Lucia Auth vs NextAuth: Which Authentication Library in 2026?

The authentication landscape shifted dramatically in 2025. Lucia Auth announced its deprecation by March 2025, transforming into educational resources. Meanwhile, Auth.js v5 (formerly NextAuth) evolved significantly, and Better Auth emerged as the recommended modern alternative.

If you're evaluating authentication solutions for your Next.js project in 2026, you need current information that accounts for these changes.

The Current State of Lucia Auth

Lucia Auth is no longer a viable option for new projects. The library is being deprecated and transformed into educational resources.

What happened to Lucia:

• Official deprecation: March 2025 marks the end of active development
• Educational pivot: Core concepts moving to Copenhagen Book, Oslo, and Arctic resources
• No maintenance: Bug fixes and security updates will cease
• Migration required: Existing projects need to plan transitions

If you were considering Lucia for a new project, remove it from your evaluation. If you're using it in production, start planning your migration now.

Auth.js v5: The Evolution of NextAuth

NextAuth rebranded to Auth.js and shipped version 5 with significant improvements. It remains a solid choice for authentication in 2026.

What's new in Auth.js v5:

• 80+ OAuth providers: Social logins, enterprise SSO, and more
• Universal auth() function: Consistent API across all Next.js rendering modes
• Edge-first architecture: Optimized for modern serverless deployments
• Flexible session storage: JWT or database sessions based on your needs
• Better TypeScript support: Improved type safety across the library

Auth.js v5 works seamlessly with Next.js App Router, supports both Server Components and Client Components, and handles edge runtime environments without special configuration.

When to use Auth.js v5:

• You need comprehensive OAuth provider support
• Your project requires social login or enterprise SSO
• You're already using NextAuth and want to upgrade
• You prefer battle-tested solutions with large communities

Better Auth: The Modern Alternative

Better Auth emerged in 2025 as the recommended solution for new authentication implementations. It addresses many pain points developers experienced with previous libraries.

Better Auth advantages:

• Type-safe by default: Full TypeScript support with excellent inference
• Built-in security features: MFA, rate limiting, and session management included
• Multi-tenancy support: B2B features without custom implementation
• Framework agnostic: Works with Next.js, Remix, SvelteKit, and more
• Modern architecture: Designed for edge computing and serverless

Better Auth feels like what authentication libraries should have been all along. The API is intuitive, the defaults are secure, and the developer experience is exceptional.

When to use Better Auth:

• You're starting a new project in 2026
• Type safety is critical to your development workflow
• You need multi-tenancy or B2B features
• You want modern security features without additional libraries

Authentication Approaches Compared

Understanding the philosophical differences between these libraries helps you make better decisions.

Lucia's approach (now deprecated):

• Minimalist framework giving you low-level control
• Required more manual implementation
• Offered flexibility at the cost of boilerplate

Auth.js v5 approach:

• Comprehensive out-of-the-box solution
• Convention over configuration
• Extensive provider support with standard interfaces

Better Auth approach:

• Modern type-safe primitives
• Secure defaults with customization options
• Framework-agnostic design

The industry moved away from low-level auth libraries (Lucia) toward solutions that balance flexibility with developer productivity (Better Auth, Auth.js).

OAuth and Social Login Support

OAuth provider support varies significantly between solutions.

Auth.js v5 OAuth capabilities:

• 80+ pre-configured providers
• Custom OAuth provider support
• OIDC compliance out of the box
• Enterprise SSO integrations (Azure AD, Okta, Auth0)

Better Auth OAuth capabilities:

• Major providers supported (Google, GitHub, Microsoft)
• Growing provider ecosystem
• Standard OAuth 2.0 implementation
• Custom provider configuration straightforward

If your authentication requirements center on social login or enterprise SSO, Auth.js v5 has the most comprehensive provider support. Better Auth covers common use cases but doesn't match Auth.js's breadth yet.

Session Management and Security

Session handling reveals important architectural differences.

Auth.js v5 sessions:

• JWT or database sessions
• Configurable expiration and rotation
• Built-in CSRF protection
• Secure cookie handling

Better Auth sessions:

• Modern session management by default
• Built-in rate limiting
• MFA support included
• Token refresh handling

Both libraries handle sessions securely, but Better Auth includes more security features out of the box. Auth.js requires additional setup for features like MFA and rate limiting.

Database Integration

Your database choice may influence your authentication library selection.

Auth.js v5 database support:

• Prisma adapter (official)
• Drizzle, TypeORM, and 15+ other adapters
• Custom adapter creation supported
• Schema flexibility

Better Auth database support:

• Prisma support
• Drizzle support
• Growing adapter ecosystem
• Type-safe queries

Both libraries work with major ORMs and databases. Auth.js has more adapter options due to its longer history, but Better Auth covers the most common choices.

Developer Experience

The day-to-day experience of working with these libraries matters more than feature checklists.

Auth.js v5 developer experience:

• Extensive documentation
• Large community and ecosystem
• Abundant tutorials and examples
• Some complexity in advanced scenarios

Better Auth developer experience:

• Modern, intuitive API design
• Excellent TypeScript integration
• Smaller community (growing rapidly)
• Less third-party content available

If you value extensive community resources and proven solutions, Auth.js wins. If you prefer modern APIs with better type safety, Better Auth provides a superior experience.

Migration Considerations

If you're currently using Lucia Auth, you need a migration plan.

Migration from Lucia to Better Auth:

• Similar architectural philosophy
• Requires session storage migration
• User table schema changes likely needed
• Gradual migration possible

Migration from Lucia to Auth.js v5:

• Different architecture requires more changes
• Provider-based model may simplify some implementations
• Database schema changes required
• Can run parallel during transition

Migration from Auth.js v4 to v5:

• Breaking changes but clear upgrade path
• Updated API patterns
• Worth the upgrade for new features

Plan migrations during low-traffic periods. Run comprehensive tests on authentication flows before deploying.

Our Recommendation for 2026

Choose your authentication library based on your project timeline and requirements.

For new projects starting in 2026: Use Better Auth

• Modern architecture designed for current frameworks
• Built-in security features save development time
• Type safety reduces auth-related bugs
• Growing ecosystem with strong momentum

For existing Auth.js projects: Stay with Auth.js v5

• Maintenance continues indefinitely
• Upgrade from v4 to v5 is worthwhile
• Switching costs outweigh benefits for most projects
• Large community provides ongoing support

For existing Lucia projects: Migrate to Better Auth

• Similar architectural philosophy eases transition
• Deprecation timeline requires action
• Better long-term support and security updates

Don't start new projects with Auth.js unless you have specific requirements (extensive OAuth providers, enterprise SSO) that Better Auth doesn't yet support.

Beyond DIY Authentication

Authentication libraries solve implementation, but managed services often make more business sense.

Clerk vs Auth0 vs Firebase Auth explores managed authentication options that eliminate library management entirely. For many startups, paying for Clerk or Auth0 accelerates development more than any open-source library.

The choice between BaaS and custom backend solutions extends beyond authentication to your entire infrastructure strategy. Authentication is just one piece of your technical foundation.

Consider the total cost of ownership. A library might be free, but the engineering time for implementation, maintenance, and security updates isn't. Our Next.js development services include authentication architecture decisions based on your specific requirements and constraints.

Ready to Build Your Authentication System?

Authentication is too critical to get wrong. Whether you choose Better Auth, Auth.js v5, or a managed service like Clerk, you need expertise in implementation, security, and scalability.

We build production-ready Next.js applications with authentication systems designed for your specific use case. Our MVP development process includes security-first authentication implementation that scales from launch to enterprise.

Talk to our team about your authentication requirements. We'll help you choose the right solution and implement it correctly the first time.

The authentication landscape changed significantly in 2025. Make sure your 2026 project uses current solutions with active maintenance and strong security foundations.