vioscaleAI
Comparison

Authentik vs Clerk

On the evidence we track, Clerk leads this comparison with a composite score of 71/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Authentik full profile →Clerk full profile →
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Authentik46
★Clerk71
Score
vioscaleAI score
Authentik46 / 100medium · 69%
Clerk71 / 100medium · 71%
Pricing
Free tier
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Model
Authentikfreemium
Clerkfreemium
Price level
Authentiklow
Clerkmid
Starting price
Authentik–
Clerk$20
Transparent
Authentik✗
Clerk✓
Integrations
Count
Authentik10
Clerk7
Security
Certifications
Disclosure policy
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Fedramp
Authentik✓
Clerk–
Gdpr
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Hipaa
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Soc2
Authentik–
Clerk✓
Trust center
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Sla pct
Authentik–
Clerk99.99
Status page
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Authentik0
Clerk–
Github stars
Authentik25,816
Clerk–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Authentik100
Clerk–
Release
Cadence days
Authentik6
Clerk–
History
Authentik20 items
Clerk–
Language
Primary
AuthentikPython
Clerk–
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
Authentik7 items
Clerk6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for auth & identity software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Deployment
Hosting
AuthentikCloud + self-hosted
ClerkCloud only
Methods
Social login
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Passwordless
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Passkeys / WebAuthn
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Multi-factor auth
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Enterprise
SAML SSO
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
SCIM provisioning
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
B2B / multi-tenancy
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Standards
OpenID Connect provider
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Delivery
Hosted UI
AuthentikHosted
ClerkBoth
Access
RBAC
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Licensing
Self-hostable OSS core
Authentik✓
Clerk✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Authentik

authentik is an open-source Identity Provider that consolidates authentication and identity management into one self-hosted platform, supporting standard protocols like OAuth2/OIDC, SAML, LDAP, and RADIUS for modern SSO deployments.

Independently observed

Clerk

Leader

Provides embeddable components and APIs for adding authentication, profile management, organizations, and subscription billing to applications. Supports enterprise features like SAML, SCIM provisioning, and multi-tenancy.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Authentik

HybridFree tier
  • Open SourceFree
    • OIDC, SAML, LDAP, SCIM, RADIUS, Proxy support
    • OpenID Certified for OpenID Connect
    • Web-based RDP/SSH access
    • B2B and B2C use cases
    • Community Discord support
  • Enterprise-
    • Google Workspace integration
    • Microsoft Entra ID integration
    • Embed external OAuth/SAML sources
    • Chrome Enterprise Device Trust connector
    • Shared Signals Framework support
    • +9 more
  • Enterprise PlusContact sales
    • Invoice-based billing
    • Dedicated, customized support and SLAs
    • Volume discounts
    • Support for multi-instance deployments
    • FIPS compliance for FedRAMP
as of verify ↗

Clerk

Leader
from $20/moSubscriptionFree tier

Free up to 50K MRU. Pro from $20/mo billed annually (includes 50K MRU + 1 enterprise connection). Add-ons available.

  • FreeFree
    • Social authentication (Google, GitHub, Facebook)
    • Email/password authentication
    • Magic links
    • Organizations
    • Multifactor authentication
    • +1 more
  • Pro$20/mo billed annually (includes 50K MRU + 1 enterprise connection)
    • 50K monthly retained users included
    • 1 enterprise SSO connection included
    • Custom session lifetime
    • Clerk branding removal
    • Directory sync
    • +5 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
iOS
Authentik✗
Clerk✓
macOS
Authentik✓
Clerk✗
Windows
Authentik✓
Clerk✗
Linux
Authentik✓
Clerk✗
CLI
Authentik✓
Clerk✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Authentik✗
Clerk✓
Self-hosted
Authentik✓
Clerk✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (2)
  • Microsoft Entra ID
  • Google Workspace

Authentik

17 total - 15 not shared
  • OAuth2
  • OpenID Connect
  • SAML2
  • LDAP
  • RADIUS
  • SCIM
  • WS-Federation
  • Shared Signals Framework (SSF)
  • Chrome Enterprise Device Trust
  • Fleet
  • Kerberos
  • SAML
  • OAuth2/OIDC
  • Apple Business Manager
  • Google Chrome
Independently observed

Clerk

Leader
11 total - 9 not shared
  • Google OAuth
  • GitHub OAuth
  • Convex
  • MCP
  • Stripe
  • Okta Workforce
  • Google
  • GitHub
  • Facebook
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Authentik or Clerk: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.