Clerk vs Stytch: which should I choose?

Choose Clerk if you are on React or Next.js and want finished sign-in, profile and organization screens in a day. Choose Stytch if you want passwordless-first API primitives, fraud and device fingerprinting, and full control of a custom UI, or if your stack is not React.

Which is cheaper, Clerk or Stytch?

Checked 2026-11-05: Clerk's free Hobby plan covers 50,000 monthly retained users per app, Pro is 25 dollars a month (20 billed annually) and overage starts at 0.02 dollars per retained user. Stytch's pay-as-you-go plan is free up to 10,000 monthly active users with 5 SSO or SCIM connections included, but its page does not print a per-MAU overage rate. At startup scale both are close to free; enterprise SSO connections are where the bills diverge.

Is Stytch better for passkeys?

Both support passkeys. Stytch is more passwordless-focused and exposes more control over the flows, which matters for a passkey-first design with careful fallback handling. Clerk's passkey support comes inside its components, which is enough for most teams.

Does Clerk or Stytch handle B2B SaaS better?

Clerk's organization components are more complete out of the box, with 100 monthly retained organizations free and an Enhanced B2B add-on at 100 dollars a month. Stytch includes unlimited organizations and 5 SSO or SCIM connections on its free plan, where Clerk includes 1 SSO connection on Pro and charges 75 dollars a month for each additional one.

Who owns Stytch and Clerk?

Twilio owns Stytch; the acquisition closed on 14 November 2025, price undisclosed. Clerk is privately held.

Clerk vs Stytch: 2026 Pricing, UI vs API Verdict, Comparison

Clerk vs Stytch: 2026 Pricing, UI vs API Verdict

CapabilityClerkStytch

Overall

4.4

4.3

Authentication: 4.5; 5.0
SSO & Federation: 4.0; 4.0
Authorization: 3.5; 3.5
Lifecycle & Provisioning: 3.5; 3.5
MFA & Passwordless: 4.5; 5.0
Governance & Audit: 3.0; 3.0
Developer Experience: 5.0; 4.5
Deployment Flexibility: 2.5; 2.5
Pricing Transparency: 4.0; 4.0
Support & Ecosystem: 3.5; 3.5

Scored 0–5 against a published rubric. Bold marks the higher score. Independent analysis, no vendor sponsorship.

Verdict

Clerk vs Stytch is a choice between shipping UI and assembling primitives. Clerk is the faster path for React and Next.js teams: its components cover sign-in, account settings, organization switching and invitations, the surfaces teams underestimate. Stytch, now part of Twilio, ships passwordless-first APIs plus fraud and device fingerprinting, and expects you to build the interface. Clerk scores 4.4 and Stytch 4.3 in our profiles. Weight the near-term: how much engineering time goes into login, and how much the experience matters.

Where each wins

Decision factor	Clerk	Stytch
Time to a finished login on React	Wins: drop-in components	You build the UI
Non-React stacks	SDKs exist, components matter less	Wins: API-first fits any stack
Passwordless control	Solid	Wins: fine control over magic links, OTP, passkeys
Free tier size	Wins: 50,000 retained users per app	10,000 active users
Enterprise SSO on free or entry plan	1 connection on Pro	Wins: 5 SSO or SCIM connections
Fraud and bot signals	Protection checks, metered	Wins: fingerprinting built in
Published overage rates	Wins: full MRU table	Per-MAU rate not printed

Pricing reality (checked 2026-11-05)

Clerk's pricing page bills on monthly retained users (MRU). Hobby is free for 50,000 MRU per app; Pro is $25 a month or $20 billed annually; Business is $300 or $250 and adds a SOC 2 report and admin logs. Overage runs $0.02 per MRU from 50,001 to 100,000, falling to $0.012 above 10 million. Extra SSO connections cost $75 a month each after the first, Directory Sync connections start billing on 1 January 2027, and the Enhanced B2B and impersonation add-ons are $100 a month each.

Stytch's pricing page has one pay-as-you-go plan at $0 a month with 10,000 monthly active users and AI agents, unlimited organizations, 5 SSO or SCIM connections and 1,000 M2M tokens. Additional connections are $125 each and fingerprints $0.005 each after 10,000. The page names an additional monthly active member cost without a figure, so get it in writing. Note the metrics differ: Clerk counts retained users, Stytch active users. Model both with the TCO calculator.

Ownership changes

Twilio signed a definitive agreement for Stytch on 30 October 2025, and Stytch's changelog marked it final on 14 November 2025, price undisclosed. Stytch's site does not yet mention Twilio on its pricing page. Clerk remains private and independent.

Deployment and architecture

Both are SaaS only, so strict self-hosting or residency needs rule out both. Clerk is component-led: you embed its UI, and sessions and user data live in Clerk with SDKs for your backend. Stytch is API-led: your frontend renders every step and calls Stytch for authentication, sessions and fraud verdicts, which gives full control and more code to own. Both support B2B organizations and enterprise SSO.

Migration notes

Clerk documents three migration paths: an open-source bulk import tool, a point-in-time export and import, and a trickle migration that keeps both systems running for weeks or months. Its dashboard export includes hashed passwords, and Clerk says it transparently upgrades imported hashes to bcrypt. Stytch's password migrate endpoint accepts bcrypt, scrypt, argon2, MD-5, SHA-1, SHA-512 and PBKDF2. Either way, MFA enrolments and sessions do not move, and passkeys are bound to your relying party ID, so fix your domain early.

Who should pick which

Clerk: React, Next.js or Remix teams that want login, account management and organizations finished without design work.
Stytch: teams building a custom, passwordless-first experience with fraud signals, or working outside React.
Neither: B2B products where enterprise SSO is the core sales motion should also shortlist WorkOS; see best CIAM for B2B SaaS.

Frequently asked questions

Clerk vs Stytch: which should I choose?: Choose Clerk if you are on React or Next.js and want finished sign-in, profile and organization screens in a day. Choose Stytch if you want passwordless-first API primitives, fraud and device fingerprinting, and full control of a custom UI, or if your stack is not React.
Which is cheaper, Clerk or Stytch?: Checked 2026-11-05: Clerk's free Hobby plan covers 50,000 monthly retained users per app, Pro is 25 dollars a month (20 billed annually) and overage starts at 0.02 dollars per retained user. Stytch's pay-as-you-go plan is free up to 10,000 monthly active users with 5 SSO or SCIM connections included, but its page does not print a per-MAU overage rate. At startup scale both are close to free; enterprise SSO connections are where the bills diverge.
Is Stytch better for passkeys?: Both support passkeys. Stytch is more passwordless-focused and exposes more control over the flows, which matters for a passkey-first design with careful fallback handling. Clerk's passkey support comes inside its components, which is enough for most teams.
Does Clerk or Stytch handle B2B SaaS better?: Clerk's organization components are more complete out of the box, with 100 monthly retained organizations free and an Enhanced B2B add-on at 100 dollars a month. Stytch includes unlimited organizations and 5 SSO or SCIM connections on its free plan, where Clerk includes 1 SSO connection on Pro and charges 75 dollars a month for each additional one.
Who owns Stytch and Clerk?: Twilio owns Stytch; the acquisition closed on 14 November 2025, price undisclosed. Clerk is privately held.

Last updated 2026-11-05

Independent, community-driven analysis. No vendor sponsorship. Compiled from public research and community input and verified on a best-effort basis, so details may be incomplete or out of date. Scores are opinions, not advice. Trademarks belong to their owners; mention does not imply affiliation or endorsement. See the full disclaimer, or send corrections to community@startwithidentity.com.