Choosing a SaaS boilerplate is a high-stakes decision — it's the foundation of your product. I've evaluated the major Next.js SaaS starter kits in 2026. Here's an honest comparison.
The contenders
| Feature | ShipFast | Supastarter | MakerKit | LaunchKit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | $249 | $299 | $49 |
| Framework | Next.js 14 | Next.js 14 | Next.js 14 | Next.js 16 |
| Auth | NextAuth v4 | Supabase Auth | Supabase Auth | Auth.js v5 |
| Database | MongoDB | Supabase | Supabase | Prisma + PostgreSQL |
| Payments | Stripe/Lemon Squeezy | Stripe | Stripe | Stripe |
| AI Built-in | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Streaming chat |
| Mailgun | Resend | Resend | Resend | |
| TypeScript | Partial | Yes | Yes | Strict mode |
| App Router | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ShipFast ($199)
Pros:
- Created by Marc Lou, who has a massive Twitter following
- Strong community and social proof
- Includes SEO tools and landing page templates
- Battle-tested by thousands of users
Cons:
- Still on Next.js 14 and NextAuth v4
- MongoDB (not everyone wants NoSQL for SaaS)
- No AI features
- $199 for what's essentially auth + billing + landing page
Best for: Indie hackers who want a proven, community-backed solution and don't mind the older stack.
Supastarter ($249)
Pros:
- Deep Supabase integration (auth, database, realtime)
- Team management and multi-tenancy
- Good documentation
- Active maintenance by Jonathan Wilke
Cons:
- Locked into Supabase ecosystem
- $249 is steep for a starter kit
- Still on Next.js 14
- No AI features
Best for: Teams already committed to the Supabase ecosystem.
MakerKit ($299)
Pros:
- Most feature-complete (teams, organizations, admin panel)
- Multiple framework support (Next.js, Remix)
- Great TypeScript support
- Active development
Cons:
- Most expensive option
- Complexity can slow down initial development
- Also locked to Supabase
- No AI features
Best for: Teams building complex multi-tenant SaaS with organizations and roles.
LaunchKit ($49)
Pros:
- Latest stack: Next.js 16, Auth.js v5, Tailwind v4
- AI chat built in (streaming, conversation history, plan limits)
- Prisma + PostgreSQL (not locked to any platform)
- TypeScript strict mode throughout
- Cheapest option by far
- MIT license
Cons:
- Newer, less community validation
- No team management yet (on roadmap)
- Single developer (so far)
- Smaller feature set than MakerKit
Best for: Developers building AI-powered SaaS products who want the latest stack at a reasonable price.
My take
If you're building in 2026, you want:
- Next.js 16 — App Router is mature now, RSC is stable
- Auth.js v5 — NextAuth v4 is legacy
- AI integration — Almost every new SaaS has an AI feature
- PostgreSQL — Don't lock into a proprietary database
ShipFast has the most social proof. MakerKit has the most features. But both are on older stacks and neither has AI.
Full disclosure: I built LaunchKit, so I'm biased. But the comparison above is factual — check the repos and docs yourself.
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