Better Auth vs SuperTokens
Pricing
Better Auth: Free and open source (MIT); optional managed dashboard from $20/mo
SuperTokens: Free self-hosted, managed from $0 (up to 5k MAU)
Description
Better Auth: Open-source TypeScript authentication framework that runs inside your app and stores users in your own database
SuperTokens: Open-source authentication you can self-host for free or use their managed service
Pros
- Free under the MIT licence; you pay only if you want the optional managed dashboard
- Works across frameworks and lets you bring your own database
- Plugins add OAuth providers and security features such as rate limiting, bot detection and breached-password checks
- Fully open source (Apache 2.0): inspect every line, fork it, no vendor lock-in
- Self-hosted option means zero recurring cost for auth, ever
- Pre-built login UI with session management, MFA, and social login
Cons
- Built for TypeScript projects only
- It runs inside your own app, so updates and security patches are your job, unlike hosted services such as Clerk or Auth0
- The free Starter dashboard keeps audit logs for one day and caps them at 10,000 a month
- Self-hosting requires running a Java backend service alongside your app
- Smaller community and fewer integrations compared to Auth0 or Clerk
- Documentation covers the basics but thins out for advanced customization
Details
Better Auth is a library, not a hosted service. You install it in your TypeScript app, point it at your own database, and it handles sign-in and OAuth providers, with plugins for the extras. Your users stay in your database, and the framework itself costs nothing.
It suits developer founders who want to own their auth without writing it from scratch. The team also took over Auth.js (formerly NextAuth.js), and Better Auth’s site announces that it is joining Vercel.
The paid part is an optional managed dashboard with audit logs, security detections, transactional email and SMS, and single sign-on. Starter is free with one seat; Pro is $20/month plus usage.
SuperTokens is an open-source auth provider that gives you a real alternative to paying per-user fees. Self-host the SuperTokens core (a Java service) alongside your app, and you get email/password, social login, passwordless, session management, and MFA without paying anyone anything. The managed version is free up to 5,000 MAU if you do not want to run infrastructure.
The tradeoff is operational complexity. Self-hosting means you own the auth infrastructure: updates, monitoring, backups. The core service runs on Java, which adds a dependency some teams would rather avoid. If you are building a product where long-term auth costs matter (high user count, thin margins), SuperTokens can save you thousands per year. If you just want auth working in an afternoon and do not mind paying Clerk or Auth0 later, those are faster to set up.
Better Auth verified
SuperTokens verified
