# State of AI Search: Auth - October 2026

> We asked ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview 20 questions about auth providers and analyzed 817 answers. Clerk leads with 73% visibility.

- **Published:** October 8, 2026
- **Assistants:** ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview
- **Coverage:** 20 prompts, 817 answers, 15 tracked brands, 439 cited domains
- **Data:** [data.csv](https://www.usenotra.com/state-of-ai-search/auth/2026-10/data.csv?ntr=iFc47ag_OvBjTd9l)

## Key findings

- Clerk and Auth0 are neck and neck: 73% and 72% on average across the assistants.
- Clerk is also named first most often, in 29% of answers on average across the assistants.
- Claude names 7.5 tracked brands per answer, Perplexity only 2.6.
- The assistants agree on the brand to name first for 20% of prompts.
- Google showed an AI Overview for 94% of the prompts we checked.

## Visibility ranking

Visibility is the share of answers that name the brand. Named first is the share that name it before any other tracked brand, own site cited the share that link to the brand's own domain. All three are averaged across the assistants, so each assistant counts the same however many answers it gave.

| # | Brand | Visibility | Named first | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini | Perplexity | AI Overview | Own site cited |
| ---: | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1 | [Clerk](https://clerk.com) | **73%** | 29% | 74% | 90% | 85% | 62% | 53% | 35% |
| 2 | [Auth0](https://auth0.com) | **72%** | 16% | 67% | 89% | 80% | 56% | 71% | 27% |
| 3 | [WorkOS](https://workos.com) | **54%** | 14% | 60% | 70% | 60% | 35% | 47% | 30% |
| 4 | [Supabase Auth](https://supabase.com) | **50%** | 10% | 45% | 68% | 68% | 37% | 35% | 14% |
| 5 | [Firebase Authentication](https://firebase.google.com) | **44%** | 6% | 38% | 65% | 53% | 28% | 35% | 10% |
| 6 | [Keycloak](https://keycloak.org) | **37%** | 6% | 19% | 65% | 43% | 12% | 47% | 4% |
| 7 | [Okta](https://okta.com) | **34%** | 1% | 9% | 38% | 64% | 5% | 53% | 1% |
| 8 | [Better Auth](https://better-auth.com) | **25%** | 6% | 21% | 48% | 31% | 8% | 18% | 5% |
| 9 | [Stytch](https://stytch.com) | **23%** | 1% | 24% | 39% | 42% | 4% | 6% | 9% |
| 10 | [Amazon Cognito](https://aws.amazon.com) | **22%** | 2% | 20% | 49% | 19% | 6% | 18% | 5% |
| 11 | [Auth.js](https://authjs.dev) | **15%** | 0% | 11% | 23% | 28% | 8% | 6% | 5% |
| 12 | [FusionAuth](https://fusionauth.io) | **13%** | 0% | 10% | 32% | 3% | 2% | 18% | 6% |
| 13 | [Kinde](https://kinde.com) | **12%** | 2% | 1% | 28% | 31% | 1% | 0% | 8% |
| 14 | [SuperTokens](https://supertokens.com) | **12%** | 0% | 3% | 23% | 22% | 1% | 12% | 10% |
| 15 | [Descope](https://descope.com) | **11%** | 0% | 13% | 31% | 8% | 0% | 6% | 10% |

## By assistant

| Assistant | Model | Answers | Brands per answer | Sources per answer |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| ChatGPT | `openai/gpt-5.6-sol` | 200 | 4.1 | 16.5 |
| Claude | `anthropic/claude-opus-5.5` | 200 | 7.5 | 9 |
| Gemini | `google/gemini-3.8-flash` | 200 | 6.3 | 4.4 |
| Perplexity | `perplexity/sonar` | 200 | 2.6 | 15 |
| AI Overview | `google/ai-overview` | 17 | 4.2 | 7.7 |

## Prompts

The 20 questions we asked, with the brand named first most often and the others that came up.

| # | Prompt | Named first | Also named |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | auth0 alternatives that are cheaper | **Auth0** | Supabase Auth, Clerk, WorkOS, Firebase Authentication, +10 more |
| 2 | best authentication provider for saas | **Clerk** | WorkOS, Auth0, Supabase Auth, Stytch, +9 more |
| 3 | which auth provider is best for b2b saas with sso | **WorkOS** | Clerk, Auth0, Okta, Stytch, +9 more |
| 4 | cheapest auth provider for a startup with lots of users | **WorkOS** | Clerk, Supabase Auth, Firebase Authentication, Auth0, +9 more |
| 5 | best auth provider for a multi tenant app | **WorkOS** | Auth0, Clerk, Stytch, Okta, +9 more |
| 6 | which auth provider supports organizations and role based access | **Clerk** | Auth0, WorkOS, Stytch, Okta, +9 more |
| 7 | should i build my own auth or use a service | **Clerk** | Auth0, Supabase Auth, Firebase Authentication, WorkOS, +8 more |
| 8 | best auth provider with passkeys and mfa | **Clerk** | Auth0, WorkOS, Stytch, Descope, +8 more |
| 9 | best enterprise sso and scim provider for startups | **WorkOS** | Clerk, Stytch, Auth0, Okta, +7 more |
| 10 | which auth service has the best developer experience | **Clerk** | Auth0, Supabase Auth, WorkOS, Better Auth, +7 more |
| 11 | how do i add passwordless login without managing authentication servers | **Clerk** | Auth0, Firebase Authentication, Supabase Auth, Stytch, +7 more |
| 12 | clerk vs auth0 vs workos | **Clerk** | WorkOS, Auth0, Okta, FusionAuth, +6 more |
| 13 | best open source authentication library | **Better Auth** | Keycloak, Auth.js, SuperTokens, Auth0, +6 more |
| 14 | what auth should i use with supabase or firebase | **Supabase Auth** | Firebase Authentication, Clerk, Auth0, WorkOS, +6 more |
| 15 | best authentication service for a hobby project | **Clerk** | Supabase Auth, Firebase Authentication, Better Auth, Auth0, +6 more |
| 16 | easiest way to add authentication to a mobile app | **Firebase Authentication** | Supabase Auth, Clerk, Auth0, Okta, +5 more |
| 17 | i need to migrate existing users to a new auth provider | **Auth0** | Amazon Cognito, Firebase Authentication, Supabase Auth, Clerk, +5 more |
| 18 | what's the best auth for a next.js app | **Better Auth** | Clerk, Auth.js, Supabase Auth, WorkOS, +4 more |
| 19 | best self-hosted identity provider | **Keycloak** | Auth0, Okta, SuperTokens, Firebase Authentication, +1 more |
| 20 | how do i add login with google to my react app | **Firebase Authentication** | Supabase Auth, Auth0, Clerk, Auth.js |

## What the assistants say

### Clerk

> Clerk -- best if you want the fastest setup, polished hosted UI, organizations, and minimal maintenance.
>
> ChatGPT, asked "what's the best auth for a next.js app"

> Clerk: best developer experience for React and Next.js
>
> Claude, asked "clerk vs auth0 vs workos"

> Clerk has become the default recommendation for teams building modern, fast-moving SaaS applications using frameworks like Next.js, React, Remix, or Astro.
>
> Gemini, asked "best authentication provider for saas"

### Auth0

> Auth0 -- best for complex or legacy requirements: Mature federation, extensive identity-provider support, organizations and enterprise administration--but generally more complicated and potentially more expensive.
>
> ChatGPT, asked "best authentication provider for saas"

> Auth0 (Okta): best for complex or mixed requirements
>
> Claude, asked "which auth provider is best for b2b saas with sso"

> Auth0: best when you need a mature, configurable identity platform with broad authentication and security capabilities.
>
> Perplexity, asked "clerk vs auth0 vs workos"

### WorkOS

> WorkOS -- best for enterprise-first SaaS or existing auth: AuthKit is free for up to one million users, while SSO and directory-sync connections are separately priced.
>
> ChatGPT, asked "best authentication provider for saas"

> WorkOS is the default if you sell B2B SaaS to companies that require single sign-on (SSO) and SCIM user provisioning.
>
> Claude, asked "clerk vs auth0 vs workos"

> WorkOS AuthKit -- best for B2B SaaS and enterprise SSO.
>
> Perplexity, asked "best auth provider with passkeys and mfa"

### Supabase Auth

> Supabase Auth -- best budget option if you already use Supabase: Pro starts at $25/month and includes 100,000 MAUs, but its tenant and enterprise identity features are less turnkey.
>
> ChatGPT, asked "best authentication provider for saas"

> Supabase Auth comes second and is the best deal if you'd use Supabase as your database anyway.
>
> Claude, asked "cheapest auth provider for a startup with lots of users"

> Supabase Auth is a good default if you're using Postgres or want SQL-based access control.
>
> Perplexity, asked "what auth should i use with supabase or firebase"

### Firebase Authentication

> Firebase Authentication / Identity Platform -- best for mobile or Google Cloud
>
> ChatGPT, asked "auth0 alternatives that are cheaper"

> Firebase Authentication is the easy default for a consumer mobile app.
>
> Claude, asked "easiest way to add authentication to a mobile app"

> Firebase Authentication -- best for mobile-first apps already built around Firebase or Google Cloud.
>
> Perplexity, asked "best authentication provider for saas"

## Cited sources

The domains the assistants link to most, by share of answers that cite them at least once, averaged across the assistants.

| # | Domain | Cited in | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini | Perplexity | AI Overview | Top page |
| ---: | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | --- |
| 1 | [clerk.com](https://clerk.com) | **35%** | 70% | 24% | 10% | 67% | 6% | [Pricing -- Free Up to 50K Users \| Plans from $0/mo](https://clerk.com/pricing) |
| 2 | [workos.com](https://workos.com) | **30%** | 53% | 22% | 25% | 35% | 18% | [Pricing -- WorkOS](https://workos.com/pricing) |
| 3 | [auth0.com](https://auth0.com) | **27%** | 61% | 0% | 4% | 45% | 24% | [Pricing - Auth0](https://auth0.com/pricing) |
| 4 | [reddit.com](https://reddit.com) | **15%** | 6% | 0% | 13% | 0% | 59% | [reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/1gf7swu/what_tools_do_you_use_for_authentication_in_your/) |
| 5 | [supabase.com](https://supabase.com) | **14%** | 40% | 0% | 8% | 23% | 0% | [Auth \| Supabase Docs](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/auth) |
| 6 | [github.com](https://github.com) | **13%** | 12% | 5% | 6% | 22% | 24% | [research/Auth servers/Auth servers comparison.md at main - aicrafted/research](https://github.com/aicrafted/research/blob/main/Auth%20servers/Auth%20servers%20comparison.md) |
| 7 | [startwithidentity.com](https://startwithidentity.com) | **12%** | 1% | 19% | 9% | 7% | 24% | [Top 10 Open-Source IAM Solutions in 2026](https://startwithidentity.com/articles/top-10-open-source-iam-solutions/) |
| 8 | [securityboulevard.com](https://securityboulevard.com) | **12%** | 0% | 30% | 1% | 16% | 12% | [Enterprise Authentication for Developers: 10 Tools Compared (2026) - Security Boulevard](https://securityboulevard.com/2026/05/enterprise-authentication-for-developers-10-tools-compared-2026/) |
| 9 | [guptadeepak.com](https://guptadeepak.com) | **10%** | 0% | 32% | 13% | 2% | 6% | [WorkOS vs Auth0 vs Clerk in 2026: Which CIAM for B2B SaaS, CIAM Compass](https://guptadeepak.com/ciam-compass/guides/workos-vs-auth0-vs-clerk/) |
| 10 | [supertokens.com](https://supertokens.com) | **10%** | 3% | 17% | 8% | 4% | 18% | [Deep dive into Clerk's free & paid tiers, real cost examples, hidden fees, and comparison with Auth0/Okta for pricing clarity.](https://supertokens.com/blog/clerk-pricing-the-complete-guide) |

## More reports

- [AI visibility](https://www.usenotra.com/state-of-ai-search/ai-visibility/2026-10?ntr=iFc47ag_OvBjTd9l): Otterly.AI leads with 70%
- [App hosting](https://www.usenotra.com/state-of-ai-search/app-hosting/2026-10?ntr=iFc47ag_OvBjTd9l): Render leads with 73%
- [Changelog](https://www.usenotra.com/state-of-ai-search/changelog/2026-10?ntr=iFc47ag_OvBjTd9l): Beamer leads with 54%
- [Email API](https://www.usenotra.com/state-of-ai-search/email-api/2026-10?ntr=iFc47ag_OvBjTd9l): Postmark leads with 84%
- [Postgres](https://www.usenotra.com/state-of-ai-search/postgres/2026-10?ntr=iFc47ag_OvBjTd9l): Neon leads with 88%

All reports: https://www.usenotra.com/state-of-ai-search

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