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The best auth UX for Next.js and React apps
Overall score
90/100
Verdict
Excellent
Pricing
Free
Performance radar — Clerk
Score breakdown
Developer UX
SDK quality, documentation, and quickstart speed.
Source: RadarTrek research
Security
MFA, passkeys, breach detection, and compliance certs.
Source: RadarTrek research
Free Tier
Generosity of free plan — MAU limit and features included.
Source: RadarTrek research
Feature Set
Social login, SSO, magic links, passwordless support, roles.
Source: RadarTrek research
Performance
Token validation latency and uptime SLA.
Source: RadarTrek research
Support
Documentation quality and paid support options.
Source: RadarTrek research
Clerk provides pre-built auth UI components, user management, and organisation support out of the box. Best-in-class developer experience for React/Next.js. Free for up to 10,000 MAU.
In our independent evaluation across 6 scored dimensions, Clerk earns an overall score of 90/100 — a excellent result in the auth providers category. The platform is available including a permanently free tier, accessible to teams at any budget level. The score of 90 places it in the excellent tier of our auth providers rankings, where we assess tools on criteria that matter to builders: developer ux, security, free tier, and more.
Clerk scores highest on Developer UX (96/100) and Feature Set (90/100), placing it among the stronger performers in those areas within the auth providers category. The dimensions with the most room for improvement are Support (85/100) and Free Tier (85/100) — teams who weight these criteria most heavily should compare Clerk carefully against alternatives before committing. The free entry point makes it easy to validate Clerk before committing to a paid plan — a practical advantage when evaluating a new tool category. Our recommendation: Clerk is worth a serious evaluation for teams that prioritise developer ux — use the radar chart and dimension breakdown on this page to see at a glance whether its profile matches your priorities.
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Yes — Clerk is free to use with no trial period or credit card required. It offers a permanently free tier, though paid plans with higher limits or additional features are typically available. Check the official pricing page for current plan details.
Clerk scores highest on Developer UX in our independent assessment — 96/100, placing it among the stronger performers in this dimension within the auth providers category. SDK quality, documentation, and quickstart speed.. Teams who count developer ux as a primary criterion should put Clerk high on their evaluation list.
The lowest-scoring dimension for Clerk in our testing is Support (85/100). This does not make it the wrong choice — if support is not a priority for your use case, the gap is irrelevant. But teams who weight support most heavily should compare Clerk carefully against alternatives before committing, using the radar chart on this page to see the full profile at a glance.
Clerk earns an overall RadarTrek score of 90/100 — a excellent result in the auth providers category. Scores above 75 indicate a tool that performs well across most dimensions without a critical weakness. At 90/100, Clerk is a reliable choice for most teams evaluating this space. Scores are reviewed when significant updates are released, so the number reflects the current version of the product.
The best alternative to Clerk depends on which dimension matters most to you. Use the "Compare with" links in the sidebar to see a head-to-head radar chart against any specific competitor in the auth providers category. The main auth providers category page ranks all tools by overall score and lets you filter by dimension to find alternatives that lead on your priority criterion.
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Specs