Can I use Clerk for auth and StackBE for billing?

Technically possible but not recommended. You'd have two identity systems to keep in sync—Clerk users and StackBE customers. The main benefit of StackBE is unified identity and billing. If you want Clerk's auth, pair it with Stripe directly rather than adding StackBE.

Why doesn't StackBE have pre-built UI components like Clerk?

StackBE focuses on being an API/backend. Auth UI (an email input for magic links) is typically simple enough to build in your app's design system. The complexity in SaaS is the backend—subscriptions, entitlements, webhooks—not the login form.

Is Clerk's free tier better than StackBE?

Clerk offers 10K MAU free for auth. But for a SaaS, you also need billing (Stripe fees) and likely something for entitlements. StackBE bundles auth + billing + entitlements, so compare total cost, not just auth cost. A free auth tier with paid billing infrastructure may cost more overall.

What if I need social login that StackBE doesn't support?

If social login (Google, GitHub, etc.) is essential for your user experience, Clerk or Auth0 is a better fit for auth. You'd then use Stripe for billing and build the connection between them. StackBE is opinionated toward magic link authentication.

How does organization support compare?

Both support organizations/teams. Clerk focuses on auth within orgs (who can access what org). StackBE extends to billing—organizations can have subscriptions, and entitlements flow to all members. If you need org-level billing (common in B2B SaaS), StackBE handles this natively.

StackBE vs Clerk: Do You Need Separate Auth and Billing?

Feature	Clerk	StackBE
Pre-built Auth UI	Beautiful	API only
Magic Links
Social Login
Passkeys
Billing		Built-in
Entitlements
Organizations
Org-level Billing
Next.js Integration	Deep	Standard
Free Tier	10K MAU	Trial

What is Clerk?

Clerk is a developer-focused authentication platform known for its beautiful pre-built UI components and excellent developer experience. Founded in 2020, it's become popular in the React/Next.js ecosystem.

Clerk provides:

Pre-built auth UI components (sign-in, sign-up, user profile)

Multiple auth methods (passwords, social, magic links, passkeys)

User management

Organization/team support

Session management

React, Next.js, and other framework integrations

Clerk excels at making auth "just work" with minimal code and great UX.

What is StackBE?

StackBE is a SaaS backend combining authentication, subscription management, and entitlements. It's built for SaaS applications where knowing what a user paid for is as important as knowing who they are.

StackBE provides:

Magic link authentication

Subscription management via Stripe Connect

Entitlements tied to plans

Customer organizations (B2B support)

Usage tracking

Customer portal

The Developer Experience Question

Clerk is beloved for its DX. Drop-in components, sensible defaults, everything works beautifully.

But for a SaaS application, auth is only part of the story. After authentication, you need to answer:

What plan is this user on?

What features can they access?

Have they exceeded their usage limits?

Is their payment current?

Clerk doesn't answer these questions. You need Stripe (and integration code) for that.

Key Differences

Pre-built UI

Clerk: Beautiful, customizable sign-in/sign-up components. Drop in and go. Handles edge cases, error states, loading states.

StackBE: Provides API for magic link auth. You build the UI (a simple email input and confirmation screen). Less polished out-of-box, more control.

If shipping speed with polished auth UI matters most, Clerk has an advantage here.

Auth Methods

Clerk: Passwords, social providers (Google, GitHub, etc.), magic links, passkeys. Full spectrum.

StackBE: Magic links only. Opinionated toward passwordless.

If you need social login or passkey support, Clerk offers more flexibility.

Billing Integration

Clerk: None. You integrate Stripe separately. Then you write code to connect Clerk users to Stripe customers. And code to check subscription status when controlling feature access.

StackBE: Built-in. Subscriptions, entitlements, and auth are one system. When a customer logs in, you know their subscription status and what features they can access.

Organizations / B2B

Clerk: Organizations feature allows multi-tenant apps. Users can belong to multiple organizations. Solid B2B support.

StackBE: Customer Organizations with member management, roles, and organization-level subscriptions. Built for B2B SaaS billing scenarios.

Both handle B2B, but StackBE connects organizations to billing (org-level subscriptions, shared entitlements).

Pricing

Clerk: Free up to 10,000 monthly active users. Pro plan at $25/month for 1,000 MAU, then usage-based.

Plus Stripe fees for billing.

StackBE: Flat monthly fee for auth + billing + entitlements. Plus Stripe processing fees.

Framework Integration

Clerk: Deep Next.js integration with middleware, server components support, and React hooks. Also supports Remix, Expo, and others.

StackBE: Framework-agnostic API with TypeScript SDK. Works anywhere, but you handle framework integration.

When to Choose Clerk

Clerk is the right choice when:

Beautiful drop-in auth UI is a priority

You need multiple auth methods (social, passkeys)

You have billing solved elsewhere and just need auth

You're building primarily in Next.js and want tight integration

The Clerk + Stripe setup is acceptable

When to Choose StackBE

StackBE is better when:

Auth and billing need to be connected (most SaaS)

Magic links are acceptable as your auth method

You want entitlements tied to subscription status

You'd rather integrate one system than two

You're comfortable building your own auth UI

The Integration Reality

Using Clerk + Stripe for a SaaS:

1. Set up Clerk

2. Set up Stripe

3. Create Stripe customer when user signs up

4. Store Stripe customer ID in Clerk metadata

5. Handle Stripe webhooks to update subscription state

6. Query both Clerk (identity) and Stripe (billing) when checking access

7. Sync data when things change in either system

Using StackBE:

1. Set up StackBE

2. Users authenticate and billing is already connected

3. Query one API for identity, subscription, and entitlements

The difference is operational complexity over the lifetime of your application.

The Bottom Line

Clerk is a fantastic auth product. If you're evaluating auth providers in isolation, it's hard to beat.

But SaaS applications don't exist in isolation. Auth leads to billing, billing leads to entitlements. The question isn't "which auth is best?" but "what's the best way to handle auth + billing + entitlements together?"

If you're okay building the Clerk + Stripe integration, Clerk is a great choice for the auth portion. If you'd rather have one system handling all three, StackBE simplifies the architecture.

For more on this tradeoff, see our analysis of Stripe Billing alternatives.

StackBE vs Clerk