Ory vs. Clerk
Ory
Ory is an API-first identity manager. They offer authentication, analytics, access control, machine-to-machine authentication and more. They have SDKs for the major languages: - Dart - .NET - Elixir - Go - Java - JavaScript - PHP - Python - Ruby - Rust Unfortunately, they don't offer a free tier. Pricing starts at $29/month and includes 1,000 daily active users. Then it's $30 / 1,000 additional DAUs.
Clerk
Clerk is a comprehensive user management and authentication platform designed to streamline how developers handle user accounts within web and mobile applications. It offers a suite of embeddable UI components—such as <SignIn/>, <SignUp/>, <UserButton/>, and <UserProfile/>—that integrate seamlessly into your application without redirecting users off-site. These components are fully customizable to match your brand, making the user experience cohesive and frictionless. Under the hood, Clerk provides a robust API and SDKs compatible with modern frameworks like Next.js, Remix, React, and Expo. It handles the entire authentication lifecycle, supporting multifactor authentication (MFA), session management, passwordless sign-in (via magic links or one-time passcodes), and traditional password-based methods with breach detection. The platform also integrates social sign-on (SSO) with over 20 providers, enabling quick user onboarding while adhering to security best practices. Clerk’s securit...
Reviews
Reviews
Reviewed on 2/25/2025
Clerk is a comprehensive authentication and user management platform. It comes with embeddable UIs, APIs and admin dashboards for user management. Clerk offers official SDKs for Next.js, React, JavaScript, Node.js, Remix, Go, Gatsby, and Ruby / Rails. There are many more community SDKs for other frameworks and languages. They have a free tier of 10,000 MAUs and a $25/month Pro tier with $0.02/MAU. Enhanced authentication, with SMS auth, device tracking and revocation, simultaneous sessions and SAML authentication costs additional $100/month. Admin add-on, with user impersonation and enhanced roles is another $100/month.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Ory and Clerk offer different strengths for user authentication. Ory is an API-first identity manager that supports a wide range of programming languages but does not offer a free tier, starting at $29/month for 1,000 daily active users (DAUs). Clerk, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive authentication and user management platform with embeddable UIs, APIs, and admin dashboards. Clerk offers a free tier of up to 10,000 monthly active users (MAUs) and a Pro tier at $25/month with additional costs for enhanced features. If cost and a free tier are important, Clerk might be the better option. However, if you need support for a wide range of programming languages and advanced authentication features, Ory could be more suitable.
Clerk is generally more cost-effective than Ory, especially for smaller-scale applications. Clerk offers a free tier that supports up to 10,000 monthly active users (MAUs), whereas Ory does not provide a free tier and starts at $29/month for 1,000 daily active users (DAUs). Clerk's Pro tier is priced at $25/month with additional costs for enhanced features, making it a more economical choice for many users. Ory, however, might be worth the investment for its extensive language support and advanced features if those meet your specific needs.
Ory has broader SDK support compared to Clerk. Ory provides official SDKs for a wide range of programming languages including Dart, .NET, Elixir, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Rust. Clerk offers official SDKs for Next.js, React, JavaScript, Node.js, Remix, Go, Gatsby, and Ruby/Rails, along with many community SDKs for other frameworks and languages. If you are working with less common programming languages, Ory might offer more extensive support.
Both Ory and Clerk offer advanced features, but they cater to different needs. Ory is focused on API-first identity management, providing authentication, analytics, access control, and machine-to-machine authentication. Clerk provides a comprehensive user management platform with embeddable UIs, APIs, and admin dashboards. Clerk also offers enhanced authentication features such as SMS authentication, device tracking and revocation, simultaneous sessions, and SAML authentication for an additional cost. Admin features like user impersonation and enhanced roles are also available. Depending on your specific requirements, either platform could be considered more advanced.
Ory is an API-first identity manager that offers services such as authentication, analytics, access control, and machine-to-machine authentication. It supports several programming languages with SDKs, including Dart, .NET, Elixir, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Rust.
Ory supports a wide range of programming languages with its SDKs, including Dart, .NET, Elixir, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Rust.
Ory does not offer a free tier. The pricing starts at $29 per month, which includes 1,000 daily active users (DAUs). For each additional 1,000 DAUs, it costs $30.
Ory provides a variety of services including authentication, analytics, access control, and machine-to-machine authentication.
Clerk is a comprehensive user management and authentication platform designed to streamline how developers handle user accounts within web and mobile applications. It offers a suite of embeddable UI components, such as <SignIn/>, <SignUp/>, <UserButton/>, and <UserProfile/>, that integrate seamlessly into applications without redirecting users off-site. Clerk also provides a robust API and SDKs compatible with modern frameworks like Next.js, Remix, React, and Expo.
Clerk includes features such as multifactor authentication (MFA), session management, passwordless sign-in, traditional password-based methods with breach detection, and social sign-on (SSO) with over 20 providers. It also offers advanced multi-tenancy features for B2B SaaS applications, allowing organization-based user management with custom roles and permissions.
Pros of Clerk include its comprehensive suite of embeddable UI components, robust API, and strong security features such as SOC 2 Type 2 certification and CCPA compliance. It also offers a free tier for up to 10,000 monthly active users, making it a scalable solution. However, some cons include the additional costs for enhanced authentication features and admin add-ons, which can add up for larger applications.
Clerk has a strong security posture that includes SOC 2 Type 2 certification and CCPA compliance. It undergoes continuous third-party audits and penetration testing. Additionally, Clerk incorporates fraud prevention measures such as disposable email blocking and machine learning-powered bot detection to reduce spam and abusive sign-ups.
Clerk offers a free tier for up to 10,000 monthly active users. For additional features, there is a Pro tier priced at $25 per month with a cost of $0.02 per additional monthly active user. Enhanced authentication features and admin add-ons are available for an additional $100 per month each.
