Backend & identity

Alternatives to Clerk

Compare these candidates if you want self-hosting, data control or less dependence on Clerk's hosted service. Actual costs depend on deployment and required features.

Backend platforms and identity services solve different needs; check migration, updates and operations.

Compare candidates

Growth uses the latest collected snapshots; — means unavailable. Stars and licenses are not substitutes for feature verification.
Project	Stars	7-day gain	Language	License	Maintenance
keycloak	37,635	+124	Java	Apache-2.0	✅ Recently maintained
better-auth	30,545	—	TypeScript	MIT	✅ Recently maintained

keycloak

keycloak/keycloak

Open Source Identity and Access Management For Modern Applications and Services

✅ Recently maintained

Compare for identity and single sign-on; plan security updates and administration.

Repository verified 2026-11-02 · Official repository & installation

better-auth

better-auth/better-auth

The most comprehensive authentication framework

✅ Recently maintained

Match the project description to required features, then trial migration and deployment with a small real dataset.

Repository verified 2026-11-02 · Official repository & installation

Before migrating

Check exports/imports, required features, permissions, backups, security updates and total operating cost. Candidates are not guaranteed feature-equivalent; enterprise extensions and model services may have separate terms and costs.