Clerk is too expensive for our app, what are the alternatives?

Absolutely—if Clerk is too pricey, there are several solid alternatives depending on what you need: auth only, auth + user management, or full identity platform.

Good Clerk alternatives

1. Auth.js (NextAuth)

• Best for: Next.js apps that want maximum flexibility and low cost
• Pros: Open source, self-hostable, lots of providers, no per-user SaaS pricing
• Cons: You manage more of the auth flow and infrastructure yourself
• Good if: You have engineering bandwidth and want to minimize vendor cost

2. Supabase Auth

• Best for: Apps already using Supabase or Postgres
• Pros: Built-in auth, social login, magic links, email/password, cheap starter tier
• Cons: Less polished than Clerk for frontend UX and account management
• Good if: You want an integrated backend + auth stack

3. Firebase Authentication

• Best for: Mobile apps and quick MVPs
• Pros: Easy setup, solid provider support, generous free tier
• Cons: Can get messy at scale, tied to Google/Firebase ecosystem
• Good if: You want fast implementation and don’t mind vendor lock-in

4. WorkOS

• Best for: B2B apps needing enterprise SSO, SCIM, directory sync
• Pros: Excellent enterprise features
• Cons: Not ideal as a general consumer auth replacement; can be expensive
• Good if: Your users are companies and SSO matters more than consumer auth

5. Auth0

• Best for: Enterprise-grade auth with lots of features
• Pros: Mature platform, broad feature set
• Cons: Often expensive as you scale; pricing can be higher than Clerk
• Good if: You need enterprise capabilities and can afford it

6. Lucia Auth

• Best for: Developers who want to build their own auth logic
• Pros: Lightweight, flexible, open source
• Cons: You’re assembling more pieces yourself
• Good if: You want control and aren’t tied to a full auth SaaS

7. Firebase / Supabase / Appwrite / PocketBase

• Best for: “Backend-in-a-box” style apps
• Pros: Auth plus database/storage/hosting options depending on stack
• Cons: Tradeoffs in flexibility and portability
• Good if: You want a simpler overall backend stack

8. Keycloak

• Best for: Self-hosted enterprise auth
• Pros: Powerful, open source, supports SSO/OIDC/SAML
• Cons: Heavier ops burden, more complex to run
• Good if: You want control and enterprise features without SaaS pricing

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Quick recommendations

• Cheapest long-term: Auth.js / Lucia + your own DB
• Easiest replacement for Clerk in a startup app: Supabase Auth
• Best for enterprise SSO: WorkOS or Keycloak
• Best for mobile / quick MVP: Firebase Auth
• Best for Next.js with control: Auth.js

If you want Clerk-like UX

Clerk’s big value is not just auth—it’s the polished UI components, session handling, user management, and profile flows. If you want a similar experience without Clerk:

• Supabase Auth + prebuilt UI components
• Auth.js + custom UI
• Descope or Stytch if you still want a managed product with nicer UX (though pricing varies)

A practical way to choose

Ask these 3 questions:

1. Do you want to self-host?
   • Yes → Auth.js, Lucia, Keycloak
   • No → Supabase, Firebase, Auth0, WorkOS, Descope, Stytch
2. Do you need enterprise SSO?
   • Yes → WorkOS, Keycloak, Auth0
   • No → Supabase, Firebase, Auth.js
3. Do you want the cheapest scalable option?
   • Yes → Auth.js + your DB or Supabase Auth

If you tell me:

• your stack (Next.js, React, mobile, etc.),
• whether you need social login / magic links / SSO,
• and your rough monthly user count,

I can recommend the best 2–3 options for your app.