Clerk vs WorkOS AuthKit
An honest, mathematical pricing and capability comparison for developers and engineering leaders.
What this comparison covers
Consumer email/social authentication for one application. No SMS, enterprise SSO, directory sync, custom email delivery or advanced security add-ons. Clerk bills retained users, not all active users. Enter that ratio explicitly.
Evaluating 2 products from 4 published in this category. USD monthly equivalents, before tax. Features and service compatibility need separate evaluation.
- Monthly active users
- 10,000 users / month
- Returning after the first day
- 60 % of active users
Clerk
Authentication priced by users who return after signup day.
$0 / month
Hobby
Official pricing · Checked 2026-10-05
Cost breakdown and exclusions
- Monthly subscription: $0
- Retained users return at least 24 hours after signup. Hobby has feature and dashboard-seat limits.
- SMS, enterprise SSO, directory synchronization, custom domains, custom email delivery and optional security add-ons.
WorkOS AuthKit
Consumer authentication with a large free active-user allowance.
$0 / month
AuthKit
Official pricing · Checked 2026-10-05
Cost breakdown and exclusions
- Monthly subscription: $0
- Additional active-user blocks (1,000,000 included): $0
- First 1 million monthly active users included. Additional capacity is sold per million users. Custom domain costs extra.
- SMS, enterprise SSO, directory synchronization, custom domains, custom email delivery and optional security add-ons.
Detailed Verdict: When to Choose Which
Based on sourced pricing models, included allowances, and the stated workload requirements.
Evidence for Clerk:
- Hobby: $0/month at this workload.
- Retained users return at least 24 hours after signup. Hobby has feature and dashboard-seat limits.
- Excluded: SMS, enterprise SSO, directory synchronization, custom domains, custom email delivery and optional security add-ons.
- Pricing observation: 2026-10-05.
Evidence for WorkOS AuthKit:
- AuthKit: $0/month at this workload.
- First 1 million monthly active users included. Additional capacity is sold per million users. Custom domain costs extra.
- Excluded: SMS, enterprise SSO, directory synchronization, custom domains, custom email delivery and optional security add-ons.
- Pricing observation: 2026-10-05.
Specification & Capability Matrix
Side-by-side comparison of baseline pricing, free allowances, supported developer capabilities, and verification dates.
| Feature / Metric | Clerk | WorkOS AuthKit | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selected plan | Hobby | AuthKit | Tied |
| Monthly cost at stated workload | $0/month | $0/month | Tied |
| Billing commitment | Monthly pricing model | Monthly pricing model | Tied |
| Enterprise SSO / SAMLSAML 2.0 and OIDC enterprise directory authentication. | Not confirmed on selected plan | Not confirmed on selected plan | Tied |
| Multi-factor authMFA support with TOTP, SMS, or passkeys. | Documented on selected plan | Documented on selected plan | Tied |
| Pricing observation date | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-05 | Tied |
Real-World Workload Scenarios
Compare estimated monthly costs across stated workload profiles before deploying.
B2B SaaS Core
High daily retention among active business seats
Consumer Web & Mobile
Large signup volume with typical consumer retention curves
Viral Launch
High surge of new signups evaluating the app
Interactive Workload Calculator
Slide to match your projected monthly volume and watch how each pricing model reacts.
Clerk vs WorkOS AuthKit FAQ
Direct answers to key technical, pricing, and migration questions.
Is Clerk cheaper than WorkOS AuthKit?
Clerk and WorkOS AuthKit have the same modeled cost of $0 per month at this workload.
What does this comparison cover?
Consumer email/social authentication for one application. No SMS, enterprise SSO, directory sync, custom email delivery or advanced security add-ons. Clerk bills retained users, not all active users. Enter that ratio explicitly. Estimates cover modeled fees at the stated usage. Review selected-plan warnings and exclusions; taxes, migration effort and unmodeled requirements are not a savings promise.
How is pricing freshness handled?
The displayed observation dates belong to the selected plans. Stale, future-dated, quote-only or otherwise ineligible estimates do not receive a price ranking. Consult the linked vendor sources before purchasing.