, sign-in, organizations, user profiles, MFA, and passkeys. If you're building a modern web app and don't want to reinvent auth, Clerk is currently the fastest path from zero to a secure, production-ready login flow.
- Drop-in UI components for React, Next.js (App & Pages Router), Remix, Astro, and more — no auth scaffolding needed.
- First-class B2B features: Organizations, roles, invitations, and per-tenant permissions out of the box.
- Modern auth by default: Passkeys (WebAuthn), TOTP, SMS OTP, social OAuth, magic links, and email/password.
- Generous free tier up to 10,000 monthly active users, then usage-based paid plans.
- Webhooks, session tokens, and JWT templates make it play nicely with your database, billing, and backend.
What is Clerk?
Clerk is a user authentication and identity management platform aimed squarely at developers building modern web applications. Instead of giving you a low-level SDK and asking you to build the UI, Clerk ships pre-built, themeable React components — <SignIn />, <SignUp />, <UserButton />, <OrganizationSwitcher /> — that you drop into your app and configure through a dashboard.
Behind the scenes, Clerk handles sessions, cookies, token issuance (JWT and session tokens), MFA, account recovery, profile updates, organization switching, and webhook events to keep your database in sync. You can also use Clerk headlessly via its JavaScript SDK if you want custom UI.
The company positions itself as the auth layer for AI-native and Next.js-first teams, and the SDK and docs reflect that audience: tight Next.js App Router support, Server Components, Edge middleware, and React Server Actions all work out of the box.
Key features
Drop-in React components
Pre-built SignIn, SignUp, UserButton, OrganizationProfile, and OrganizationSwitcher components styled with Tailwind by default. Customize via props or CSS variables — no Auth0-style redirect hell.
Organizations & B2B multi-tenancy
First-class Organizations entity with roles, custom permissions, invitations, and per-org membership. This is the single biggest reason B2B SaaS teams choose Clerk over Auth0.
Passkeys, MFA, and passwordless
WebAuthn passkeys, TOTP authenticator apps, SMS one-time codes, backup codes, and magic-link email login ship enabled. You don't have to wire up a separate MFA provider.
Social & enterprise OAuth
Google, GitHub, Apple, Microsoft, Discord, LinkedIn, and 20+ more social providers. SAML and OIDC for enterprise SSO are available on higher tiers.
Webhooks & JWT templates
Subscribe to events like user.created, organizationMembership.created, and session.created to sync with your Postgres, Supabase, or Convex backend. JWT templates let you mint tokens shaped for your downstream APIs.
Framework-native SDKs
Official SDKs and quickstarts for Next.js (App & Pages), Remix, Astro, React Native, Expo, RedwoodJS, Gatsby, and Nuxt, plus a generic JavaScript SDK for anything else.
Clerk pricing in 2026
Clerk uses a MAU-based pricing model (monthly active users). There is a genuinely useful free tier, and the Production plan kicks in once you cross its limits.
10K
Free MAU included forever
~5 min
Typical time to first sign-in
20+
Social OAuth providers supported
$0.02
Per MAU on Pro (verify current rate)
The published structure (verify current pricing on Clerk's site before committing):
- Free / Development: Up to 10,000 MAU. Social logins, passkeys, MFA, and Organizations included. No credit card required.
- Production (Pro): Usage-based pricing scales per MAU, typically in the cents-per-user range. Adds production SLAs, priority support, and higher rate limits.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for SAML/SSO, audit logs, HIPAA, dedicated support, and volume MAU tiers.
Always double-check the live pricing page — Clerk has iterated on its plans in the past and the numbers above are directional, not contractual.
Clerk vs the alternatives
| Feature | Clerk | Auth0 (by Okta) | NextAuth / Auth.js |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop-in hosted UI components | Yes — React-first | Yes — Universal Login (redirect) | No — you build UI |
| Self-hostable | No (managed only) | No (plus on-prem tier) | Yes — open source |
| Organizations / multi-tenant | First-class, included | Organizations add-on (paid) | DIY |
| Passkeys / WebAuthn | Built in | Built in | Plugin required |
| Pricing model | MAU-based, generous free tier | MAU + feature-based, can be expensive | Free (you run it) |
| Best for | Next.js / React teams, B2B SaaS | Large enterprises, complex SSO needs | DIYers, full control fans |
If you need SAML SSO, SCIM, deep compliance certifications, and complex enterprise identity flows out of the box, Auth0 still has more knobs. If you want to own every byte of your auth code, Auth.js is free. For everything in between — especially multi-tenant B2B SaaS on a modern framework — Clerk is the most productive choice in 2026.
Who Clerk is for (and who should skip it)
✓ Use Clerk if you:
- Build on Next.js, React, Remix, Astro, or React Native.
- Run a B2B SaaS and need organizations, roles, and invitations without writing the schema yourself.
- Want passkeys, MFA, and social login working in an afternoon, not a sprint.
- Prefer a managed service over maintaining your own auth server.
- Ship fast and care more about product velocity than infra control.
✗ Skip Clerk if you:
- Need to self-host auth data in your own VPC or on-prem (Clerk is managed only).
- Already have a deep Auth0 / Okta investment and standardized on it.
- Run a non-web product (Clerk is web and React Native first; native iOS/Android SDKs are limited).
- Need exotic compliance certifications that only Auth0, AWS Cognito, or Keycloak can provide.
- Are a hobbyist who wants to learn auth by building it from scratch — use Auth.js or Lucia instead.
How to get started with Clerk
- Create a Clerk account.
Sign up at clerk.com with GitHub or email. The free tier is automatic — no credit card required for development.
- Create an application in the dashboard.
Pick your framework (Next.js App Router is the most common). Clerk will show you a tailored quickstart with the exact install command and env variables.
- Install the SDK and wrap your app.
For Next.js, that's
npm install @clerk/nextjs, add your publishable key and secret to.env.local, and wrap your layout in<ClerkProvider>. - Drop in the components.
Add
<SignIn />,<SignUp />, and<UserButton />to your pages. Theme them with Tailwind or CSS variables. - Configure auth methods & Organizations.
In the dashboard, enable the social providers, passkeys, and MFA options you want, then turn on the Organizations feature for B2B multi-tenancy.
- Wire up webhooks (optional).
Point a webhook at your backend to receive
user.created,user.updated, andorganizationMembership.*events and keep your database in sync.
FAQ
Is Clerk a CRM?
No. Clerk is an authentication and user-management platform — it handles sign-up, sign-in, profiles, organizations, and sessions, not sales pipelines, contacts, or deals. If you're looking for a true CRM, consider HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Attio. Clerk is the auth layer your app sits on top of, not the system that tracks your customers.
Is Clerk free?
Yes — Clerk has a permanent free tier covering up to 10,000 monthly active users with social logins, passkeys, MFA, and Organizations included. You only pay when you exceed that on a paid plan, which scales by MAU.
Does Clerk work with Next.js App Router?
Yes — App Router support is one of Clerk's flagship use cases. @clerk/nextjs integrates with Server Components, Server Actions, Route Handlers, and middleware for protecting routes, with first-class TypeScript types.
Can Clerk handle B2B multi-tenant apps?
This is its strongest use case. Clerk's Organizations feature ships roles, custom permissions, invitations, and per-tenant metadata. You can scope data by auth().orgId the same way you'd scope by userId.
How does Clerk compare to Auth0?
Clerk is faster to integrate, has a friendlier React/Next.js DX, and bundles Organizations at no extra cost. Auth0 has deeper enterprise features (SAML, SCIM, complex rules, legacy protocols) and is the safer pick for Fortune 500 procurement.
Is my user data secure with Clerk?
Clerk is SOC 2 Type II certified and follows industry-standard practices: bcrypt password hashing, encrypted-at-rest data, signed session tokens, and optional MFA. For HIPAA, BAA support, and deeper compliance, you'll need the Enterprise tier.
Can I migrate users into Clerk?
Yes. Clerk supports importing existing users with hashed passwords (bcrypt, argon2, etc.) via the importUsers backend API. Many teams migrate from Auth0, Firebase Auth, or a homegrown system in a single weekend.
Does Clerk support passkeys?
Yes — passkeys (WebAuthn) are first-class and can be enabled per-tenant from the dashboard, with no extra integration work for end users.
Final verdict
Clerk is the rare dev tool that actually delivers on the "drop-in" promise. The components look good, the docs are sharp, the App Router integration feels native, and the Organizations feature alone has saved countless B2B teams weeks of work. Pricing is fair, the free tier is generous, and the team ships meaningful updates (passkeys, native React Server Components support) on a steady cadence.
The two real caveats: (1) it's a managed service, so if your security policy demands on-prem identity, look elsewhere, and (2) deep enterprise edge cases (SAML at scale, custom compliance audits) are still Auth0's home turf.
For 95% of web teams shipping in 2026, Clerk is the smart default. Start on the free tier, ship the product, upgrade when you grow.
✓ Verified · 2026
Get started with Clerk — free up to 10K MAU
Sign up in under a minute, drop in the components, and have production-ready auth (including passkeys, MFA, and Organizations) running before lunch. No credit card required to start.
Get started with Clerk →Capabilities
- • Pre-built React, Next.js, Remix and Expo components
- • Hosted Sign In, Sign Up and User Profile widgets
- • Email, social, passkeys and SMS authentication
- • Multi-factor authentication with TOTP and backup codes
- • Organizations and roles for B2B apps
- • Webhooks, JWT templates and a typed Backend API
- • Edge-ready middleware for Next.js App Router
- • SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA-ready hosting
What's included
02
Ship multi-tenant from day one
Organizations, roles and invitations are baked in, so the team-based plan we always end up needing does not require a rebuild.
$280 value
03
Stay on the free tier longer
10,000 MAUs free covers most early-stage products through launch and into early revenue without hitting a paywall.
$279 value
04
Look professional immediately
The default UI components are clean enough to ship as is, so we focus our design time on the parts of the product users actually pay for.
$278 value
05
Stack credits
Bonus credits redeemable on partner tooling.
$299 value
06
Annual audit
We re-verify the offer every quarter so it never goes stale.
$298 value
How to claim
-
Click claim
Hit the button on this page — opens the partner site in a new tab.
-
Apply via your VC or accelerator
Check your investor or accelerator benefits portal for the Clerk partner code. Y Combinator, Sequoia, and most Tier 1 VCs have codes available.
-
Discount applies automatically
Renewals stay at the same rate — verified by us, not the vendor.
How Clerk stacks up
| Feature | Clerk | Auth0 | Supabase Auth | Firebase Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days | 30 days | — |
| Cheapest paid plan | $0/mo | $15/mo | $25/mo | $49/mo |
| Annual discount | Up to 25% | 10% | 15% | Negotiable |
| Refund window | 30 days | 14 days | 60 days | Pro-rated |
| Setup time | < 1 hour | 1 day | < 1 day | Concierge |
| Best for | Founders | SMB ops | Enterprise | Agencies |
What members say
“Modern alternative to Auth0 with better developer experience”
“Clerk Organizations made our B2B product possible”
“Auth in 30 minutes with beautiful UI components”
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Frequently asked
How does Clerk pricing work?
Clerk has a free plan with up to 10,000 monthly active users and basic features. The Pro plan starts at $25 per month and includes additional MAUs at $0.02 each, plus organization-level features. Add-ons like enhanced auth, SSO connections and bot protection are billed separately.
Clerk vs Auth0: which is better?
Clerk is the faster choice for a modern React or Next.js stack and a B2C or B2B SaaS where you control the frontend. Auth0 has more enterprise-grade SAML, SCIM and compliance options. Our team often picks Clerk for greenfield SaaS and migrates only if enterprise deals demand Auth0-specific features.
Does Clerk support passkeys and passwordless?
Yes. Passkeys, magic links, email codes and social providers can be combined into a single sign-in flow. The hosted components handle all the UI states by default.
Can we customize the look and feel?
Yes. Components accept a theme object, support full CSS overrides, and you can replace any flow with your own UI while still using Clerk hooks under the hood.
Does Clerk support multi-tenant B2B apps?
Yes. Organizations are a first-class concept with roles, invitations and per-organization branding. SSO connections are available on higher tiers for enterprise customers.
Is Clerk SOC 2 compliant?
Yes, Clerk is SOC 2 Type II audited and provides HIPAA-ready hosting on enterprise plans. Audit logs and data residency options are available depending on tier.