Self-hosted
Builders willing to run Stack Auth themselves
$0
/ month
Open-source path for teams that want more control and can own deployment.
- Self-hosted auth platform
- Open-source optionality
- Operations work stays with you
Tool Review
Stack Auth
Open-source authentication platform with React-friendly components, teams, permissions, OAuth, webhooks, and hosted or self-hosted deployment paths. Interesting when you like the idea of a Clerk-style product experience but want more open-source optionality.
Updated on Jul 10, 2026 Best for: React and Next.js builders who want polished auth components with an open-source escape hatch. Authentication
React and Next.js builders who want polished auth components with an open-source escape hatch.
Pricing
Stack Auth pricing
Stack Auth can be self-hosted for free or used through managed hosting. Managed pricing starts with a free individual plan, then moves into Team and Growth plans as user, admin, support, and enterprise auth needs grow.
Free Featured
Individuals and small experiments
Managed start
$0
/ month
Managed hosted start with individual-friendly limits.
- 10K users listed
- Unlimited teams and projects listed
- One dashboard admin listed
Team
Early startups and small teams
$49
/ month
Managed plan with higher user and admin limits plus priority support.
- 50K users listed
- Three dashboard admins listed, then additional admin pricing
- Priority support listed
Growth
Growing businesses and teams
$299
/ month
Managed plan for larger usage and enterprise-style auth needs.
- Unlimited users listed
- SAML SSO connections listed
- Premium support listed
Pricing notes
- Self-hosting can reduce vendor dependence, but it adds operations work.
- Managed plan limits currently include users, dashboard admins, priority support, premium support, and SAML SSO connections.
- The product is especially interesting if your stack is Reactor Next.js and you want auth components fast.
Capabilities
Feature highlights
Why it belongs on the watchlist
- It offers styled components for password, SSO, 2FA, and account flows so builders are not starting with a blank login screen.
- Organizations, teams, permissions, roles, and invitations are part of the product story, which matters for B2B apps.
- The headless SDK and self-hosted path give more flexibility than a purely hosted identity product.
Where beginners need caution
Comparison-friendly facts
Stack Auth in one screen
Setup speed
Promising for Reactand Next.js because components are a core part of the pitch.
Open-source path
Yes. This is a major reason Stack Auth is interesting versus purely hosted defaults.
B2B fit
Good watchlist signal: teams, organizations, permissions, roles, invitations, and SAML show up in the product/pricing story.
Maturity check
Worth testing before making it the core auth choice for a production app with serious identity requirements.
AI builder fit
Potentially strong for React apps because components give coding agents clearer building blocks.
Recent updates
Stack Auth updates to track
Jun 24, 2026 Stack Auth launch medium impact
Added to the authentication watchlist
Stack Auth is now tracked as an open-source auth platform with hosted and self-hosted paths, especially for React and Next.js builders.
Source →Stack Auth is interesting because it is trying to sit in the “give me nice auth components, but do not trap me forever” lane.
That is a useful lane. A lot of vibe-coded apps need login, teams, roles, and account screens quickly. They do not necessarily need a philosophical retreat about identity architecture. Nobody has time for that. The app still has a dashboard with one sad empty chart waiting for us.
For the Add Authentication guide, Stack Auth is not my default beginner pick yet, but it is absolutely worth watching.
Where it fits
I would consider Stack Auth when:
- you are building with React or Next.js
- you want prebuilt auth UI but still care about open-source optionality
- your product may need teams, organizations, roles, invitations, or SAML later
- you like Clerk’s general shape but want to evaluate a more self-hostable path
That makes it especially interesting for small B2B apps and internal tools that want to look real quickly.
How I would think about it
The comparison point is probably Clerk, not Auth.js.
Clerk is the safer mainstream hosted default. Stack Auth is the more experimental “what if I want a similar product shape, but with open-source leverage?” option.
That does not make one universally better. It changes the question.
If you want maximum confidence and docs/examples everywhere, Clerk still wins. If open-source optionality matters and your app fits Stack Auth’s sweet spot, Stack Auth deserves a test build.
Where I would be careful
Self-hosting auth sounds empowering until you remember that you are now hosting auth.
That can be fine. Just be honest about whether you want that responsibility. If your app is a side project and auth is not the point, managed hosting may be the better version of bravery.
My quick take
Stack Auth belongs on the Watchlist because it could become a very practical middle path: more approachable than low-level auth wiring, more flexible than a locked-down hosted product.
I would test it on a real small app before trusting it with a big serious production app. Which, honestly, is how most auth decisions should work.
Further reading
| stack-auth.com | Stack Auth | |
| docs.stack-auth.com | Stack Auth docs | |
| stack-auth.com | Stack Auth pricing |
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Clerk
Hosted authentication and user management for modern web apps. The polished default when you want sign-in, account management, organizations, and session handling to feel real quickly.
Better Auth
Open-source TypeScript authentication framework where auth lives inside your app instead of behind a fully hosted account product. A modern control-first option with plugins for credentials, social login, organizations, passkeys, API keys, security checks, and more.
Kinde
Hosted authentication and user management platform with B2B organizations, access management, feature flags, and billing features. Worth watching when auth is not the only user-management problem your app needs to solve.
Auth.js
Open-source authentication toolkit formerly known as NextAuth.js, now maintained under the Better Auth umbrella. Worth considering when you want more direct control over auth wiring and are comfortable owning the implementation details.