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Clerk vs Next-auth

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Clerk

6.0 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Next-auth

3.2M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Clerk

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Clerk

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Next-auth

Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality

clerk icon

clerk

Niche

Version 0.8.3

0
73
Good

CouchDB library for Node and the browser

Weekly Downloads
1.1K

Trend data unavailable

Bundle (gzip)
6.0 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
40
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
next-auth icon

next-auth

Very Popular

Version 4.24.13

0
85
Excellent

Authentication for Next.js

Weekly Downloads
3.2M
24%
Bundle (gzip)
80.3 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Clerk and Next-auth? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

Next-auth leads with 3.2M weekly downloads — roughly 2896.6x more. Clerk has 1.1K weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Clerk has the smallest gzipped bundle at 6.0 KB. Next-auth comes in at 80.3 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Next-auth has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Clerk has an overall health score of 73/100 (good), with strong maintenance, security scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Clerk if you value actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Next-auth if you value large community support, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Clerk and Next-auth are solid choices for JavaScript development. Next-auth has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is clerk better than next-auth?
It depends on your needs. Clerk has a health score of 73/100 while Next-auth scores 85/100. Next-auth has more weekly downloads (3.2M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, clerk or next-auth?
Clerk has the smaller gzipped bundle at 6.0 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use clerk vs next-auth?
Based on npm download statistics, Clerk has approximately 1.1K weekly downloads and Next-auth has approximately 3.2M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, clerk or next-auth?
Next-auth currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Clerk has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Next-auth scores 100/100 on maintenance.

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