5 Best Next.js SaaS Boilerplates in 2026 (Honest Comparison)
Source: Dev.to
Building 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.
Quick‑look Comparison
| Starter | Price | Next.js Version | Auth | Payments | Database | AI Built‑in | E2E Tests | Open Source | Multi‑tenant | Community Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaunchFast | $79 | 16 (latest stable) | NextAuth v5 | Stripe SDK v17 | PostgreSQL + Prisma 6 | Yes (Claude) | 81 (Playwright) | Yes (full repo public) | No | Small / growing |
| ShipFast | ~ $199 | Latest stable | NextAuth | Stripe | MongoDB / Supabase | No | Not included | No (post‑purchase) | No | Large (thousands) |
| Shipped.club | ~ $149 | 14 / 15 (latest) | NextAuth | Stripe | PostgreSQL | No | Minimal | No | No | Medium |
| SaaS‑Starter (Vercel) | Free | 15+ | NextAuth | Stripe | PostgreSQL + Drizzle | No | Some | Yes (partial core open) | No | Large (Vercel‑backed) |
| Makerkit | ~ $299 (one‑time) or subscription | 15+ | Supabase Auth / NextAuth | Stripe / Lemon Squeezy | Supabase / PostgreSQL | No | Some | Partial | Yes | Medium |
Detailed Reviews
LaunchFast
Price: $79 (standard) / $119 (pro)
Stack: Next.js 16, NextAuth v5, Stripe SDK v17, Prisma 6, Claude AI, Resend
GitHub: —
Live demo: —
What I Like
- Open source – every file is visible before you spend a dollar. Rare for paid boilerplates.
- Claude AI chat integration – streaming responses, rate‑limiting, token tracking. Saves ~10‑20 h if you need AI.
- 81 Playwright E2E tests – far more than any other starter on this list; great for confidence when refactoring.
- Cheapest paid option – $79 is the lowest price among the paid choices.
What Could Be Better
- Smaller community – newer project, Discord is still growing.
- Opinionated stack – PostgreSQL + Prisma + Resend. Swapping to MongoDB or another email provider requires manual changes.
- Documentation – still a work in progress.
Best For
Developers building AI‑powered SaaS products on a budget who value code transparency and a solid testing suite.
ShipFast
Price: ~ $199
Stack: Next.js (latest stable), NextAuth, Stripe, MongoDB or Supabase, Mailgun
Site: —
What I Like
- Pioneer of the modern wave – created by Marc Lou, iterated for years; thousands of indie hackers ship real products with it.
- Massive Discord community – quick help for obscure Stripe webhook edge cases.
- SEO & marketing tools – built‑in blog integration, crisp support widget.
- Regular updates – Marc is responsive and actively maintains the project.
What Could Be Better
- Pricey – $199 can be steep for bootstrappers.
- Closed source until purchase – you must trust the reputation.
- No built‑in AI – you’ll need to add OpenAI/Anthropic yourself.
- No test suite – you’ll have to write your own E2E tests.
Best For
Non‑technical or early‑stage founders who want maximum community support and a battle‑tested foundation.
Shipped.club
Price: ~ $149
Stack: Next.js, Supabase, Stripe, Tailwind, Resend
Site: —
What I Like
- Balanced feature set & price – sits nicely between budget and premium options.
- Supabase integration – well‑implemented if you prefer that backend.
- Polished UI components – clean default landing page.
- Out‑of‑the‑box features – blog, waitlist, changelog.
What Could Be Better
- Smaller community buzz – harder to find help compared to ShipFast or open‑source options.
- Closed source – you buy sight‑unseen (though demos look solid).
- Irregular update cadence – less predictable than ShipFast.
- Fewer shipped‑product references – smaller track record.
Best For
Developers who want a solid middle‑ground boilerplate with Supabase and don’t need AI or enterprise multi‑tenancy.
SaaS‑Starter (Vercel)
Price: Free (open source)
Stack: Next.js, NextAuth, Stripe, Drizzle ORM, PostgreSQL
GitHub: —
What I Like
- Free & Vercel‑backed – excellent code quality; essentially a reference implementation.
- Drizzle ORM – lighter & faster than Prisma for simple use cases.
- Great learning resource – shows how a modern Next.js app should be wired.
- Minimal, no‑bloat codebase – easy to understand.
- Maintained by Lee Robinson & Vercel – stays current with Next.js releases.
What Could Be Better
- “Starter” is literal – intentionally minimal; you’ll need to add email, AI, admin dashboards, landing pages, SEO, etc. yourself.
- No built‑in testing suite – you must set up your own.
- Time trade‑off – you save money but spend hours building missing pieces.
- Support limited to GitHub issues – no dedicated help channel.
Best For
Experienced developers who want a clean, free foundation and are comfortable building the rest themselves (also great for learning).
Makerkit
Price: ~ $299 (one‑time) or subscription plans
Stack: Next.js 15+, Supabase, Stripe / Lemon Squeezy, Tailwind
Site: —
What I Like
- Multi‑tenant architecture out of the box – perfect for B2B SaaS with team workspaces; the only option on this list that handles it.
(Continue the review as needed…)
TL;DR
| Starter | Price | AI | Multi‑tenant | Community | Open Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaunchFast | $79 | ✅ Claude | ❌ | Small (growing) | ✅ |
| ShipFast | ~$199 | ❌ | ❌ | Large (thousands) | ❌ (post‑purchase) |
| Shipped.club | ~$149 | ❌ | ❌ | Medium | ❌ |
| SaaS‑Starter | Free | ❌ | ❌ | Large (Vercel) | ✅ (partial) |
| Makerkit | ~$299 | ❌ | ✅ | Medium | ✅ (partial) |
Pick the one that matches your budget, feature needs, and comfort level with building the missing pieces. Happy shipping!
Overview
- Polished admin panel and team‑management features
- Supports Stripe and Lemon Squeezy for payments
- Good documentation with tutorials and guides
- Also available for Remix / SvelteKit if you’re not locked into Next.js
What Could Be Better
- Price: Most expensive option is ~$299 – steep for a solo founder testing an idea.
- Complexity: Feature richness adds a learning curve if you only need something simple.
- Enterprise‑level features may be overkill for a B2C product or a simple tool.
- Some tiers are subscription‑based, meaning ongoing cost.
Best For
Teams building B2B SaaS products that need multi‑tenancy, team management, and enterprise‑grade features from day 1.
Recommendations (based on your situation)
| Situation | Boilerplate | Price | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| “I’m building an AI‑powered SaaS and want to move fast” | LaunchFast | $79 | Claude integration saves a weekend; 81 E2E tests give confidence. Inspect the code on GitHub if you’re skeptical. |
| “I’m a first‑time founder and want maximum hand‑holding” | ShipFast | $199 | Unbeatable community; Discord answers almost any problem. Expensive, but the support network is worth it. |
| “I’m broke and scrappy” | SaaS‑Starter | Free | Start here, build what you need, upgrade later if you outgrow it. |
| “I’m building a B2B product with teams and workspaces” | Makerkit | ~$299 | Multi‑tenancy is painful to retrofit—pay for it upfront if you know you need it. |
| “I want something solid without overthinking it” | Shipped.club or LaunchFast | $149 / $79 | Both are solid middle‑ground picks; choose based on budget and stack preference. |
| “I have the budget and want to hedge my bets” | — | — | The boilerplate you choose matters less than actually shipping your product. Pick one that fits your budget/stack, clone it, and start building features today. You can always swap out the email provider or add tests later. |
Pro tip: The research phase can become the whole project. Pick a boilerplate, clone it, and start building.
Boilerplate Options & 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 have a bias. I’ve tried to be as fair as possible:
- ShipFast – proven leader
- SaaS‑Starter – best free option
- Makerkit – enterprise play
- LaunchFast – fills a gap for AI‑first developers on a budget
You’re the judge—browse the code and decide what works for you.
What boilerplate are you using for your current project?
Or are you the “build everything from scratch” type? I’m genuinely curious—drop a comment, I read all of them!