Happy Valley

Better Auth

Framework-agnostic TypeScript authentication

Better Auth is a security & identity tool for Developers, offered as open source ($20/mo). Based in United States, founded in 2024. Popular alternatives include Auth0, Clerk, Snyk.

About Better Auth

Better Auth is an open-source authentication and authorization library for TypeScript, distributed under the MIT license. Instead of sending users to a hosted identity service, it runs inside your own backend and stores users, sessions and accounts in your own database through adapters for Drizzle, Prisma, Kysely, MongoDB and plain SQL drivers. It is framework-agnostic, with integrations for Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, Hono, Express and others, and typed clients for React, Vue, Svelte, Solid and vanilla JavaScript.

The core covers email and password, social OAuth providers and session management; a plugin system adds two-factor authentication, passkeys, magic links, email OTP, username login, organizations with teams and roles, admin tools, multi-session, API keys, JWT, an OIDC provider and more. A CLI generates the schema and migrations each plugin needs. The library is free with no per-user pricing; an optional managed service (free Starter, $20/month Pro) adds a dashboard.

Better Auth suits TypeScript teams that want control over user data and login flows without writing auth from scratch. The trade-off is responsibility: you handle hosting, security updates and email delivery, and the core ships no prebuilt UI components. Clerk and Auth0 provide hosted UI, dashboards and enterprise SSO for a per-user fee; Supabase Auth is convenient if you already use Supabase; Auth.js (NextAuth) is the older open-source option with fewer built-in features.

The project grew quickly in 2024 and 2025 as Lucia was deprecated.

Key features of Better Auth

  • Email/password, OAuth, magic link, passkeys and OTP
  • Plugins: organizations, teams, 2FA, admin, multi-session, API keys
  • Database adapters for Drizzle, Prisma, Kysely and more
  • Framework integrations: Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Hono, Express
  • Typed client hooks for React, Vue and Svelte
  • Rate limiting, session management and CLI migrations

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and MIT licensed; you own user data
  • Comprehensive plugin set rivals hosted providers
  • Excellent TypeScript DX
  • No per-MAU costs ever

Cons

  • You host and secure it yourself
  • No prebuilt UI components (bring your own)
  • Younger project; APIs still evolving
  • Enterprise SAML requires plugins or external IdP

Better Auth pricing

Better Auth uses a open source model.

PlanPriceIncludes
Open source$0MIT library, self-hosted, no per-user fees
Starter$0Managed infra: 1 dashboard seat, 10k audit logs/mo
Pro$20 / moUnlimited seats, 20k audit logs/mo, 1 SSO connection
EnterpriseCustomCustom limits, log drain, Slack support

Source: www.better-auth.com · checked on Oct 20, 2026

Are you the maker of Better Auth?

Show a price-verified badge on your site. It displays when we last checked your prices on your own pricing page and links back to this page.

Embed code

<a href="https://happyvalley.dev/tools/better-auth"><img src="https://happyvalley.dev/api/badge/better-auth?v=price" alt="Prices verified on Happy Valley" height="32"></a>

How Better Auth compares in Security & identity

Rank by votes
#1 / 33

0 votes from members

Starting price
$20

At the category median of $20/mo

Free alternatives
4

Free or open-source tools in Security & identity

Better Auth ranks #1 of 33 security & identity tools by community votes and is priced in line with the category.

Common use cases

  1. 1Next.js SaaS wanting auth tables in its own Postgres
  2. 2Startup avoiding per-user auth bills
  3. 3Multi-tenant app with organizations and roles
  4. 4Developer who wants full control of login flows

Best for

TypeScript developers who want complete ownership and flexibility without paying per user.

Not ideal for

Teams that want hosted UI and zero maintenance (Clerk) or heavy enterprise SSO today (Auth0).

Integrations

  • Next.js
  • Nuxt
  • SvelteKit
  • Remix
  • Hono
  • Express
  • Drizzle
  • Prisma
  • Kysely
  • Any Postgres/MySQL/SQLite

Our take

Better Auth is the best open-source auth for TypeScript apps and is what this directory itself runs on. Choose Clerk only if prebuilt UI and managed hosting matter more than ownership.

FAQ

What is Better Auth?
Better Auth is a Security & identity tool: Framework-agnostic TypeScript authentication.
How much does Better Auth cost?
Better Auth is Open source; there is no mandatory paid plan.
What are the best alternatives to Better Auth?
Community-listed alternatives to Better Auth include Auth0, Clerk, Snyk, Cloudflare.
What does Better Auth integrate with?
Better Auth integrates with Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Remix, Hono, Express and more.
Which platforms does Better Auth support?
Better Auth is available on web.
Who is Better Auth for?
TypeScript developers who want complete ownership and flexibility without paying per user.

Alternatives to Better Auth

See all 10
  • Auth0

    ▲ 0

    Identity platform for applications

    Freemium · $35Developers

    checked Oct 20

  • Clerk

    ▲ 0

    Drop-in authentication and user management

    Freemium · $25Developers

    checked Oct 20

  • Snyk

    ▲ 0

    Developer security for code and dependencies

    Freemium · $25Developers

    checked Oct 20

  • CDN, DNS, WAF and edge platform

    Freemium · $5Developers

    checked Oct 20

  • GitLab

    ▲ 0

    DevSecOps platform with Git hosting, CI/CD, security scans and AI

    Freemium · $29Developers

    checked Oct 20

  • Policy checks on AI coding agent tools, before the command runs

    FreemiumDevelopers

More Security & identity tools

See all 33
  • HR, IT and finance in one system

    Paid · $8Small businesses

    checked Oct 20

  • Veeam

    ▲ 0

    Backup, recovery and ransomware resilience for VMs, cloud and SaaS

    FreemiumEnterprise

    checked Oct 20

  • Encrypted file sync for businesses

    PaidEnterprise

    checked Oct 20

  • Vanta

    ▲ 0

    Automated SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR compliance

    PaidSmall businesses

    checked Oct 20

  • AI-driven observability and app security for large cloud estates

    PaidEnterprise

    checked Oct 20

  • Open-source password manager

    Open source · $2Freelancers

    checked Oct 20

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share real experience.

    Sign in to write a review.