OpenCIAM vs Clerk

OOpenCIAM8.6Visit Clerk8.3Visit

Higher score O OpenCIAM #5 in Passwordless Authentication Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit OpenCIAM

vs

Clerk #8 in Passwordless Authentication Software 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Clerk

• OpenCIAM fits best

  Open-source teams wanting broad identity flows

• Clerk fits best

  Product teams needing polished auth components

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Side by side

Feature	OOpenCIAM 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Clerk 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.3
Ranking	#5 in Passwordless Authentication Software	#8 in Passwordless Authentication Software
Best for	Open-source teams wanting broad identity flows	Product teams needing polished auth components
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$20/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Mobile, Browser extension
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension
Integrations	30+ integrations	12 integrations
Features OpenCIAM 4/5 · Clerk 1/5
Magic links	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Biometric login	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
SAML SSO	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
OpenID Connect	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Directory synchronization	✓	✓
Specs
Passwordless methods	FIDO2/WebAuthn passkeys, magic links, email OTP, SMS OTP, push approval	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports passkeys, magic links, OTP, push approval, and adaptive MFA Self-hosted Community plan includes unlimited monthly active users Covers OAuth, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, REST, GraphQL, and SDKs	Prebuilt sign-up, sign-in, profile, and account-management components Passkeys, MFA, SSO, directory sync, and lifecycle provisioning Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, API, and broad integrations
Cons	Cloud pricing becomes usage-based beyond 7,500 monthly active users Enterprise capabilities such as 24/7 support are plan-specific Its platform coverage is narrower than some established alternatives	Usage is metered by monthly retained users per application Hobby fixes session lifetime at seven days Business starts at $250 per month, billed annually
Our verdict	OpenCIAM is an open-source customer identity and access management platform for developers and teams adding authentication to applications. It supports passwordless login through FIDO2/WebAuthn passkeys, magic links, email and SMS OTP, and… Read the review →	Clerk provides authentication and user management for teams building consumer, B2B, and multi-tenant applications. Its prebuilt sign-up, sign-in, profile, and account-management components are aimed at product teams that want polished auth… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• OpenCIAM — where it wins

  • Supports passkeys, magic links, OTP, push approval, and adaptive MFA
  • Self-hosted Community plan includes unlimited monthly active users
  • Covers OAuth, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, REST, GraphQL, and SDKs

  Where it doesn't

  • Cloud pricing becomes usage-based beyond 7,500 monthly active users
  • Enterprise capabilities such as 24/7 support are plan-specific
  • Its platform coverage is narrower than some established alternatives

• Clerk — where it wins

  • Prebuilt sign-up, sign-in, profile, and account-management components
  • Passkeys, MFA, SSO, directory sync, and lifecycle provisioning
  • Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, API, and broad integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Usage is metered by monthly retained users per application
  • Hobby fixes session lifetime at seven days
  • Business starts at $250 per month, billed annually

• OOpenCIAM8.6/10 · Free plan

  A flexible open-source identity platform for teams building passwordless login flows.

  Visit OpenCIAMFull verdict →
• Clerk8.3/10 · Free plan

  A broad authentication toolkit with polished components, passkeys, MFA, and organization support.

  Visit ClerkFull verdict →