Auth & Identity
Clerk vs WorkOS
Side by side
- Pricing model
- ClerkHybrid
- WorkOSFlat rate
- Starting price
- ClerkFreemium
- WorkOS$125/connection/mo
- Free tier
- ClerkYes
- WorkOSYes — AuthKit free to 1M MAU; SSO free for first connections
- Availability
- ClerkGenerally available
- WorkOSGenerally available
- Last checked
- ClerkOct 12, 2026
- WorkOSOct 12, 2026
| Fact | Clerk | WorkOS |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hybrid | Flat rate |
| Starting price | Freemium | $125/connection/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes — AuthKit free to 1M MAU; SSO free for first connections |
| Availability | Generally available | Generally available |
| Last checked | Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 12, 2026 |
When each one fits
Choose Clerk when…
Next.js and React developers who need auth, user management, and organization features with minimal setup
Look past Clerk if…
Teams that need fully self-hosted auth or already have mature auth infrastructure
Clerk strengths
Pre-built UI components
Multi-factor auth
Organization management
Social login
SAML SSO
Webhooks
Choose WorkOS when…
B2B SaaS selling to enterprises
SSO/SCIM/audit logs out of the box
Teams needing SAML fast
Drop-in enterprise connections
WorkOS strengths
Purpose-built for enterprise SSO/SCIM
Fast path to enterprise-ready
Generous AuthKit free tier
Trade-offs
Known weaknesses from each tool’s record. Sourced ones link to where they came from.
Clerk
The Hobby plan restricts session lifetime to a fixed 7 days, preventing customization for security or UX requirements.
The Hobby plan limits application logs to 1 day of retention, hindering debugging and audit capabilities.
The Hobby plan restricts user impersonation to 5 per month, limiting developer testing and support workflows.
The B2B Authentication add-on limits organizations to 20 members by default, requiring an additional paid tier for larger teams.
WorkOS
SSO and Directory Sync costs scale linearly with the number of enterprise connections, becoming expensive for large customer bases.
Audit Log storage and streaming incur additional per-unit costs beyond the base service.