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Government · head to head

Accela vs Clerk

Accela logo

Accela

Government

Civic Solutions for Modern Government

From
$800/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Clerk logo

Clerk

Cybersecurity

Drop-in user authentication and management for developers

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Clerk has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Accela pricing not publicly available; requires sales consultation and government procurement process; Clerk pricing scales with monthly retained users, which can grow expensive quickly for consumer apps with large user bases.
  • They diverge on capability: Accela covers Building Permits, Clerk covers Prebuilt UI components.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Accela and Clerk actually diverge.

Attributes where Accela and Clerk differ
AttributeAccelaClerk
Starting price$800/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebweb, ios, android, api
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded1999Unknown

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

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 Accela

  • Building Permits
  • Business Licenses
  • Code Enforcement
  • Planning & Zoning
  • Environmental Health
  • Esri ArcGIS
  • Bluebeam
  • DocuSign

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.

Accela

  • Citizen Servicesnot Clerk
  • Records Managementnot Clerk
  • Public Safetynot Clerk
  • Civic Engagementnot Clerk

Clerk

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

Where each one falls short

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

Accela

  • Pricing not publicly available; requires sales consultation and government procurement process
  • Significant upfront implementation costs typical of enterprise government software
  • Complex deployment requiring significant customization for different agency workflows

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

Accela

$800/month
  • Civic Platform$800/month
    • Permitting
    • Licensing
    • Code Enforcement

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 Accela if

  • You need building permits.
  • You also want business licenses.
Accela 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 Accela or Clerk better?
Neither clearly leads. Accela starts at $800/month and Clerk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Accela or Clerk?
Clerk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $800/month for Accela and Free for Clerk.
Does Accela or Clerk run on more platforms?
Accela runs on 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. Accela starts at $800/month.
What is Accela best used for?
Accela is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what Clerk is typically brought in for.
What can Accela do that Clerk cannot?
Accela covers Building Permits, Business Licenses, Code Enforcement, Planning & Zoning. Clerk covers Prebuilt UI components, Organization management, Multi-factor authentication, Social sign-on.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Accela: What government functions does Accela's Civic Platform cover?

Accela provides solutions for permitting (building, planning, zoning), licensing (business, occupational, alcohol), public health (environmental health, fire prevention), asset management, and citizen services (complaints, requests).

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
Accela: Does Accela include AI capabilities?

Yes. Accela offers CivicAI, described as AI built for government rather than adapted from commercial solutions, with emphasis on explainability and auditability for regulatory compliance.

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
Accela: Can Accela handle multiple department reviews simultaneously?

Yes. Accela's building permitting module enables concurrent multi-department review where fire, planning, public works, and utilities departments review applications simultaneously, with real-time tracking of annotations and approvals.

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
Accela: How many government agencies use Accela?

Accela serves 900+ government agencies globally, including over 50% of top U.S. cities and counties.

Source
Accela: Does Accela publish its pricing?

No. Accela does not publish pricing on its website. Costs are custom-quoted based on agency size, modules deployed, and integration needs, typically through government procurement processes.

Source
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