Side-by-side comparison · Databases & Backend
Clerk vs Railway vs Supabase
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone building a web or mobile app who needs user accounts and logins without writing them from scratch.
Pick it if: Builders and small teams who need to host an app, API, bot or database without managing servers.
Pick it if: Anyone building an app with AI tools who needs somewhere real to keep user accounts and data.
Clerk scores highest overall, but Supabase gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Clerk | Railway | Supabase |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Ready-made sign-up, login and user accounts you can add to an app in minutes. | Hosts your app and its database in a few clicks, and charges only for what it uses. | A ready-made database, logins and file storage for apps you build with AI tools. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $0 | From $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Clerk | Railway | Supabase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Clerk | Railway | Supabase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | No | No |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | No | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | – | No |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | – | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | – | – |
| Capabilities score | 6/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Clerk | Railway | Supabase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Hobby Free New apps and side projects. | Free $0, after a 30-day trial with $5 credit Trying it out. | Free Free Prototypes, side projects and seeing if it suits you. |
ProOur pick $20/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Apps with paying customers. | HobbyOur pick $5/mo, includes $5 of usage Side projects and small business tools. | ProOur pick From $25/mo Anything real people will use. | |
Business $250/mo billed yearly, or $300 monthly Growing companies that need compliance paperwork. | Pro $20/mo, includes $20 of usage Production apps and teams. | Team From $599/mo Companies that need SSO and compliance paperwork. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with strict security needs. | Enterprise Custom Companies with compliance needs. | Enterprise Custom Large products with uptime guarantees. | |
| Which plan to pick | Build on Hobby. It's enough until you have customers who care about the Clerk branding or need multi-factor login, then move to Pro. Business only matters when a customer asks for a SOC 2 report. | Use the trial to get your app running, then move to Hobby. Many small apps stay within its included $5. Switch to Pro when a team works on it or it needs more power, and set a usage limit either way. | Build on Free. Switch to Pro the day you share the app with anyone outside your team, mostly so the project stops pausing. Team is a big jump that only makes sense once a client or auditor asks for SSO or a SOC 2 report. |
Key features
| Attribute | Clerk | Railway | Supabase |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Clerk | Railway | Supabase |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Clerk | Railway | Supabase |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Clerk, Railway or Supabase?
Clerk scores highest overall in our ratings (Clerk 4.4/5, Railway 4.0/5 and Supabase 4.3/5). Clerk is best for adding sign-up and login to an app and Google, Apple and passwordless sign-in. Railway is best for hosting an app with a database in one place and self-hosting tools like n8n from a template. Supabase is best for backend for AI-built apps and user logins and permissions.
Which is cheaper, Clerk, Railway or Supabase?
Clerk: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Railway: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Supabase: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $25/mo.
Which is easier to use, Clerk, Railway or Supabase?
Clerk rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone building a web or mobile app who needs user accounts and logins without writing them from scratch.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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