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Cloud · head to head

Anyscale vs Clerk

Anyscale logo

Anyscale

Cloud

Platform for scaling AI and data workloads on Ray, built by Ray's creators

From
Free
Rated
-
Clerk logo

Clerk

Cybersecurity

Drop-in user authentication and management for developers

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Anyscale pricing for high-end H100/B200-class GPUs is not published and requires contacting sales.; Clerk pricing scales with monthly retained users, which can grow expensive quickly for consumer apps with large user bases.
  • They diverge on capability: Anyscale covers Distributed model training, Clerk covers Prebuilt UI components.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Anyscale and Clerk actually diverge.

Attributes where Anyscale and Clerk differ
AttributeAnyscaleClerk
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
Platformsweb, apiweb, ios, android, api
CategoryCloudCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Anyscale

  • Distributed model training
  • Multimodal data curation
  • Batch embedding generation
  • Multi-cloud orchestration
  • Governance and security
  • Observability
  • Bring-your-own-cloud deployment
  • Elastic GPU allocation

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.

Anyscale

  • Training large models on distributed GPU clustersnot Clerk
  • Running batch inference and embedding jobsnot Clerk
  • Preparing multimodal datasets at scalenot Clerk
  • Post-training LLMs with reinforcement learning frameworksnot Clerk

Clerk

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

Where each one falls short

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

Anyscale

  • Pricing for high-end H100/B200-class GPUs is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • Built around Ray, so teams not already using Ray face a steeper adoption curve than single-purpose inference APIs.
  • No published fixed-fee subscription tier; all listed pricing is usage-based on-demand compute.

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

Anyscale

Free
  • Pay-as-you-go$undefined/mo
    • CPU only from $0.0135/hr
    • NVIDIA T4 $0.5682/hr
    • NVIDIA L4 $0.9542/hr
  • Committed contract$undefined/mo
    • Volume discounts
    • Use of existing GPU reservations

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 Anyscale if

  • You need distributed model training.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want multimodal data curation.

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.

Questions people ask

Is Anyscale or Clerk better?
Neither clearly leads. Anyscale starts at Free and Clerk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Anyscale or Clerk?
Anyscale starts at Free and Clerk at Free.
Does Anyscale or Clerk run on more platforms?
Anyscale runs on web, api. Clerk runs on web, ios, android, api.
Can I use Anyscale for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Anyscale best used for?
Anyscale is most often used for training large models on distributed gpu clusters, running batch inference and embedding jobs, preparing multimodal datasets at scale, post-training llms with reinforcement learning frameworks. Of those, training large models on distributed gpu clusters and running batch inference and embedding jobs are not what Clerk is typically brought in for.
What can Anyscale do that Clerk cannot?
Anyscale covers Distributed model training, Multimodal data curation, Batch embedding generation, Multi-cloud orchestration. Clerk covers Prebuilt UI components, Organization management, Multi-factor authentication, Social sign-on.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Anyscale: How much does Anyscale cost?

Anyscale bills on a pay-as-you-go basis: CPU compute starts at $0.0135/hr, NVIDIA T4 at $0.5682/hr, and NVIDIA A100 at $4.9591/hr, with committed contracts offering volume discounts for larger workloads.

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
Anyscale: Is there a free trial or credit?

New users receive $100 in Anyscale credits to explore the platform, which can be applied toward starter templates and on-demand compute usage.

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
Anyscale: How is usage billed?

Hosted usage is billed hourly per compute instance type and invoiced monthly by credit card; bring-your-own-cloud usage is invoiced through Anyscale or the customer's cloud marketplace account.

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
Anyscale: What support is included?

Hosted plans include business-hours support with up to 5 case submissions, while bring-your-own-cloud deployments get 24x7 enterprise SLAs and unlimited case submissions.

Source
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