# Clerk vs Descope

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Descope

| Attribute | Clerk | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 68 (72% (medium)) | 84.8 (71% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A unified platform providing authentication, user profile management, and billing integration through pre-built components and APIs, enabling developers to implement secure user systems without building them from scratch. It is indexed under Auth & Identity Software.","source":"https://clerk.com/components/pricing-table","question":"What is Clerk?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Clerk is a paid product; published pricing starts at $12 per user per month. There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://clerk.com/components/pricing-table","question":"How much does Clerk cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Clerk supports the web, iOS, Android and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://clerk.com/components/pricing-table","question":"What platforms does Clerk support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Clerk, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://clerk.com/components/pricing-table","question":"Can Clerk be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 5 integrations for Clerk, including Google OAuth, GitHub OAuth, Google Workspace, Convex and MCP. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://clerk.com/components/pricing-table","question":"What does Clerk integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, HIPAA and GDPR for Clerk. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Clerk not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://clerk.com/components/pricing-table","question":"What security certifications does Clerk have?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"Cloud-based identity platform that handles user authentication, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and access control through visual flow orchestration. Designed for B2B enterprises and supports passwordless methods, role-based access control, and multi-tenant configurations. It is indexed under Auth & Identity Software.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"What is Descope?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Descope offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Free Forever and Pro. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"Is Descope free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Descope supports the web, iOS, Android and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"What platforms does Descope support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Descope, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"Can Descope be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 22 integrations for Descope, including Vercel, OpenAI, Google Calendar, Facebook, MCP servers, Email/SMS platforms, CRM platforms and CDP platforms, plus 14 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"What does Descope integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for Descope. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Descope not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.descope.com/security-compliance","question":"What security certifications does Descope have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Descope is available in Australia and the EU. Its primary markets are the United States, the EU and Australia.","source":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","question":"Where is Descope available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A unified platform providing authentication, user profile management, and billing integration through pre-built components and APIs, enabling developers to implement secure user systems without building them from scratch. | A managed identity and access management service that enables businesses to build and customize authentication journeys across applications. Supports passwordless authentication, multi-tenant configurations, role-based access control, and integration with external identity providers. |
| features.capabilities | `{"mfa":true,"oidc":true,"rbac":true,"hosting":"cloud","saml_sso":true,"hosted_ui":"both","open_source":true,"passwordless":true,"social_login":true,"b2b_multi_tenant":true,"passkeys_webauthn":true}` | `{"mfa":true,"oidc":true,"rbac":true,"hosting":"cloud","saml_sso":true,"hosted_ui":"both","open_source":false,"passwordless":true,"social_login":true,"b2b_multi_tenant":true,"passkeys_webauthn":true,"scim_provisioning":true}` |
| integrations.count | 5 | 50 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Google OAuth"},{"name":"GitHub OAuth"},{"name":"Google Workspace"},{"name":"Convex"},{"name":"MCP"}]` | `[{"name":"Vercel"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Google Calendar"},{"name":"Facebook"},{"name":"MCP servers"},{"name":"Email/SMS platforms"},{"name":"CRM platforms"},{"name":"CDP platforms"},{"name":"Audit solutions"},{"name":"Fraud detection systems"},{"name":"OpenID Connect","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"SAML","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Fingerprint","native":true,"category":"fraud"},{"name":"Sardine","native":true,"category":"fraud"},{"name":"Forter","native":true,"category":"fraud"},{"name":"Incode","native":true,"category":"identity_verification"},{"name":"Amazon Rekognition","native":false,"category":"identity_verification"},{"name":"Cloudflare","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"reCAPTCHA","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"Turnstile","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"AbuseIPDB","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"Box","native":false,"category":"document_management"},{"name":"Vercel AI SDK","native":false}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US","EU","AU"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":["AU","EU"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$20/month billed annually with 5 seats included, $12/month per additional seat","features":["Multifactor Authentication","Customizable branding","Seat-based billing","Unlimited members"],"minSeats":5,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":12,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false}],"summary":"From $20/month billed annually. 14-day free trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://clerk.com/components/pricing-table","retrievedAt":"2026-09-07T16:10:57.015Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free Forever","summary":"Free tier with M2M and agentic identity essentials","description":"Includes M2M and agentic identity essentials available to all developers","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Usage-based pricing with Monthly Active Consents (MAC), Monthly Active Tokens (MATK), and M2M Exchanges. Free tier available.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.descope.com/blog/post/m2m-agentic-identity-pricing-update","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:38:03.189Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | mid | low |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":20,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.99 | 99.99 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active"}]` | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 27001","status":"active"},{"name":"FedRAMP High","status":"active"},{"name":"CSA STAR Level 2","status":"active"},{"name":"PCI DSS","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.fedramp | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://www.descope.com/security-compliance |

## Capabilities (Auth & Identity Software)

| Capability | Clerk | Descope |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud only | Cloud only |
| **Methods** |  |  |
| Social login | ✓ | ✓ |
| Passwordless | ✓ | ✓ |
| Passkeys / WebAuthn | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-factor auth | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Enterprise** |  |  |
| SAML SSO | ✓ | ✓ |
| SCIM provisioning | - | ✓ |
| B2B / multi-tenancy | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OpenID Connect provider | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Hosted UI | Both | Both |
| **Access** |  |  |
| RBAC | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Self-hostable OSS core | ✓ | ✗ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-09-21T01:31:57.260Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*