AWS Cognito vs Clerk
On the evidence we track, AWS Cognito leads this comparison with a composite score of 81/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.
Capabilities
Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for auth & identity software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.
What each one is
The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.
AWS Cognito
LeaderManages authentication and access control through identity federation, social provider integration, passwordless authentication methods, and multi-factor authentication capabilities. Supports both hosted login interfaces and API-driven custom implementations.
Clerk
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.
Pricing
List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.
AWS Cognito
LeaderFree tier with 10,000 MAU/month. Usage-based pricing from $0.015–$0.020 per MAU
- LiteFree
- User registration
- Password-based authentication
- Social identity federation
- SAML/OIDC provider support
- EssentialsFree
- All Lite features
- Managed Login interface
- Passwordless authentication
- Passkeys support
- Email/SMS OTP
- Plus$0.020 per MAU
- All Essentials features
- Risk-based adaptive authentication
- Compromised credentials detection
- Authentication event export
Clerk
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
Platform & deployment
Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.
Integrations
What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.
AWS Cognito
Leader- Apple
- Amazon
- SAML
- OIDC
- AWS Lambda
- AWS Amplify
- AWS AppSync
- AWS Verified Permissions
- AWS CloudTrail
- AWS CloudWatch
Clerk
- Google OAuth
- GitHub OAuth
- Google Workspace
- Convex
- MCP
- Stripe
- Okta Workforce
- Microsoft Entra ID
- GitHub
AWS Cognito 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.