Database & auth
Better Auth
Open-source TypeScript authentication library that lives in your app, with plugins for sessions, social login, and organizations.
Pricing as seen
The framework is open source. Hosted dashboard and enterprise plans: See site.
Checked 16 Oct 2026. Prices change. Confirm on the vendor site before you buy.
Pricing sourceUpdated
16 Oct 2026
Added
16 Oct 2026
Supported builders
You need to own the server code. That fits Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, v0, and Replit. Dropping it into a locked Lovable or Bolt auth flow is possible only if you can replace the auth they generated.
What it is
Better Auth is a framework you configure in code. The homepage describes composable auth: email and password, social providers, two-factor, passkeys, organizations, and plugins, across Next.js and other frameworks. The line they use is that auth lives inside your app rather than in a dashboard you click through.
There is also a hosted infrastructure offering for a dashboard, audit logs, and enterprise features. The library itself is the part most AI-built apps would start with. Neon’s own auth is built on it, so you may already be adjacent to it.
Best for: A TypeScript codebase that should keep authentication in version control instead of a hosted user dashboard.
Watch-outs
- Secrets, cookie settings, and the email provider are your job. The library does not host them for the open-source setup.
- An agent can misconfigure a plugin as easily as it can misconfigure RLS. Read the auth file before you ship.
Our take
Opinion from ShipSafeStack. Not a score, not a certification, and not a sponsorship.
Pick this when you want auth in the repository an agent can read, review, and diff. You take on more operational work than with Clerk: email delivery, session storage, and secret handling are yours. That is the point, and it is also the risk.