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Clerk vs Railway: Pricing Comparison 2026

Side-by-side pricing comparison of Clerk and Railway. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.

Bottom line: Clerk starts at Custom pricing and Railway starts at $5/mo. Compare all 6 pricing tiers side by side.

Last updated: March 16, 2026

Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated March 16, 2026

Clerk vs Railway: Quick Pricing Facts

FeatureClerkRailway
Starting PriceCustom pricing$5/mo
Number of Plans42
Free TierYesNo
Pricing Modelusage-basedusage-based
Annual DiscountN/AN/A

Clerk and Railway are both priced at Custom pricing, making them equally accessible Dev Tools. Together they offer 6 pricing plans with 18 features compared, so the best choice comes down to which features match your needs.

Clerk stands out with a free plan for getting started.

Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Dev Tools needs.

Pricing Plans
Tier 1
Hobby
$0/monthCheapest
Start with Hobby
Hobby
$5/month
Includes
  • Includes $5 of monthly usage credits
  • After credits are used, you'll only be charged for extra resource usage
  • Up to 48 vCPU / 48 GB RAM per service
  • Up to 6 replicas, at 8 vCPU / 8 GB RAM per replica
  • Up to 5 GB storage
  • Single developer workspace
  • Community support
  • 7-Day Log History
  • Global regions
Start with Hobby
Tier 2
Pro
Custom pricing
Start with Pro
Pro
$20/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Includes $20 of monthly usage credits
  • After credits are used, you'll only be charged for extra resource usage
  • Up to 1,000 vCPU / 1 TB RAM per service
  • Up to 50 replicas, at 32 vCPU / 32 GB RAM per replica
  • Up to 1 TB storage
  • Unlimited workspace seats included
  • Railway Support
  • 30-Day Log History
  • Concurrent global regions
Start with Pro
Tier 3
Business
Custom pricing
Start with Business
Tier 4
Enterprise
Custom pricing
Start with Enterprise

Swipe to compare plans →

Clerk

Drop-in user authentication and management for web apps

View all Clerk plans

Railway

Infrastructure platform for deploying apps with usage-based pricing

View all Railway plans

What Reviewers Say

Our Pick

Clerk

Clerk offers a free plan, offers 4 tiers vs 2.

Based on pricing data only. Review the full comparison below for your specific needs.

Best value: Clerk

Try Clerk free

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Clerk if:

  • You need a free plan with core features—Clerk offers no-cost access with no credit card required
  • You need 4 pricing tiers for flexible team sizing—more options mean less overpaying for features you don't need
  • Your team needs custom enterprise pricing—Clerk offers negotiated terms for large deployments

Choose Railway if:

  • You want more features built-in—Railway offers 18 additional features across its plans
  • You prioritize Railway's user experience and interface over price (both tools are similarly priced)
  • Railway's usage-based pricing lets you match exact team size without tier gaps

Clerk offers a free plan [1], eliminating the cost barrier for evaluation, while Railway requires paid subscription from the start. This gives Clerk a significant advantage for teams with budget constraints or extended trial periods. Once you outgrow Clerk's free tier, upgrading to a paid plan at approximately Custom pricing provides substantial additional functionality. Compare this pricing path against Railway's tiering starting at $5/mo to assess total cost of ownership over 12 months. Clerk's 4 tiers provide flexibility at different budgets, while Railway's 2 tiers structure may force you into higher-cost plans than necessary for your use case. If evaluation cost matters to your decision, Clerk is the obvious starting point with zero financial commitment. Use the free tier to validate core functionality before committing to paid plans from either tool.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Clerk vs Railway

How many pricing plans does Clerk have vs Railway?
Clerk offers 4 pricing plans, while Railway offers 2 plans. More plans typically means more flexibility to match your exact needs and budget.
Does Clerk or Railway offer a free plan?
Clerk offers a free plan, while Railway does not. If budget is a concern, Clerk lets you get started at no cost.
Does Clerk or Railway offer custom enterprise pricing?
Clerk offers a custom-priced enterprise tier for larger teams. Railway lists all its pricing publicly.
How do Clerk and Railway compare for Dev Tools?
Both Clerk and Railway are Dev Tools. Clerk offers 4 plans starting at Custom pricing, while Railway offers 2 plans starting at $5/mo. Review the feature breakdowns above to see which better fits your Dev Tools needs.

Sources

  1. Clerk Official PricingVendor pricing page
  2. Railway Official PricingVendor pricing page

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