Clerk vs Auth0 vs Supabase Auth Pricing 2026 Compared

Clerk, Auth0, and Supabase Auth are the three authentication options a founder weighs when adding sign-in to a 2026 product. Their pricing structures are not comparable on sticker alone: each meters monthly active users (MAU) but includes wildly different amounts in its free and paid tiers, and one bundles auth into a larger platform. This article verifies the free ceilings, the paid per-MAU rates, and works the MAU math at three user counts so you can see where each becomes the cheapest.

1. The free tiers diverge sharply

The free-tier MAU ceiling is the first number that matters, because it sets how long you pay nothing. Verified against each provider's pricing page as of May 25, 2026.

Provider	Free MAU ceiling	What free includes
Clerk	50,000 MAU[1]	Unlimited apps, core auth, up to 3 dashboard seats
Auth0	25,000 MAU[2]	Core auth, B2C or B2B, no card required
Supabase Auth	50,000 MAU[3]	Auth bundled with database, storage, and APIs

Clerk and Supabase both let a product reach 50,000 monthly active users before charging a cent for auth. Auth0's free ceiling is half that at 25,000 MAU. For a pre-revenue product, that gap is real runway: a product growing through tens of thousands of users stays free twice as long on Clerk or Supabase as on Auth0. Supabase's free tier also bundles the database and storage, so the same free plan covers more of the stack than a standalone auth provider.

2. Paid plans and per-MAU pricing

Once you cross the free ceiling, the paid base price and per-MAU overage decide the bill. Verified as of May 25, 2026.

Provider	Paid base	Included MAU	Overage
Clerk Pro	$25/mo monthly ($20 annual)[1]	50,000[1]	$0.02/MAU (50,001–100,000), tiered lower above[1]
Auth0 B2C Essentials	from $35/mo[2]	500 (then $0.07/MAU)[2]	$0.07/MAU above 500 (~$700/mo at 10K MAU)[2]
Supabase Pro	$25/mo[3]	100,000[3]	$0.00325/MAU above 100K[4]

The structures are not alike. Clerk Pro and Supabase Pro both start at $25/month, but Supabase includes 100,000 MAU against Clerk's 50,000, and Supabase's overage of $0.00325/MAU is roughly six times cheaper per user than Clerk's $0.02. Auth0 B2C Essentials starts at $35/month but includes only 500 MAU and adds $0.07 per MAU above that, reaching about $700/month at 10,000 B2C MAU, with B2B Essentials starting at $150/month^[2]. Auth0's curve is the steepest of the three by a wide margin.

3. The MAU math at three user counts

Auth cost only, at three monthly-active-user counts, using each provider's documented base and overage:

MAU	Clerk	Auth0 (B2C Essentials)	Supabase
10,000	$0 (free)[1]	$700/mo[2]	$0 (free)[3]
50,000	$25/mo Pro (at the cap)[1]	~$3,500/mo on Essentials[2]	$25/mo Pro (well under cap)[3]
100,000	$25 + 50K × $0.02 ≈ $1,025/mo[1]	Enterprise tier (custom)[2]	$25/mo Pro (at the cap)[3]

The arithmetic is decisive. At 10,000 MAU, Clerk and Supabase are both free while Auth0 B2C Essentials is already $700/month. At 100,000 MAU, Supabase is still $25/month (right at its included ceiling), Clerk has climbed to roughly $1,025/month (its $25 base plus 50,000 overage MAU at $0.02 each), and Auth0 has moved into custom enterprise territory. Supabase Auth is the cheapest of the three across this entire range because of its large included allowance and tiny overage rate. Clerk is free and competitive up to its 50,000 ceiling but gets expensive on per-MAU overage past it. Fold the chosen auth line into your full monthly stack with the AI stack cost calculator.

4. Bundled vs standalone auth

Price is not the only axis. Supabase Auth is bundled into the Supabase platform: the same $25/month Pro plan that covers 100,000 auth MAU also includes the Postgres database, storage, and auto-generated APIs. If you are already using Supabase as your backend, auth is effectively free-riding on a plan you are paying for anyway.

Clerk and Auth0 are standalone identity products. That separation is a feature for some: Clerk ships polished pre-built sign-in components and user-management UI that are faster to integrate than rolling your own on Supabase, and Auth0 brings deep enterprise identity features (advanced SSO, fine-grained B2B organization controls, compliance certifications) that justify its price for companies selling to large customers. The decision is whether you want auth bundled into a backend platform (Supabase), a developer-friendly standalone with great components (Clerk), or enterprise-grade identity infrastructure (Auth0).

5. Decision guidance

• Cheapest to six figures of MAU: Supabase Auth. $25/month includes 100,000 MAU; overage is $0.00325/MAU.
• Already on Supabase for the database: use Supabase Auth. It is bundled into the plan you already pay for.
• Want pre-built auth UI and great DX, under 50,000 MAU: Clerk. Free to 50,000, then $25/month Pro.
• Selling to enterprises needing advanced SSO and B2B org controls: Auth0, accepting the steepest price curve for the deepest identity features.
• Watch the per-MAU overage: Clerk's $0.02/MAU adds up fast past 50,000; Supabase's $0.00325 does not.

Re-verify each pricing page before committing; MAU definitions and overage rates change. For the full early-stage backend picture, see the 2026 AI solopreneur stack and the month-one solo SaaS stack cost.

All pricing figures verified against official pricing pages as of 2026-05-25.

Frequently asked questions

Which auth provider is cheapest in 2026: Clerk, Auth0, or Supabase Auth?

For most solo and early-stage products, Supabase Auth is the cheapest because its $25/month Pro plan includes 100,000 monthly active users before any per-MAU charge, and auth is bundled with database and storage, verified on Supabase pricing as of May 2026. Clerk Pro is $25/month monthly with 50,000 MAU included then $0.02 per additional MAU, and Auth0 B2C Essentials starts at $35/month for only 500 MAU, scaling steeply with users. On user count alone, Supabase Auth is the lowest cost up to six figures of MAU; Auth0 is the most expensive of the three as users grow.

How big are the free tiers?

The free tiers diverge sharply. Clerk's free Hobby plan covers up to 50,000 monthly active users, Supabase's free plan also covers 50,000 MAU, and Auth0's free plan covers up to 25,000 MAU. So Clerk and Supabase both let a product reach 50,000 active users at zero auth cost, while Auth0's free ceiling is half that. For a pre-revenue product, that difference can mean staying free for far longer on Clerk or Supabase.

Is Auth0 more expensive than Clerk and Supabase?

Yes, materially, as users grow. Auth0 B2C Essentials starts at $35/month for 500 MAU and adds $0.07 per MAU above that, reaching about $700/month at 10,000 MAU; B2B plans start at $150/month. Clerk includes 50,000 MAU in its $25 Pro plan and Supabase includes 100,000 MAU in its $25 Pro plan, so both are dramatically cheaper at the same user count. Auth0's pricing reflects its enterprise-identity positioning rather than solo-founder economics.