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Clerk vs Supabase
Side-by-side comparison of Clerk and Supabase.
Quick summary
Clerk — Authentication and user management. Clerk provides drop-in authentication, user management, and organizations with pre-built UI components.
Supabase — The open source Firebase alternative. Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service built on PostgreSQL. It provides authentication, realtime subscriptions, storage, edge functions, and a hosted database.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Clerk | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $25/mo | $25/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| MFA | Yes | — |
| SAML/SSO | Yes | — |
| Free Tier | 10k MAU | 500MB DB + 1GB storage |
| Self-hosted | No | Yes |
| Pre-built UI | Yes | — |
| Social Login | Yes | — |
| Organizations | Yes | — |
| Auth | — | Yes |
| Storage | — | Yes |
| Database | — | PostgreSQL |
| Realtime | — | Yes |
| Edge Functions | — | Yes |
| Row Level Security | — | Yes |
Clerk
Authentication and user management
Pros
- Beautiful pre-built components
- Organizations and B2B features
- Great Next.js integration
Cons
- Vendor lock-in on auth layer
- Gets expensive at scale
Supabase
The open source Firebase alternative
Pros
- Open source and self-hostable
- Standard PostgreSQL — no vendor lock-in
- Generous free tier
- Great DX with auto-generated APIs
Cons
- Cold starts on free tier
- Edge function ecosystem still maturing
Which should you choose?
Choose Clerk if a free tier is important for your stage. Choose Supabase if you value open source and want the option to self-host, and a free tier is important for your stage.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Clerk or Supabase?
There is no universal “better.” For most teams, Supabase is the safer default because Supabase is open source, which means you can self-host and avoid vendor lock-in. Clerk is proprietary. For edge cases, the comparison table above highlights where each tool wins.
Is Clerk cheaper than Supabase?
Clerk starts at $25/mo, while Supabase starts at $25/mo. Exact costs depend on usage — check both vendors' calculators before committing.
Can I migrate from Clerk to Supabase?
Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Clerk-specific features (APIs, SDK conventions, data schemas) are baked into your app. Most authentication migrations take days to weeks. Both vendors typically publish migration guides — check their docs.
Is Clerk or Supabase open source?
Supabase is open source; Clerk is a proprietary managed service.
Does Clerk or Supabase have a free tier?
Both Clerk and Supabase offer a free tier.
Which is best for startups and indie hackers?
Startups usually optimize for the lowest friction to ship and the cheapest possible free tier. The one with the most generous free tier here is Supabase. For production workloads, revisit the trade-offs in the feature table above.