Is 1Password or Clerk better?

Neither clearly leads. 1Password starts at $2.99/month and Clerk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, 1Password or Clerk?

Clerk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2.99/month for 1Password and Free for Clerk.

Does 1Password or Clerk run on more platforms?

1Password runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web. Clerk runs on web, ios, android, api.

Can I use Clerk for free?

Yes. Clerk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 1Password starts at $2.99/month.

What is 1Password best used for?

1Password is most often used for password management, secure document storage, team credential sharing, identity protection. Of those, password management and secure document storage are not what Clerk is typically brought in for.

What can 1Password do that Clerk cannot?

1Password covers Password generator, Autofill, Secure notes, Credit card storage. Clerk covers Prebuilt UI components, Organization management, Multi-factor authentication, Social sign-on.

Cybersecurity · head to head

1Password vs Clerk

1Password

Cybersecurity

The world's most-loved password manager

From: $2.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Clerk

Cybersecurity

Drop-in user authentication and management for developers

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Clerk has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: 1Password no free tier; all plans require paid subscription; Clerk pricing scales with monthly retained users, which can grow expensive quickly for consumer apps with large user bases.
They diverge on capability: 1Password covers Password generator, Clerk covers Prebuilt UI components.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 1Password and Clerk actually diverge.

Attributes where 1Password and Clerk differ
Attribute	1Password	Clerk
Starting price	$2.99/month	Free
Pricing model	Unknown	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web	web, ios, android, api
Founded	2006	Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 1Password

Password generator
Autofill
Secure notes
Credit card storage
Document storage
Two-factor authentication
Watchtower security alerts
Travel mode

Only in Clerk

Prebuilt UI components
Organization management
Multi-factor authentication
Social sign-on
Billing
Enterprise connections

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

1Password

Password managementnot Clerk
Secure document storagenot Clerk
Team credential sharingnot Clerk
Identity protectionnot Clerk
Compliance managementnot Clerk

Clerk

Adding sign-in and user profiles to a web or mobile app quicklynot 1Password
B2B SaaS apps needing organizations and role-based accessnot 1Password
Startups wanting prebuilt UI instead of building auth in-housenot 1Password
Apps needing MFA and fraud detection out of the boxnot 1Password

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

1Password

No free tier; all plans require paid subscription
Offline access requires prior device sync; cannot add new passwords while offline
Enterprise plan does not include free trial access

Clerk

Pricing scales with monthly retained users, which can grow expensive quickly for consumer apps with large user bases.
Enterprise SSO connections beyond the first are billed as add-ons, adding cost for larger organizations.
The Business tier's extra dashboard seats cost $20/month each, which adds up for larger teams.
Enterprise-tier features like the 99.99% uptime SLA require annual contracts rather than flexible monthly billing.

Pricing, plan by plan

1Password

$2.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the 1Password review.

Clerk

Free

HobbyFree
- 50,000 MRU limit per app
- Up to 3 dashboard seats
- Unlimited applications
Pro$25/month
- 50,000 MRUs included, $0.02/MRU overage
- Up to 3 dashboard seats
- 1 Enterprise Connection included
Business$300/month
- 50,000 MRUs included with volume pricing
- 10 dashboard seats included
- SOC2 report and priority support
Enterprise$undefined/month
- Custom pricing, annual billing
- 99.99% uptime SLA
- HIPAA available, dedicated Slack channel

Which should you pick?

Choose 1Password if

You need password generator.
You work on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web.
You also want autofill.

1Password review

Choose Clerk if

You need prebuilt ui components.
You want to start without paying.
You work on web, ios, android, api.
You also want organization management.

Clerk review

Questions people ask

Is 1Password or Clerk better?: Neither clearly leads. 1Password starts at $2.99/month and Clerk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 1Password or Clerk?: Clerk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2.99/month for 1Password and Free for Clerk.
Does 1Password or Clerk run on more platforms?: 1Password runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web. Clerk runs on web, ios, android, api.
Can I use Clerk for free?: Yes. Clerk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 1Password starts at $2.99/month.
What is 1Password best used for?: 1Password is most often used for password management, secure document storage, team credential sharing, identity protection. Of those, password management and secure document storage are not what Clerk is typically brought in for.
What can 1Password do that Clerk cannot?: 1Password covers Password generator, Autofill, Secure notes, Credit card storage. Clerk covers Prebuilt UI components, Organization management, Multi-factor authentication, Social sign-on.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

1Password: Does 1Password offer a free tier?

No. 1Password offers no free tier as of July 2026, but provides a 14-day free trial with no credit card required for all plans except Enterprise.

Source

Clerk: What does Clerk cost?

Clerk's Hobby plan is free with a 50,000 MRU limit; Pro is $25/month ($20/month billed annually), Business is $300/month ($250 annually), and Enterprise uses custom annual pricing.

Source

1Password: Can I access 1Password offline?

Yes. The desktop app allows for offline access to your vault once you have synced your passwords to the device.

Source

Clerk: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?

Yes, the Hobby plan is free with a 50,000 monthly retained user (MRU) limit per app, up to 3 dashboard seats, and unlimited applications, with no credit card required.

Source

1Password: What is the pricing for individuals and families?

Individual plan costs 2.99 USD per month or 35.88 USD annually. Families plan costs 59.88 USD per year and includes five licenses with the ability to add more for 1 USD per month each.

Source

Clerk: How is usage metered?

Clerk meters by monthly retained users (MRUs) — users who return to the app at least a day after signing up — with overage billed at $0.02 per MRU beyond the included 50,000 on paid plans.

Source

1Password: What platforms does 1Password support?

1Password is available on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, with browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Safari.

Source

1Password vs Clerk

1Password

Clerk

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in 1Password

Only in Clerk

What people use each for

1Password

Clerk

Where each one falls short

1Password

Clerk

Pricing, plan by plan

1Password

Clerk

Which should you pick?

Choose 1Password if

Choose Clerk if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on 1Password

More on Clerk

Keep looking

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