clerk
Niche
Version 0.8.3
49
FairCouchDB library for Node and the browser
- Weekly Downloads
- 1.1K
↑12%
- Bundle (gzip)
- 0 B
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
20
Popularity
40
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
Clerk vs Next-auth
Side-by-side NPM package comparison
next-auth
Very Popular
Version 4.24.13
73
GoodAuthentication for Next.js
- Weekly Downloads
- 3.6M
↑35%
- Bundle (gzip)
- 241.3 KB
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
60
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 3.6M weekly downloads — roughly 3395.9x 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 0 B. Next-auth comes in at 241.3 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 73/100 (good), with strong security, popularity scores. Clerk has an overall health score of 49/100 (moderate), with strong 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 strong security track record. Choose Next-auth if you value large community support, 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 (73/100), 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 49/100 while Next-auth scores 73/100. Next-auth has more weekly downloads (3.6M), 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 0 B. 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 3.6M 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 73/100. Clerk has a maintenance score of 20/100 and Next-auth scores 60/100 on maintenance.