so you want to build a SaaS in 2026. smart move. but if you're anything like me, you've stared at a blank create-next-app project and thought... "i really don't want to wire up Stripe webhooks again."
that's where boilerplates come in. they handle auth, payments, emails, databases — all the stuff that's necessary but not unique to your product. the problem? there are a lot of them now, and it's hard to tell which ones are actually worth your money (or time).
i've spent the last few weeks digging into five of the most popular Next.js SaaS starters available right now. some i've used personally, others i've cloned and poked around in. here's my honest breakdown.
the contenders
| LaunchFast | ShipFast | Shipped.club | SaaS-Starter | Makerkit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 | ~$199 | ~$149 | Free | ~$299 |
| Next.js Version | 16 | Latest stable | 14/15 | Latest | 15+ |
| Auth | NextAuth v5 | NextAuth | NextAuth | NextAuth | Supabase Auth / NextAuth |
| Payments | Stripe SDK v17 | Stripe | Stripe | Stripe | Stripe / Lemon Squeezy |
| Database | PostgreSQL + Prisma 6 | MongoDB / Supabase | PostgreSQL | PostgreSQL + Drizzle | Supabase / PostgreSQL |
| AI Built-in | Yes (Claude) | No | No | No | No |
| E2E Tests | 81 (Playwright) | Not included | Minimal | Minimal | Some |
| Open Source | Yes (full repo public) | No (post-purchase) | No | Yes | Partial (core open) |
| Multi-tenant | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Community Size | Small/growing | Large (thousands) | Medium | Large (Vercel-backed) | Medium |
now let's dig into each one.
1. LaunchFast — the AI-first budget pick
Price: $79 (standard) / $119 (pro)
Stack: Next.js 16, NextAuth v5, Stripe SDK v17, Prisma 6, Claude AI, Resend
GitHub: github.com/Wittlesus/launchfast-starter
Live demo: launchfast-starter.vercel.app
what i like:
- the entire codebase is open source on GitHub. you can read every file before spending a dollar. that's rare for paid boilerplates and honestly kind of refreshing.
- ships with a full Claude AI chat integration — streaming responses, rate limiting, token tracking. if you're building anything AI-powered (and let's be real, most new SaaS products are), this saves you a solid 10-20 hours.
- 81 end-to-end tests with Playwright. i don't think any other boilerplate in this list comes close on testing. that matters when you start making changes and want to know you didn't break checkout.
- cheapest paid option on this list at $79.
what could be better:
- smaller community since it's newer. you won't find a huge Discord full of people who've solved your exact problem yet.
- more opinionated stack — PostgreSQL + Prisma + Resend. if you want MongoDB or a different email provider, you're swapping things out yourself.
- documentation is still growing.
best for: developers building AI-powered SaaS products on a budget who value code transparency and testing.
2. ShipFast — the OG crowd favorite
Price: ~$199
Stack: Next.js, NextAuth, Stripe, MongoDB or Supabase, Mailgun
Site: shipfa.st
what i like:
- this is the boilerplate that arguably started the modern wave. Marc Lou built it and has been iterating on it for years. thousands of indie hackers have shipped real products with ShipFast.
- massive Discord community. when you hit a weird Stripe webhook edge case at midnight, somebody in there has already solved it.
- solid SEO tools and marketing-focused features like blog integration and crisp support widget.
- regular updates and Marc is very responsive.
what could be better:
- $199 is steep when you're bootstrapping, especially if you're comparing to free/open-source options.
- closed source until you buy. you're trusting the reputation (which is strong, to be fair).
- no built-in AI features. you'll need to wire up OpenAI/Anthropic yourself.
- no included test suite, so you're writing your own E2E tests from scratch.
best for: non-technical or early-stage founders who want maximum community support and a proven, battle-tested foundation.
3. Shipped.club — the quiet middle ground
Price: ~$149
Stack: Next.js, Supabase, Stripe, Tailwind, Resend
Site: shipped.club
what i like:
- nice balance of features and price. sits between the budget picks and the premium options.
- Supabase integration is well-done if that's your preferred backend.
- clean UI components and good-looking default landing page.
- includes blog, waitlist, and changelog features out of the box.
what could be better:
- less community buzz compared to ShipFast or the open-source options. harder to find help when you're stuck.
- not open source — you're buying sight-unseen (though the landing page demos look good).
- update cadence is less predictable than ShipFast.
- smaller track record of shipped products from users.
best for: developers who want a solid middle-ground boilerplate with Supabase and don't need AI features or enterprise multi-tenancy.
4. SaaS-Starter (Vercel) — the free powerhouse
Price: Free (open source)
Stack: Next.js, NextAuth, Stripe, Drizzle ORM, PostgreSQL
GitHub: github.com/vercel/nextjs-subscription-payments / github.com/leerob/next-saas-starter
Site: Vercel templates
what i like:
- it's free and backed by Vercel. the code quality is excellent since it's essentially a reference implementation.
- uses Drizzle ORM which is lighter and faster than Prisma for simple use cases.
- great starting point if you want to learn how things should be wired up in a modern Next.js app.
- clean, minimal codebase. no bloat, no unnecessary abstractions.
- Lee Robinson and the Vercel team maintain it, so it stays current with Next.js releases.
what could be better:
- "starter" is the key word. it's intentionally minimal. you'll need to add email, AI, admin dashboards, landing pages, SEO tooling, and a bunch more yourself.
- no built-in testing suite.
- you're trading money for time. the hours you save on the $0 price tag, you'll spend building features the paid options include.
- no dedicated support beyond GitHub issues.
best for: experienced developers who want a clean, free foundation and are comfortable building the rest themselves. also great for learning.
5. Makerkit — the enterprise-grade option
Price: ~$299 (one-time) or subscription plans
Stack: Next.js 15+, Supabase, Stripe/Lemon Squeezy, Tailwind
Site: makerkit.dev
what i like:
- multi-tenant architecture out of the box. if you're building a B2B SaaS with team workspaces, this is the only option on this list that handles it natively.
- very polished admin panel and team management features.
- supports both Stripe and Lemon Squeezy for payments.
- good documentation with tutorials and guides.
- has a Remix/SvelteKit version too if you're not locked into Next.js.
what could be better:
- most expensive option at ~$299. that's a lot for a solo founder just testing an idea.
- the feature richness means more complexity. steeper learning curve if you just want something simple.
- enterprise features might be overkill if you're building a B2C product or a simple tool.
- subscription-based plans for some tiers, which means ongoing cost.
best for: teams building B2B SaaS products that need multi-tenancy, team management, and enterprise-grade features from day one.
who should use what — the honest recommendation
here's how i'd actually recommend these based on your situation:
"i'm building an AI-powered SaaS and want to move fast"
-> LaunchFast ($79). the Claude integration alone saves you a weekend. 81 E2E tests mean you can ship with confidence. inspect the code on GitHub first if you're skeptical.
"i'm a first-time founder and want maximum hand-holding"
-> ShipFast ($199). the community is unbeatable. you'll find answers to almost any problem in the Discord. it's expensive but the support network is worth it.
"i'm broke and scrappy"
-> SaaS-Starter (free). start here, build what you need, upgrade to a paid boilerplate later if you outgrow it.
"i'm building a B2B product with teams and workspaces"
-> Makerkit ($299). multi-tenancy is painful to retrofit. if you know you need it, pay for it upfront.
"i want something solid without overthinking it"
-> Shipped.club ($149) or LaunchFast ($79). both are solid middle-ground picks depending on your budget and stack preference.
"i have the budget and want to hedge my bets"
-> grab LaunchFast ($79) AND the free SaaS-Starter. use LaunchFast as your main base, reference the Vercel starter for clean patterns. total cost: $79.
the meta-advice nobody gives you
here's the thing — the boilerplate you choose matters way less than actually shipping your product. i've seen people spend weeks researching starters and never write a line of product code.
pick one that fits your budget and stack preference. clone it. start building your actual features TODAY. you can always swap out the email provider or add tests later. you can't get back the week you spent comparison shopping.
that said, if you're reading this article, you're doing your research, which is smart. just don't let the research phase become the whole project.
quick links
- LaunchFast: github.com/Wittlesus/launchfast-starter — $79/$119
- ShipFast: shipfa.st — ~$199
- Shipped.club: shipped.club — ~$149
- SaaS-Starter: github.com/leerob/next-saas-starter — Free
- Makerkit: makerkit.dev — ~$299
full disclosure: i built LaunchFast, so i obviously have a bias. i've tried to be as fair as possible here — i genuinely think all five of these are good options depending on your situation. ShipFast is the proven leader, SaaS-Starter is the best free option, and Makerkit is the enterprise play. i think LaunchFast fills a gap for AI-first developers on a budget, but i'll let you judge that for yourself by browsing the code.
what boilerplate are you using for your current project? or are you the "build everything from scratch" type? genuinely curious — drop a comment, i read all of them.
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