Auth & Backend · side by side
Clerk vs Descope
Compare Clerk, Descope 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
Descope
50K
Clerk
Custom / not listed
Custom / unlisted usage pricing · 25K MAUs
Descope
$2,049 / mo
Growth · 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 | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Clerk | Descope |
| Billing unit | MAUs | monthly active users |
| Plan at selected usage | Custom / unlisted usage pricing | Growth |
| Monthly estimate | Custom / not listed | $2,049/mo |
| Workload | 25K MAUs | 50K monthly active users |
| Free access | 10,000 MAUs | 7.5K MAUs |
| Published plans | Hobby, Pro, Business, Enterprise | Free Forever, Pro, Growth, Enterprise |
| Prices checked | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-08 |
Provider
- Clerk
- Clerk
- Descope
- Descope
Billing unit
- Clerk
- MAUs
- Descope
- monthly active users
Plan at selected usage
- Clerk
- Custom / unlisted usage pricing
- Descope
- Growth
Monthly estimate
- Clerk
- Custom / not listed
- Descope
- $2,049/mo
Workload
- Clerk
- 25K MAUs
- Descope
- 50K monthly active users
Free access
- Clerk
- 10,000 MAUs
- Descope
- 7.5K MAUs
Published plans
- Clerk
- Hobby, Pro, Business, Enterprise
- Descope
- Free Forever, Pro, Growth, Enterprise
Prices checked
- Clerk
- 2026-10-08
- Descope
- 2026-10-08
Auth & Backend monthly cost
Clerk: Not pricedDescope: $2,049
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 | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| Social login | Not listed | |
| Bot protection | Not listed | |
| Base monthly price | Not listed | $799 |
| MAUs included / Additional MAU fee | Not listed | 25,000 ($0.05 additional) |
| Tenants included / Additional tenant fee | Not listed | 100 ($1 additional) |
| SSO connections included / Additional SSO conn. fee | Not listed | 10 ($50 additional) |
| Federated apps included | Not listed | Unlimited (SAML / OIDC) |
| M2M exchanges included / Additional M2M exchange fee | Not listed | 100,000 ($2 per 1000 exchanges) |
| Test users included | Not listed | 500 |
| MACs included / Additional MAC fee | Not listed | 10,000 ($0.05 additional) |
| MATKs included / Additional MATK fee | Not listed | 10,000 ($0.05 additional) |
| Biometrics / Passkeys | Not listed | |
| Email Magic Links | Not listed | |
| Email OTP | Not listed | |
| Authenticator Apps | Not listed | |
| SMS / voice call delivery with Descope | Not listed | Up to 100 per month |
| SMS / voice calls with your connector | Not listed | Unlimited |
| Email delivery with Descope | Not listed | Up to 10,000 per day |
| Email delivery with your connector | Not listed | Unlimited |
| Google One Tap | Not listed | |
| SAML / OIDC SSO | Not listed | Up to 10 connections (Add-on available) |
| Custom OIDC Provider | Not listed | |
| Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) | Not listed | |
| Fine-Grained Authorization (FGA) | Not listed | |
| User Provisioning (SCIM) | Not listed | |
| SSO Setup Suite - Widgets | Not listed | |
| SSO Setup Suite - Admin Portal | Not listed | |
| Localization | Not listed | |
| Audit Interface | Not listed | Descope UI + external connectors |
| Audit Retention | Not listed | 1 month (Add-on available) |
| Anonymous Users | Not listed | 1M |
| SSO Migration | Not listed | |
| Secure Session Management | Not listed | |
| Adaptive MFA | Not listed | |
| Step-up Authentication | Not listed | |
| Bot Protection | Not listed | |
| Custom Domain | Not listed | |
| SOC 2 Reports | Not listed | |
| HIPAA BAA | Not listed | |
| Scriptlets | Not listed | |
| Connectors | Not listed | |
| CI / CD Integration | Not listed | Up to 10 Projects |
| Multi-Region Deployments | Not listed |
Social login
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Bot protection
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Base monthly price
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- $799
MAUs included / Additional MAU fee
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 25,000 ($0.05 additional)
Tenants included / Additional tenant fee
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 100 ($1 additional)
SSO connections included / Additional SSO conn. fee
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 10 ($50 additional)
Federated apps included
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- Unlimited (SAML / OIDC)
M2M exchanges included / Additional M2M exchange fee
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 100,000 ($2 per 1000 exchanges)
Test users included
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 500
MACs included / Additional MAC fee
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 10,000 ($0.05 additional)
MATKs included / Additional MATK fee
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 10,000 ($0.05 additional)
Biometrics / Passkeys
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Email Magic Links
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Email OTP
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Authenticator Apps
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
SMS / voice call delivery with Descope
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- Up to 100 per month
SMS / voice calls with your connector
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- Unlimited
Email delivery with Descope
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- Up to 10,000 per day
Email delivery with your connector
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- Unlimited
Google One Tap
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
SAML / OIDC SSO
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- Up to 10 connections (Add-on available)
Custom OIDC Provider
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Fine-Grained Authorization (FGA)
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
User Provisioning (SCIM)
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
SSO Setup Suite - Widgets
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
SSO Setup Suite - Admin Portal
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Localization
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Audit Interface
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- Descope UI + external connectors
Audit Retention
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 1 month (Add-on available)
Anonymous Users
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- 1M
SSO Migration
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Secure Session Management
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Adaptive MFA
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Step-up Authentication
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Bot Protection
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Custom Domain
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
SOC 2 Reports
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
HIPAA BAA
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Scriptlets
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
Connectors
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
CI / CD Integration
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
- Up to 10 Projects
Multi-Region Deployments
- Clerk
- Not listed
- Descope
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Which authentication & backend providers fit your needs?
Descope features & plan notes
- No-code flows
- Passwordless
- B2B SSO
- 25,000 Monthly active users (MAUs)
- 100 Monthly active tenants
- 10 SSO connections
- Unlimited Federated apps (SAML / OIDC)
- 500 Test users
- 100,000 M2M exchanges
- 10,000 Monthly active consents (MACs)
- 10,000 Monthly active tokens (MATKs)
- Everything in Pro, plus:
- Bot protection
- 1M Anonymous users
- Zero-downtime SSO migration
- SCIM provisioning
- Admin Portal
- Fine-grained authorization
- External audit connectors
- Multi-region data residency
- HIPAA BAA
- FedRAMP High 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