Compare Auth0 and Clerk free tiers side by side. Auth0 offers 25K MAU with enterprise-grade features, while Clerk focuses on developer experience with 50K monthly retained users and pre-built UI components.
Side-by-side comparison of free tiers, pricing changes, and stability. Catalogue dates here run to 2026-11-01.
Quick Verdict: Auth0 offers 25K MAU with enterprise-grade features, while Clerk focuses on developer experience with 50K monthly retained users and pre-built UI components. Auth0 wins on scale and configurability; Clerk wins on time-to-ship.
Identity platform — 25K MAU (B2C), unlimited logins, social + database connections, Universal Login, 1 Enterprise Connection, 5 Organizations, 1 Custom Domain. No credit card required
Using the Free plan's custom domain requires a valid credit card on file for verification and fraud prevention. Auth0 does not charge it. (From auth0.com/docs/customize/custom-domains, read 2026-10-08.)
Drop-in auth with 50K monthly retained users free, unlimited apps
Key Differences
Free tier: Auth0 gives 25K MAU (B2C), unlimited logins, and no credit card required. Clerk gives 50K monthly retained users — more users but different counting methodology (retained vs active).
DX focus: Clerk provides pre-built, customizable UI components (sign-in, sign-up, user profile) that work out of the box. Auth0 requires more configuration with Universal Login and Actions.
Growth cost: Clerk costs ~$1,800/month at 100K MAU. Auth0 is cheaper at scale with enterprise plans, but growth pricing is less transparent.
Enterprise features: Auth0 has deeper enterprise capabilities (RBAC, Organizations, Machine-to-Machine tokens, Actions for custom logic). Clerk is adding these but Auth0 has the head start.
Pricing Change History
Auth0
deprecatedeffective 2028-01-31medium impact
Auth0 keeps running. Auth0 Rules reach end of life on January 31, 2028, when they stop running and are removed. They have been read-only since November 18, 2024, and tenants created from October 16, 2023 never had them. Auth0 says to move to Actions. Source ↗
deprecatedeffective 2027-04-30medium impact
Auth0 keeps running. Auth0 Hooks reach end of life on April 30, 2027, when they stop running and are removed. They have been read-only since November 18, 2024, and tenants created from October 16, 2023 never had them. Auth0 says to move to Actions. Source ↗
increasedeffective 2024-09-24high impact
Auth0's Free plan went from 7,500 to 25,000 monthly active users, with unlimited social and Okta connections, Organizations, Passwordless authentication and a custom domain. Auth0 announced it on 2024-09-24, available that day. Source ↗
Clerk
No recorded pricing changes for Clerk.
Our Recommendation
Choose Auth0 if you need enterprise-grade auth with deep customization, RBAC, M2M tokens, or you're building a multi-tenant B2B application.
Choose Clerk if you want the fastest path to production auth with beautiful pre-built components, especially with Next.js or React.
Auth0 offers 25K MAU with enterprise-grade features, while Clerk focuses on developer experience with 50K monthly retained users and pre-built UI components. Auth0 wins on scale and configurability; Clerk wins on time-to-ship.
What is Auth0's free tier?
Auth0 offers a Free plan: Identity platform — 25K MAU (B2C), unlimited logins, social + database connections, Universal Login, 1 Enterprise Connection, 5 Organizations, 1 Custom Domain. No credit card required. Using the Free plan's custom domain requires a valid credit card on file for verification and fraud prevention. Auth0 does not charge it. (From https://auth0.com/docs/customize/custom-domains, read 2026-10-08.)
What is Clerk's free tier?
Clerk offers a Hobby plan: Drop-in auth with 50K monthly retained users free, unlimited apps
Should I choose Auth0 or Clerk?
Choose Auth0 if you need enterprise-grade auth with deep customization, RBAC, M2M tokens, or you're building a multi-tenant B2B application. Choose Clerk if you want the fastest path to production auth with beautiful pre-built components, especially with Next.js or React.