Auth & Backend · side by side
Clerk vs Amazon Cognito
Compare Clerk, Amazon Cognito by active-user allowances, social login, MFA, SSO, organizations and audit logs.
Auth & Backend pricing calculator
These providers bill in different units. Each estimate uses its own workload; there is no same-volume price winner.
Clerk
25K
Amazon Cognito
50K
Clerk
Custom / not listed
Custom / unlisted usage pricing · 25K MAUs
Amazon Cognito
$220 / mo
Lite · 50K monthly active users
Listed USD plan fees and tracked usage only. Unlisted compute, transfer, extras, taxes and contract terms are excluded. Custom or unsupported plan usage is not estimated.
Auth & Backend overview & pricing
| Auth & Backend | Clerk | Amazon Cognito |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Clerk | Amazon Web Services |
| Billing unit | MAUs | monthly active users |
| Plan at selected usage | Custom / unlisted usage pricing | Lite |
| Monthly estimate | Custom / not listed | $220/mo |
| Workload | 25K MAUs | 50K monthly active users |
| Free access | 10,000 MAUs | 10K MAUs |
| Published plans | Hobby, Pro, Business, Enterprise | Lite, Essentials, Plus |
| Prices checked | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-08 |
Provider
- Clerk
- Clerk
- Amazon Cognito
- Amazon Web Services
Billing unit
- Clerk
- MAUs
- Amazon Cognito
- monthly active users
Plan at selected usage
- Clerk
- Custom / unlisted usage pricing
- Amazon Cognito
- Lite
Monthly estimate
- Clerk
- Custom / not listed
- Amazon Cognito
- $220/mo
Workload
- Clerk
- 25K MAUs
- Amazon Cognito
- 50K monthly active users
Free access
- Clerk
- 10,000 MAUs
- Amazon Cognito
- 10K MAUs
Published plans
- Clerk
- Hobby, Pro, Business, Enterprise
- Amazon Cognito
- Lite, Essentials, Plus
Prices checked
- Clerk
- 2026-10-08
- Amazon Cognito
- 2026-10-08
Auth & Backend monthly cost
Clerk: Not pricedAmazon Cognito: $220
Different workloads, separate estimates
Check how each provider defines an active user and separates consumer identity from enterprise organizations. SAML, MFA, custom domains and audit logs can be gated behind higher plans. A backend platform can also charge separately for storage, functions and traffic.
Auth & Backend feature comparison
| Auth & Backend | Clerk | Amazon Cognito |
|---|---|---|
| 40 million users or more | Not listed | |
| Sign-in with social, SAML, or OIDC providers | Not listed | |
| Sign-in with username and password | Not listed | |
| MFA with authenticator apps and SMS one-time codes | Not listed | |
| Custom runtime action with Lambda triggers | Not listed | |
| Customize managed login page with CSS | Not listed | |
| 99.9% service level agreement | Not listed | |
| Customize managed login page with visual editor | Not listed | |
| MFA with email one-time codes | Not listed | |
| Passwordless sign-in with one-time codes | Not listed | |
| Passkeys sign-in with biometrics and hardware keys | Not listed | |
| Prevent reuse of previous passwords | Not listed | |
| Customize access token scopes and claims at runtime | Not listed | |
| Support for refresh token rotation | Not listed | |
| Protect against malicious sign-in attempts | Not listed | |
| Log and analyze threat profiles and user activity | Not listed | |
| Risk-based adaptive authentication | Not listed | |
| Compromised credentials detection to protect against unsafe passwords | Not listed | |
| Export threat profiles and user activity | Not listed | |
| Multi-Region replication | Not listed | |
| Machine-to-machine authorization | Not listed | Add-on |
| Higher API RPS quota | Not listed | Add-on |
40 million users or more
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Sign-in with social, SAML, or OIDC providers
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Sign-in with username and password
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
MFA with authenticator apps and SMS one-time codes
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Custom runtime action with Lambda triggers
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Customize managed login page with CSS
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
99.9% service level agreement
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Customize managed login page with visual editor
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
MFA with email one-time codes
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Passwordless sign-in with one-time codes
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Passkeys sign-in with biometrics and hardware keys
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Prevent reuse of previous passwords
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Customize access token scopes and claims at runtime
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Support for refresh token rotation
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Protect against malicious sign-in attempts
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Log and analyze threat profiles and user activity
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Risk-based adaptive authentication
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Compromised credentials detection to protect against unsafe passwords
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Export threat profiles and user activity
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Multi-Region replication
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
Machine-to-machine authorization
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
- Add-on
Higher API RPS quota
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Amazon Cognito
- Add-on
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Which authentication & backend providers fit your needs?
Amazon Cognito features & plan notes
- AWS native
- Pay per MAU
- User pools
- 40 million users or more
- Sign-in with social, SAML, or OIDC providers
- Sign-in with username and password
- MFA with authenticator apps and SMS one-time codes
- Custom runtime action with Lambda triggers
- Customize managed login page with CSS
- 99.9% service level agreement
- Free tier of 10,000 MAUs per month (direct/social sign-in)
- Free tier of 50 MAUs per month for SAML/OIDC federation
- Available Advanced Security Features (ASF) add-on
How to compare authentication & backend providers
Check how each provider defines an active user and separates consumer identity from enterprise organizations. SAML, MFA, custom domains and audit logs can be gated behind higher plans. A backend platform can also charge separately for storage, functions and traffic.
Browse Auth & Backend pricing