DevTools VS

Clerk vs NextAuth.js

Updated Apr 26, 2026

Quick Verdict

NextAuth.js has 16.7x more GitHub stars, while NextAuth.js has 3.4x more weekly downloads.

GitHub Stars
Clerk 1.7K
vs
NextAuth.js 28.2K
Downloads/wk
Clerk 1.1M
vs
NextAuth.js 3.7M
Contributors
Clerk 294
vs
NextAuth.js 903
Bundle Size
Clerk N/A
vs
NextAuth.js 82.5 KB

Clerk

Website

Complete user management and authentication solution

authuser-managementsaascomponents

NextAuth.js

Website

Authentication for Next.js applications

nextjsauthoauthsession

Detailed Comparison

Side-by-side metrics from GitHub and npm

Metric
Clerk
NextAuth.js
GitHub Stars
1.7K
28.2K
Weekly Downloads
1.1M
3.7M
Forks
448
4.0K
Open Issues
103
576
Contributors
294
903
Bundle Size (gzip)
N/A
82.5 KB
Dependencies
5
9
Latest Version
7.2.7
4.24.14
Last Commit
Apr 26, 2026
Apr 14, 2026
License
MIT
ISC
First Published
Aug 18, 2021
Jan 22, 2018

Download Trends

Weekly npm downloads over the past 52 weeks

Feature Comparison

Framework capabilities at a glance

Feature
Clerk
NextAuth.js
Oauth
Magic Links
Mfa
Session
Jwt
Social Login
Self Hosted

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Clerk vs NextAuth.js

Is Clerk better than NextAuth.js?

It depends on your use case. Clerk is complete user management and authentication solution, while NextAuth.js is authentication for next.js applications. Compare the stats and features above to decide which fits your needs.

Is Clerk still maintained in 2026?

Yes, Clerk was last updated on April 26, 2026 and has 294 contributors.

Can I migrate from Clerk to NextAuth.js?

Migration complexity depends on how deeply Clerk is integrated into your project. Both tools serve similar purposes in the Authentication space, so migration is generally feasible with proper planning.

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