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NextAuth.js vs Clerk

Trust Score comparison · March 2026

NextAuth.js
72
Trust
Fair
View profile
VS
Trust Score Δ
8
🏆 Clerk wins
Clerk
80
Trust
Good
View profile

Signal Comparison

3.9M / wknpm downloads4.2M / wk
12 commitsCommits (90d)71 commits
24.8k ★GitHub stars6.1k ★
8.2k q'sStack Overflow2.8k q's
MediumCommunityHigh
NextAuth.jsClerk

Key Differences

FactorNextAuth.jsClerk
LicenseISCProprietary
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
HostedSelf-hostedYes
Free tier——
Open Source✓ Yes—
TypeScript✓✓

Pick NextAuth.js if…

  • You want fully open-source, self-hosted auth
  • You need custom OAuth providers or SAML
  • You're cost-sensitive and don't want per-MAU pricing

Pick Clerk if…

  • You're building with Next.js or React
  • You want pre-built UI for all auth flows
  • You need organizations or teams with RBAC out of the box

Side-by-side Quick Start

NextAuth.js
import NextAuth from 'next-auth';
import GitHub from 'next-auth/providers/github';

const handler = NextAuth({
  providers: [
    GitHub({
      clientId: process.env.GITHUB_ID,
      clientSecret: process.env.GITHUB_SECRET,
    }),
  ],
});

export { handler as GET, handler as POST };
Clerk
import { ClerkProvider } from '@clerk/nextjs';

export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
  return (
    <ClerkProvider>
      <html lang="en"><body>{children}</body></html>
    </ClerkProvider>
  );
}

// Protect a route
import { auth } from '@clerk/nextjs/server';

export default async function Dashboard() {
  const { userId } = await auth();
  if (!userId) redirect('/sign-in');
  return <DashboardContent />;
}

Community Verdict

Based on upvoted notes
🏆
Clerk wins this comparison
Trust Score 80 vs 72 · 8-point difference

Clerk leads on Trust Score with stronger signal data across downloads and community health. That said, the other tool is worth considering if your use case matches its specific strengths above.