Best Authentication for Next.js in 2026 (Compared)

The best authentication for Next.js depends on one question: do you want auth as a library inside your app, or as a hosted service next to your database? If you want a library you own end to end, Better Auth is the strongest pick in 2026 (Auth.js now points its users there). If you want hosted auth that also protects your data with database rules, a Postgres backend such as Supabase Auth or StitchDB Auth gives you sign-in and authorization in one place, and Clerk is the pick when polished prebuilt UI matters most.

This comparison covers the options the Next.js authentication guide itself lists most often, with prices checked as of November 2026.

#Quick comparison

#What actually matters in Next.js

Next.js mixes server components, server actions, route handlers and client components. Auth has to work in all four. Three things decide how painful that is:

1. Where the session check happens. The Next.js docs are blunt that Proxy (the old middleware) "should not be your only line of defense" and that most checks belong "as close as possible to your data source". A library gives you a session; you still have to check it in every server action and route handler.
2. Where authorization lives. If every query goes through your own server code, you write the permission checks there. If the browser talks to a database API, the database must enforce the rules. Postgres Row Level Security does that.
3. Who stores the users. A library writes users to your database. A hosted service stores them for you, either in its own system (Clerk, Firebase) or in your Postgres database (Supabase, StitchDB).

#The options in detail

#Better Auth

Better Auth is a TypeScript auth framework you install into your app. It is MIT licensed and runs with Next.js and many other frameworks. Its plugins cover two-factor auth, passkeys, organizations, magic links and enterprise SSO (SAML), and auth is configured in code, so changes go through code review.

• Pros: no per-user fees, users in your own database, very flexible, one of the most active projects in this space.
• Cons: you run it. Email delivery, rate limiting, session storage and security patches are on you. You still write authorization checks yourself.
• Pick it if you want to own every line and you already have a database and a deploy pipeline you trust.

#Auth.js (NextAuth.js)

Auth.js is the library most Next.js developers learned first. Its own getting-started page now says the project "is now part of" Better Auth and links to a migration guide. Existing apps keep working, and it still supports database adapters for Prisma, Drizzle and others.

• Pros: huge amount of existing tutorials and code, many OAuth providers, no vendor.
• Cons: for a new project, the maintainers themselves point you to Better Auth.
• Pick it if you already run it and it works. For new projects, start with Better Auth instead.

#Clerk

Clerk is a hosted service with prebuilt components (<SignIn />, <UserButton />, organization switchers) and a Next.js SDK. As of November 2026 its Hobby plan is free up to 50,000 monthly retained users per app, and Pro costs $25/month ($20/month billed annually), with additional users at $0.02 each from 50,001 to 100,000. MFA and passkeys are listed on the paid plans, and Pro includes one SAML connection per app, with more at $75/month each. See Clerk pricing.

• Pros: the fastest way to a polished sign-in UI, strong B2B features, good Next.js integration.
• Cons: users live in Clerk, so you sync them to your database (usually with webhooks). Authorization on your data is still your job.
• Pick it if UI polish and B2B organization features matter more than keeping users next to your data. We compare it in depth in Clerk alternatives.

#Supabase Auth

Supabase Auth stores users in your Postgres database and issues JWTs that Row Level Security policies read with auth.uid(). As of November 2026, the Free plan includes 50,000 MAU and Pro starts at $25/month with 100,000 MAU, then $0.00325 per MAU. SAML SSO is on paid plans (50 SSO MAU included on Pro, then $0.015 each). Free projects are paused after one week of inactivity. See Supabase pricing.

• Pros: auth and data rules in one system, users are rows you can join, mature ecosystem.
• Cons: you are tied to the rest of the Supabase platform for the hosted auth.
• Pick it if you are already on Supabase, or need its regions outside Europe.

#Firebase Authentication

Firebase Auth is free up to 50,000 MAU on both the Spark and Blaze plans as of November 2026, with SAML and OIDC providers free for 50 MAU. Phone auth needs the Blaze plan and is billed per SMS. See Firebase pricing.

• Pros: reliable, generous free tier, great on mobile.
• Cons: your data is usually in Firestore, a document database; authorization is written in Firebase Security Rules, not SQL.
• Pick it if the rest of your app is on Firebase.

#StitchDB Auth

StitchDB is a hosted Postgres backend: each project gets a dedicated Postgres database with Auth, a REST and GraphQL API, Storage, Realtime and Edge Functions. Users live in auth.users in your database. Every request carries a JWT that your policies read.

What the Auth docs list:

• E-mail and password, magic links and one-time codes, phone and SMS, anonymous users, Web3 wallets.
• OAuth with 19 providers, including Google, GitHub, Apple, Microsoft, Discord, Slack, LinkedIn and WorkOS.
• MFA with TOTP or SMS, passkeys, and SAML SSO.
• A hosted sign-in page if you do not want to build screens, built-in fake sign-up protection, CAPTCHA, leaked-password checks and auth hooks.

Plans (from the live pricing API): Free includes 50,000 MAU, Pro is $15.99/month with 100,000 MAU, Scale is $49/month with 200,000 MAU. SAML SSO users are included from Pro (50 SSO MAU on Pro, 100 on Scale). See pricing.

• Pros: auth, data and rules in one project; users are Postgres rows; the client is compatible with the Supabase client libraries, so existing code and UI kits work by changing the URL and keys (compatibility).
• Cons: hosted in EU data centers only (Germany and Finland), which adds latency for users far from Europe; a younger platform than Firebase or Supabase; no self-hosted edition.
• Pick it if you want Postgres, auth and data rules together and EU hosting suits you.

#Next.js auth vs Supabase Auth

This is the most common real choice: a library like Auth.js or Better Auth, or a hosted Postgres auth like Supabase Auth (StitchDB works the same way).

The deciding factor is usually authorization. With a library, every query runs through your server, and forgetting one check in one server action is a data leak. With hosted Postgres auth, the database refuses rows the policy does not allow, even if a route forgets to check.

#Setting up StitchDB Auth in Next.js

Install the SDK and create one client:

// lib/stitchdb.ts
import { createClient } from 'stitchdb-js'

export const stitchdb = createClient(
  process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STITCHDB_URL!,
  process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STITCHDB_ANON_KEY!,
  { auth: { flowType: 'pkce' } },
)

Sign in with GitHub. The PKCE flow returns a one-time code instead of tokens in the URL:

await stitchdb.auth.signInWithOAuth({
  provider: 'github',
  options: { redirectTo: 'https://example.com/auth/callback' },
})

// on /auth/callback
await stitchdb.auth.exchangeCodeForSession(
  new URL(location.href).searchParams.get('code')!,
)

Add the callback URL to the project's redirect URLs. Then let the database do the authorization:

create table public.notes (
  id bigint generated always as identity primary key,
  user_id uuid not null default auth.uid() references auth.users on delete cascade,
  body text not null
);
alter table public.notes enable row level security;

create policy "own notes" on public.notes
  for all to authenticated
  using (user_id = auth.uid())
  with check (user_id = auth.uid());

In a route handler, forward the user's token so the same policy applies on the server:

import { createClient } from 'stitchdb-js'

export async function GET(request: Request) {
  const db = createClient(process.env.STITCHDB_URL!, process.env.STITCHDB_ANON_KEY!, {
    global: { headers: { Authorization: request.headers.get('Authorization') ?? '' } },
    auth: { persistSession: false },
  })
  const { data: { user } } = await db.auth.getUser()
  if (!user) return Response.json({ error: 'Sign in first' }, { status: 401 })
  const { data } = await db.from('notes').select('*')
  return Response.json(data)
}

For the full walkthrough, see Next.js backend.

#Who should pick what

• You want zero vendors and full control: Better Auth.
• You have a working NextAuth app: keep Auth.js for now and plan a move.
• You want the best prebuilt UI and B2B org features: Clerk.
• You already use Supabase or need US or Asian regions: Supabase Auth.
• Your app is on Firebase or mostly mobile: Firebase Authentication.
• You want Postgres, auth and data rules in one EU-hosted project: StitchDB.

#FAQ

#Is NextAuth still maintained?

The Auth.js site says the project is now part of Better Auth and offers a migration guide. Existing apps keep working, but new projects are pointed to Better Auth.

#Can I use Clerk or Auth.js with a Postgres backend like StitchDB?

Yes. You would sync users into your database and pass identity to your queries yourself. Most teams that pick a Postgres backend use its built-in auth so that Row Level Security policies can read the user from the token directly.

#Is Proxy (middleware) enough to protect pages in Next.js?

No. The Next.js docs recommend Proxy only for optimistic redirects. Check the session again where data is read or written, or let database policies enforce it.

#Which Next.js auth option is cheapest at 100,000 users?

The self-run libraries have no per-user fee, only your hosting. Among hosted options, as of November 2026, StitchDB Pro includes 100,000 MAU for $15.99/month and Supabase Pro includes 100,000 MAU from $25/month.

Try auth, Postgres and policies together: create a free StitchDB project.