Facts read November 6, 2026
Clerk vs Supabase Auth
Clerk is Cuely's default auth pick when your description doesn't favor either one: fastest to a polished sign-in, with drop-in UI components. Pick Supabase Auth if you care most about fewer vendors.
Side by side
| Fact | Clerk | Supabase Auth |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Hosted auth with prebuilt UI components and organizations. | Auth bundled with Supabase Postgres, with row-level security integration. |
| Free plan | Hobby: 50,000 monthly retained users per app, 100 monthly retained organizations (up to 20 members each); no MFA, passkeys or SSO. | Free: 50,000 monthly active users with social OAuth; no SAML SSO or phone MFA. |
| Paid from | Pro: $20/month billed annually ($25 monthly), 50,000 MRU included, then $0.02 per MRU. | Pro: from $25/month, includes 100,000 MAU, then $0.00325 per MAU. |
| At 1,000 users | $0/month | $0/month |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes |
| Best for | Fast setup with prebuilt sign-in UI; Next.js and React apps; Consumer and prosumer apps | Apps already on Supabase; Row-level security keyed to the signed-in user |
| Watch out | The free plan excludes MFA, passkeys and SSO. B2B features beyond the basics (custom roles, domain restrictions) are a $100/month add-on. | Free projects pause after a week of inactivity. SAML SSO needs Pro; phone MFA is a $75/month add-on. |
Where they differ
The published scores, from −3 to +3, that decide which one Cuely picks for each need.
| Need | Clerk | Supabase Auth |
|---|---|---|
| Next.js or React | +3 First-class Next.js SDK with prebuilt components. | 0 No particular strength here. |
| fewer vendors | 0 No particular strength here. | +3 Same vendor and database as Supabase Postgres. |
| prefers open source or self-hosting | 0 No particular strength here. | +2 Open source and self-hostable with the rest of Supabase. |
| native iOS or Android app | +1 Has an Expo SDK for React Native apps. | +2 Works from the Supabase React Native client, including Sign in with Apple. |
| sells to businesses (organizations, roles, SSO) | +1 Organizations on all plans; SSO and advanced B2B features cost extra. | 0 SAML SSO is available on Pro; organizations you model yourself. |
Sources: Clerk pricing (read November 6, 2026), Supabase Auth pricing (read November 6, 2026). No vendor pays for placement.