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Soft.xyz pulls data from public APIs including GitHub (stars, forks, commits, open issues, last commit date), npm (weekly download counts), and official pricing pages. Community sentiment data comes from Reddit and Hacker News mention tracking. All metrics are refreshed weekly and timestamped so you can see exactly when data was last updated.

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How many tools does Soft.xyz track?

Soft.xyz tracks 232 developer tools across 69 categories including databases, hosting, authentication, payments, analytics, CI/CD, monitoring, search, CMS, and more. Each tool page includes real-time GitHub metrics, npm download counts, pricing breakdowns, and side-by-side comparisons with alternatives in the same category.

What are the best Clerk alternatives in 2026?

The top alternatives to Clerk are Supabase Auth, Keycloak, Auth.js, Stack Auth, Better Auth, Hanko, Lucia. Each offers different trade-offs in pricing, developer experience, and lock-in risk.

Is there a free alternative to Clerk?

Several Clerk alternatives offer free tiers or self-hosted options: Supabase Auth (Free with Supabase), Auth.js (Free (DIY)), Stack Auth (Free (OSS)), Better Auth (Free (OSS)), Hanko (Free self-hosted), Lucia (Free (OSS)).

Best Clerk Alternatives

Reviewed byRoman K

7 alternatives to Clerk in Auth, compared by pricing, DX grade, security, and vendor lock-in.

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Currently using

Clerk

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Authentication and user management

Pricing: freemium, from $25/mo

Stars: 1.7k

Supabase Auth

Already on Supabase

Price vs Clerk

Free with Supabase

DX Grade

Security

Lock-in Risk

Low (2/10)

Keycloak

Enterprise SSO, LDAP, full control

Price vs Clerk

$10/mo VPS

DX Grade

Security

Lock-in Risk

Low (1/10)

Auth.js

Next.js, simple social login

Price vs Clerk

Free (DIY)

DX Grade

Security

Lock-in Risk

Low (1/10)

Stack Auth

Open source, self-hosted, no MAU pricing

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Price vs Clerk

Free (OSS)

DX Grade

Security

Lock-in Risk

Low (1/10)

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Better Auth

Framework-agnostic, TypeScript-first, lightweight

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Price vs Clerk

Free (OSS)

DX Grade

Security

Lock-in Risk

Low (1/10)

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Hanko

Passkey-first auth, WebAuthn by default

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Price vs Clerk

Free self-hosted

DX Grade

Security

Lock-in Risk

Low (1/10)

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Lucia

Minimal auth library, full control, no vendor

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Price vs Clerk

Free (OSS)

DX Grade

Security

Lock-in Risk

Low (1/10)

Compare Clerk vs Lucia side-by-side →

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