Is there a free alternative to Clerk?

Yes. The 3 free alternatives are Logto (open source, MPL-2.0), Better Auth (open source, MIT) and ZITADEL (open source, AGPL-3.0).

How much does Clerk cost?

Clerk's Pro plan costs $20 a month, which is $240 a year ($25/mo monthly or $20/mo billed annually (pricing table: "$25/mo, $20/mo billed annually"); 50,000 MRU included per app). Source: the official pricing page at clerk.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

Which Clerk alternatives run on Linux?

Logto (self-hosted server; web UI), Better Auth (self-hosted server; web UI) and ZITADEL (self-hosted server; web UI).

Can you self-host a Clerk alternative?

Yes. Logto, Better Auth and ZITADEL run on your own server.

Are these Clerk alternatives open source?

Yes. All 3 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Logto (MPL-2.0), Better Auth (MIT) and ZITADEL (AGPL-3.0).

Free alternatives to Clerk

Swap Clerk for Logto, Better Auth or ZITADEL and stop paying $240/yr.

3open source3run on Linux3self-hostable

Prices and project data checked Oct 17, 2026 · How we check

$240/yr Pro Verified on clerk.com, Oct 17, 2026

3 alternatives

Logto

Self-hosted server About Logto →

Replaces it Active Open source · MPL-2.0 Linux Self-hostable

logto-io/logto14.7k★last push Oct 17, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

Imports your data: users can be scripted in through the Management API; no one-click Clerk importer

Self-host

Runs on your own Linux server, with Docker files in the repo. Setup docs are on logto.io.

Better Auth

Self-hosted server About Better Auth →

Replaces it Active Open source · MIT Linux Self-hostable

better-auth/better-auth30.3k★last push Oct 17, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

A TypeScript library, not a hosted service: you build the sign-in UI and user admin screens yourself.

Imports your data: official Clerk migration guide and script (users, passwords, social accounts; not organizations)

Self-host

Runs on your own Linux server, with Docker files in the repo. Setup docs are on better-auth.com.

ZITADEL

Self-hosted server About ZITADEL →

Replaces it Active Open source · AGPL-3.0 Linux Self-hostable

zitadel/zitadel15.3k★last push Oct 16, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

Imports your data: user import API accepts existing password hashes; no one-click Clerk importer

Self-host

Runs on your own Linux server. Setup docs are on zitadel.com.

At a glance

Free alternatives to Clerk compared
Alternative	Verdict	License	Linux	AUR	Self-host	Stars
Logto	Replaces it	MPL-2.0 open source	Yes	—	Yes	14.7k★
Better Auth	Replaces it	MIT open source	Yes	—	Yes	30.3k★
ZITADEL	Replaces it	AGPL-3.0 open source	Yes	—	Yes	15.3k★

Clerk alternatives: questions

Is there a free alternative to Clerk?: Yes. The 3 free alternatives are Logto (open source, MPL-2.0), Better Auth (open source, MIT) and ZITADEL (open source, AGPL-3.0).
How much does Clerk cost?: Clerk's Pro plan costs $20 a month, which is $240 a year ($25/mo monthly or $20/mo billed annually (pricing table: "$25/mo, $20/mo billed annually"); 50,000 MRU included per app). Source: the official pricing page at clerk.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.
Which Clerk alternatives run on Linux?: Logto (self-hosted server; web UI), Better Auth (self-hosted server; web UI) and ZITADEL (self-hosted server; web UI).
Can you self-host a Clerk alternative?: Yes. Logto, Better Auth and ZITADEL run on your own server.
Are these Clerk alternatives open source?: Yes. All 3 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Logto (MPL-2.0), Better Auth (MIT) and ZITADEL (AGPL-3.0).

Built or know a better alternative to Clerk? Suggest it free, or get it featured on this page.

Developer Tools

More to cancel in Developer Tools

All Developer Tools →

3 alternatives

Logto ↗

Better Auth ↗

ZITADEL ↗

At a glance

Clerk alternatives: questions

More to cancel in Developer Tools

One cancellation a week.

Logto

Better Auth

ZITADEL