Clerk is a proprietary, cloud-hosted authentication platform with prebuilt UI components, built-in billing integration, and a free tier up to 50,000 MAU, with…
Best for Clerk: Teams building consumer or B2B SaaS apps on Next.js/React that want fast drop-in UI components plus native subscription billing tied to accounts are well suited to Clerk.
Best for Logto: Teams that want the option to self-host identity infrastructure, need enterprise SSO without per-connection add-on fees, or want to add auth in front of an existing app without SDK changes are better served by Logto.
At a Glance
Clerk
Logto
Primary category
Security
Security
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Freemium / Open Source
Starting price
Free
Free
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web, iOS, Android
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Yes
Key Differences
Open Source & Self-Hosting
Clerk: Clerk is a proprietary, cloud-hosted platform with no self-hosting option documented.
Logto: Logto is open source, with full source available and a self-hosting option (including a dedicated Logto Private Cloud offering) instead of using the managed cloud.
Self-hosting matters for teams with data residency, compliance, or infrastructure-control requirements.
Enterprise SSO Pricing
Clerk: Clerk charges $75/month per enterprise SSO connection added on top of its $25/month Pro plan.
Logto: Logto includes SAML and OIDC-based enterprise SSO directly in its flat $24/month Pro plan, with no per-connection add-on fee documented.
Per-connection billing can scale costs quickly for B2B apps serving many enterprise customers, while flat-plan inclusion keeps costs predictable.
Free Tier Structure
Clerk: Clerk's Hobby plan is free for up to 50,000 monthly active users and 100 organizations, with the Pro plan billing $0.02/month per MRU beyond the included 50,000.
Logto: Logto's Free plan supports up to 50,000 monthly active users with no credit card required, but its Pro plan moves to unlimited MAU for a flat $24/month with per-token overage billing ($0.08 per 100 extra tokens).
Both offer comparable free MAU ceilings, but the paid-tier cost structures diverge: usage-based overage per MRU versus a flat unlimited-MAU price with token-based overage.
No-Code Auth Embedding
Clerk: Clerk requires SDK or component integration (prebuilt UI components) rather than offering a no-code proxy layer.
Logto: Logto's Protected App feature lets teams add authentication in front of an existing app without SDK integration.
A no-code proxy option can add authentication to legacy or third-party apps that can't easily be modified to add an SDK.
Built-In Billing
Clerk: Clerk includes native subscription management and plan-based content gating tied directly to user accounts.
Logto: Logto does not document a billing or subscription management feature.
Combining billing and identity in one platform can reduce integration work for SaaS products with paid tiers.
Feature-by-Feature
Pricing & Free Tier
Feature
Clerk
Logto
Free plan MAU limit
Available
Available
Entry paid plan price
Available
Available
Enterprise SSO included in entry paid plan
Unavailable
Available
Authentication & Multi-Tenancy
Feature
Clerk
Logto
B2B organizations / multi-tenancy
Available
Available
Multi-factor authentication
Available
Available
Built-in billing/subscription management
Available
Not documented
Machine-to-machine authentication
Not documented
Available
Deployment & Extensibility
Feature
Clerk
Logto
Self-hosting option
Unavailable
Available
No-code auth proxy (add auth without SDK)
Unavailable
Available
Framework/SDK breadth
Available
Available
Webhooks
Not documented
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Clerk
Hobby — Free N/A
Pro — $25/month ($20/month annually) monthly or annual
Business — $300/month ($250/month annually) monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom annual
Logto
Free — $0/month N/A
Pro — $24/month Monthly
Enterprise — Custom (contact sales) Custom
Pros & Cons
Clerk
Pros
Free Hobby tier supports up to 50,000 monthly retained users with no credit card
Enterprise SSO/SAML/OIDC included on all paid tiers, not gated to Enterprise only
Strong developer experience with prebuilt UI components and deep React/Next.js support
Company is younger and smaller than established competitors like Auth0, with a shorter track record
Documentation and community resources are smaller than more mature identity platforms
Token-based overage pricing on the Pro plan adds a variable cost dimension to budget for
Enterprise compliance features like HIPAA/BAA require the custom-priced Enterprise tier
Self-hosting requires operational effort to maintain and secure the identity infrastructure
Use Cases
Choose Clerk: Teams building consumer or B2B SaaS apps on Next.js/React that want fast drop-in UI components plus native subscription billing tied to accounts are well suited to Clerk.
Choose Logto: Teams that want the option to self-host identity infrastructure, need enterprise SSO without per-connection add-on fees, or want to add auth in front of an existing app without SDK changes are better served by Logto.
Need both: Since both handle the same core identity layer, there's no common architecture that uses them together for one application. The realistic split is organizational: a product team building on Next.js/React might choose Clerk for its component-based setup, while a platform team that wants to self-host identity for compliance reasons runs Logto's open-source edition for a separate, internally-hosted product.
Clerk
Adding authentication to a new web app — Startups drop in Clerk's prebuilt sign-up and sign-in components to launch with production-grade auth in hours instead of building it from scratch.
B2B SaaS multi-tenant account management — Product teams use Clerk's Organizations feature to manage teams, roles, and permissions within a multi-tenant B2B application.
Enterprise SSO for regulated applications — Companies serving enterprise customers use Clerk's SAML/SSO support to meet customer identity requirements without switching identity providers.
Logto
B2B SaaS multi-tenant authentication — SaaS companies use Logto's Organizations feature to give each customer account its own isolated users, roles, and permissions within a single Logto instance.
Startup authentication on a budget — Early-stage startups adopt Logto's free 50,000 MAU tier to add production-ready authentication without upfront identity infrastructure costs.
Regulated industry self-hosted identity — Healthcare and finance companies self-host Logto or use Logto Private Cloud to meet HIPAA and data residency requirements while retaining full control of user data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Logto be self-hosted while Clerk cannot?
Yes. Logto is open source and can be self-hosted, while Clerk is a proprietary cloud service with no self-hosting option documented.
Which includes enterprise SSO without extra fees?
Logto includes SAML/OIDC enterprise SSO in its flat $24/month Pro plan. Clerk charges $75/month per enterprise connection added to its $25/month Pro plan.
Do both offer a free plan?
Yes, both offer a free tier for up to 50,000 monthly active users with no credit card required.
Which has a no-code option for adding authentication to an existing app?
Logto's Protected App feature adds authentication in front of an existing app without SDK integration. Clerk requires SDK or component-level integration.
Does either include built-in billing?
Clerk includes native subscription management and plan-based content gating tied to user accounts. Logto does not document a billing feature.
How much does Logto's Pro plan cost?
Logto's Pro plan costs $24/month and includes unlimited MAU, RBAC, organizations, MFA, and enterprise SSO.