Better Auth vs Clerk vs NextAuth: Which Authentication Solution Should You Use in 2026?

Authentication is one of the most critical decisions in any web application. Get it wrong, and you're looking at security vulnerabilities, frustrated users, and expensive rewrites. In 2026, three solutions dominate the conversation: Better Auth, Clerk, and NextAuth (now Auth.js).

Quick Comparison

Feature	Better Auth	Clerk	NextAuth
Type	Framework	Service	Library
Pricing	Free (OSS)	$25+/mo	Free (OSS)
Database	Your own	Clerk's	Your own
Setup Time	30 min	15 min	1-2 hours
Passkeys	Yes	Yes	Limited
2FA	Built-in	Built-in	Plugin

Better Auth: The New Contender

Better Auth has seen explosive growth in 2026, with search interest up over 300% year-over-year. It's a TypeScript-first authentication library that prioritizes developer experience and modern features.

Why Developers Love Better Auth

Full Ownership: Unlike Clerk, your user data lives in your own database. You're not locked into a vendor's pricing or data practices.

Modern Auth Primitives: Built-in support for passkeys, magic links, social OAuth, two-factor authentication, and organization/team management.

Type Safety: Written entirely in TypeScript with excellent type inference. Your IDE knows exactly what's available.

Plugin Architecture: Extend functionality with official and community plugins for features like rate limiting and session management.

Better Auth Setup

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { drizzle } from "better-auth/adapters/drizzle";

export const auth = betterAuth({
  database: drizzle(db),
  emailAndPassword: { enabled: true },
  socialProviders: {
    google: { clientId: "...", clientSecret: "..." },
    github: { clientId: "...", clientSecret: "..." }
  },
  twoFactor: { enabled: true }
});

Clerk: The Managed Solution

Clerk is a fully-managed authentication service that handles everything from UI components to user management.

Clerk Strengths

Beautiful Pre-built Components: Drop in

<SignIn />

,

<SignUp />

, and

<UserButton />

components that look professional out of the box.

Instant Setup: You can have authentication working in under 15 minutes.

Dashboard: Manage users, view analytics, and configure settings through a polished admin interface.

Clerk Considerations

Cost Scales Quickly: The $25/month starter plan includes 10,000 MAU. Enterprise apps can face significant bills.

Vendor Lock-in: Your user data lives in Clerk's infrastructure. Migrating away requires exporting and re-hashing passwords.

Latency: Auth requests go through Clerk's servers, adding some latency compared to self-hosted solutions.

NextAuth (Auth.js): The Established Option

NextAuth has been the go-to authentication library for Next.js applications for years. Now rebranded as Auth.js, it supports multiple frameworks.

NextAuth Advantages

Battle-tested: Used in production by thousands of applications, well-documented edge cases.

Framework Agnostic: Auth.js now works with SvelteKit, SolidStart, and other frameworks.

Fully Open Source: No vendor lock-in, complete control over your implementation.

NextAuth Drawbacks

Configuration Heavy: Getting everything working properly requires more setup than alternatives.

Plugin Ecosystem: Advanced features like 2FA require community plugins that vary in quality.

TypeScript Experience: While improved, type safety isn't as strong as Better Auth.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Better Auth If:

• You want modern auth features without vendor lock-in
• Type safety is a priority
• You need organizations/teams support
• You want to own your user data

Choose Clerk If:

• You need to ship fast and budget isn't a concern
• You want pre-built, polished UI components
• You prefer managed services over self-hosting
• You need enterprise features like SSO

Choose NextAuth If:

• You're already using it (migration cost may not be worth it)
• You need maximum community support and documentation
• You're building a simple app with basic OAuth needs

Conclusion

The authentication landscape has shifted significantly in 2026. Better Auth has emerged as a compelling middle ground—modern features and developer experience without vendor lock-in. Clerk remains excellent for teams prioritizing speed over cost. NextAuth continues to be reliable for simpler use cases.

For new projects in 2026, Better Auth is worth serious consideration. It combines the best aspects of both worlds: the modern features of a managed service with the control and cost-effectiveness of open source.