2 Open Source alternatives to Clerk in 2026
We compare 2 self-hostable tools you can deploy on your own server in minutes, with license, tech stack and a ready-to-copy docker-compose.
Quick comparison
Sorted by featured first, then GitHub stars as a tiebreaker — the same rule we use across the whole site.
| Tool | License | Minimum RAM | Docker | GitHub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuperTokens Lightest optionMost popular on GitHub | Apache-2.0 | ~1GB | ✅ | ★ ~15,300 |
| Logto Lightest option100% FOSS | MPL-2.0 | ~1GB | ✅ | ★ ~14,500 |
Detailed profile of each alternative
Alternative to Auth0, Clerk
Authentication with ready-to-integrate SDKs, an alternative to Auth0/Clerk.
Alternative to Auth0, Clerk
Modern, easy-to-use identity, a self-hosted alternative to Clerk/Auth0.
How much does Clerk cost, and how much can you save?
Clerk charges a recurring monthly fee. Self-hosting the alternative, you only pay for the server — usually a few dollars a month.
Calculate your exact savings in the SaaS Audit →Already know which one you want?
Add SuperTokens to the Stack Builder and generate a ready-to-deploy docker-compose.yml, alone or alongside the rest of your stack.
Build my stackFrequently asked questions
Do I need Docker to self-host a Clerk alternative?
Yes, for all 2: each one has a ready-to-copy docker-compose.yml. You just need Docker installed on your server.
How much RAM do I need at minimum?
The lightest option on this list is SuperTokens, which runs on as little as 1GB of RAM — enough for a cheap VPS.
Are they all 100% free, or are there paid features like on Clerk?
1 out of 2 are 100% FOSS. The rest are Open-Core: the core is free and self-hostable, but some advanced feature may stay paid — we call it out on each tool's page.