Auth & Backend · side by side
Clerk vs WorkOS
Compare Clerk, WorkOS 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
WorkOS
Clerk
Custom / not listed
Custom / unlisted usage pricing · 25K MAUs
WorkOS
$0 / mo
Pay as you go · 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 | WorkOS |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Clerk | WorkOS |
| Billing unit | MAUs | monthly active users |
| Plan at selected usage | Custom / unlisted usage pricing | Pay as you go |
| Monthly estimate | Custom / not listed | $0/mo |
| Workload | 25K MAUs | 50K monthly active users |
| Free access | 10,000 MAUs | 1M MAUs free (AuthKit) |
| Published plans | Hobby, Pro, Business, Enterprise | Pay as you go, Annual Credits |
| Prices checked | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-08 |
- Clerk
- Clerk
- WorkOS
- WorkOS
- Clerk
- MAUs
- WorkOS
- monthly active users
- Clerk
- Custom / unlisted usage pricing
- WorkOS
- Pay as you go
- Clerk
- Custom / not listed
- WorkOS
- $0/mo
- Clerk
- 25K MAUs
- WorkOS
- 50K monthly active users
- Clerk
- 10,000 MAUs
- WorkOS
- 1M MAUs free (AuthKit)
- Clerk
- Hobby, Pro, Business, Enterprise
- WorkOS
- Pay as you go, Annual Credits
- Clerk
- 2026-10-08
- WorkOS
- 2026-10-08
Auth & Backend monthly cost
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.
Which authentication & backend providers fit your needs?
WorkOS features & plan notes
- SSO + SCIM
- Admin portal
- Enterprise-ready
- Automatic volume discounts
- First 1 million active users free
- Deploy in minutes
- Dedicated Slack channel
- Transparent pricing
- Social Auth
- Email + Password
- Magic Auth
- Multi-Factor Auth (MFA)
- Email verification
- Organization auth policies
- Just-in-time (JIT) user provisioning
- Biometric / Passkey Auth
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- CLI Authentication
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