Quick Pick Guide
The starter kit you choose either saves you months or quietly signs you up for a rewrite. Here's how to decide.
Choose MakerKit if you want
- Personal-only, orgs-only, or hybrid account modes (switchable)
- Seat-based and metered plans without reinventing billing
- The option to swap billing providers later (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
- AI-assisted development with MCP server + custom agent rules
- Deployment beyond Vercel: Cloudflare + Docker support
- A kit that's deeply tested with Playwright
- A product that's fully translatable (real i18n)
Choose ShipFast if you want
The fastest path to a basic MVP and you're okay adding B2B features yourself later.
Choose SupaStarter or Achromatic if you want
A strong "standard SaaS kit" and you're comfortable shaping the last 20% yourself (without MakerKit's account-mode flexibility + MCP tooling).
SaaS Starter Kit Comparison
See how the top SaaS boilerplates compare. We've analyzed MakerKit, SupaStarter, Achromatic, ShipFast, and IndieKit Pro across the features that matter most.
| Feature | MakerKit | SupaStarter | Achromatic | ShipFast | IndieKit Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for SaaS (not generic boilerplate) | |||||
| Account modes: personal-only, orgs-only, hybrid | |||||
| Multi-tenancy (orgs/teams, invites, roles) | |||||
| Seat-based billing | |||||
| Metered / usage billing | |||||
| Billing provider abstraction (swappable) | |||||
| MCP server for AI agents | |||||
| Custom AI agent rules (Cursor/Claude/Windsurf) | |||||
| Cloudflare deployment support | |||||
| Ready-to-use Docker files + docs | |||||
| Playwright E2E testing (pre-wired) | |||||
| Fully translatable UI (i18n) | |||||
| Extensive documentation |
Legend: ✅ Documented, first-class feature | ◐ Possible / partial / depends on your build | - Not clearly documented or not positioned as a core feature
What MakerKit Does That Most Kits Don't
Hybrid Account Modes
Most kits pick one model: B2C personal accounts or B2B organizations. MakerKit supports personal-only, organizations-only, and hybrid as a documented, switchable mode. This is a huge unlock if you sell to both individuals and teams.
Billing You Won't Regret Later
MakerKit treats billing like a product system: seats, metered usage, complex pricing, and a provider gateway abstraction so you can switch providers (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy) when customers require it.
AI-Agent Tooling That's Actually Operational
MakerKit ships custom agent rules and a real MCP server so AI agents can interact with your codebase in a structured way. This is the difference between 'AI autocomplete' and 'AI that can reliably implement features.'
Real Deployment Options
First-class deployment support beyond the default: Cloudflare support, ready-to-use Docker, and self-host options. Pick the hosting strategy that matches your constraints.
Playwright-First Testing
MakerKit has Playwright E2E as a documented part of the kit, not an afterthought. That's what lets teams move fast without breaking core flows like auth, billing, onboarding, and team management.
Fully Translatable
MakerKit is designed to be fully translated, with language switcher patterns and docs. Many kits say 'you can add i18n,' but few ship the plumbing and patterns that make it painless.
Competitor Notes
Fair assessments of each alternative and where MakerKit pulls ahead.
SupaStarter
A strong 'standard SaaS starter kit' option. Clearly supports multi-tenancy and seat-based subscriptions with broad payment-provider support.
Where MakerKit pulls ahead: The account-mode flexibility (personal/org/hybrid), MCP server + deeper AI workflow tooling, and the 'platform feel': deployment breadth + testing posture + architecture story.
Achromatic
A serious kit with good structure, aggressive pricing, and modern testing including Playwright.
Where MakerKit pulls ahead: Hybrid account modes, MCP server and AI agent ops, Cloudflare + multi-platform deployment as first-class, and billing abstraction with metered/seat focus as a core narrative.
ShipFast
Great if you want to launch quickly and don't care (yet) about enterprise-ish SaaS requirements.
Where MakerKit pulls ahead: Multi-tenancy as a first-class concept, seats + metered billing without redesign, Admin/Super Admin flows as a product feature, testing depth, translations, and long-term scalability.
IndieKit Pro
Competes hard on price and marketing, emphasizes AI 'skills/rules' plus founder mentorship.
Where MakerKit pulls ahead: Deeply documented, operational B2B foundation with org modes, billing depth, deployment targets, testing posture, and i18n. Claims are clearer and more verifiable.
We strive for accuracy in this comparison. If you spot any inaccuracies or if product features have changed, please contact us and we'll update the information promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is MakerKit more expensive than some alternatives?
Because it's not just 'auth + Stripe + a dashboard.' MakerKit includes the stuff that normally becomes a rewrite: multi-tenant modeling, hybrid account modes, billing depth (seats + metered), deployment breadth, AI tooling, testing, and i18n. Cheaper kits can be fine - they're just cheaper because you'll build more yourself.
Can I start simple and grow into the full thing?
Yes. MakerKit is designed so you can ship quickly, then scale features responsibly (teams, billing complexity, admin, translations) as your product grows.
What if I need a different billing provider later?
MakerKit's billing is designed with a provider gateway layer so you can swap providers when you must (common when customers demand Paddle/MoR setups, different tax handling, or regional constraints).
I'm building an MVP. Is MakerKit overkill?
If your MVP is truly disposable, a simpler kit might be fine. If your MVP is 'v1 of the business,' MakerKit saves you the rewrite.
The SaaS Starter Kit that goes beyond MVPs
The Best SaaS Starter Kit in the market
Don't waste months of development time. Choose the right SaaS starter kit.We've done the hard work for you. You can focus on what matters: building your product.
Authentication
Billing and Subscriptions
Customer Portal
Multi Tenancy
Super Admin
Shadcn UI and Tailwind CSS
Dark Theme
Blog
Documentation/Help Center
Mobile Friendly
Serverful/Serverless Stack
Top-notch code quality
E2E Testing with Playwright
Beautiful emails with React.Email
Mailers
Plugins
Maximum Customization
Rich Documentation
SEO-Ready
No Vendor Lock-in
AI Agents
MCP Server
Extensive Course
Realtime Notifications (Supabase)
Internationalization
Figma UI Kit
Support
Community
Content
Daily Updates
Long-Term Vision
Here to stay
Dedicated rules for AI Agents and IDEs
Integrates seamlessly with AI Agents and IDEs like Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, and Cursor
Makerkit's codebases make development faster with custom rules and an MCP Server that help AI Agents and editors write code faster.
Production Ready SaaS Starter KitAll the tools and resources you need to launch your SaaS in days.
AuthenticationFull authentication flow, including password, magic link and social logins.
Multi-TenancyOrganizations, invitations, RBAC. All figured out for you.
BillingSubscriptions with Stripe, including per-seat and metered billing.
Admin PanelManage your users, organizations, and build your own internal tooling within the app.
Delightful UIEvery pixel crafted with care to make your SaaS look and feel amazing.
MarketingGet found by your target audience with blog, documentation, changelog, and more.
Monitoring and TestingComprehensive monitoring and testing tools to help you keep your SaaS running smoothly.
Support and Community As a member of our community, you'll have access to support from me as well as the entire Makerkit community.
Focus on your product, not infrastructure
Why use a SaaS starter kit?
See how much time you save by starting with a production-ready foundation instead of building everything from scratch.
| Component | Build Yourself | With MakerKit |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication (email, OAuth, MFA) | 2-4 weeks | Pre-built |
| Stripe subscription billing | 2-3 weeks | Pre-built |
| Multi-tenant organizations | 3-4 weeks | Pre-built |
| Role-based access control | 1-2 weeks | Pre-built |
| Super admin dashboard | 2-3 weeks | Pre-built |
| Team invitations & management | 1-2 weeks | Pre-built |
| Transactional emails | 1 week | Pre-built |
| Blog & documentation CMS | 1-2 weeks | Pre-built |
| Dark mode & theming | 3-5 days | Pre-built |
| Responsive UI components | 2-3 weeks | Pre-built |
| Next.js/React version upgrades | Ongoing (2-4 weeks/year) | Included |
| Security patches & fixes | Ongoing (unpredictable) | Included |
| Dependency updates | Ongoing (1-2 weeks/year) | Included |
| New features & best practices | Your time to research & implement | Included |
Build from scratch
2-4 months (typical)
80-150 hours of development
With MakerKit
Day 1
Start building features immediately
Estimated savings
$12,000 - $22,500 (estimated)
In developer time and opportunity cost
What makes MakerKit different
The SaaS Starter Kit built for production
MakerKit provides a battle-tested foundation so you can focus on what makes your product unique.
Production-Ready
Battle-tested by hundreds of SaaS products in production. Not a weekend project, but a real business since 2022.
AI-Agent Optimized
Custom rules for Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex. MCP server included for enhanced AI assistance.
No Vendor Lock-in
Modular architecture lets you swap auth providers, databases, and payment processors without rewriting your app.
Lifetime Updates
One purchase includes all future updates. Daily improvements, security patches, and new features at no extra cost.
Expert Support
Direct support from the creator in Discord. Not outsourced support, but help from someone who knows the code.
Rich Documentation
400+ pages of documentation covering every feature. Tutorials, guides, and API references included.
How MakerKit Compares
Ship your SaaS in a week, not months.
- Lifetime access to your stack of choice
- Build unlimited applications
- Continuous updates
- Access to the Discord community
- The best support in the SaaS Starter kits market, period.
- Community and Chat support
- Community-based feature requests and Request for Comments. You have a say in what Makerkit should build next.
- One-time payment, no subscriptions
- Includes access to our free Figma UI kit
Choose your Stack
Select the technology stack that best fits your project
Do you need any clarifications?
Check out the FAQ for more information about Makerkit, or contact me.
Some of the projects built with Makerkit
Below are some of the SaaS projects that have been built with our SaaS Starter kits.
I help founders launch faster - because life’s too short to write boilerplate code.
I am a software engineer with almost 15 years of experience writing code for both startups and enterprises.
My love for creating digital products inspired me to build Makerkit, a SaaS Starter Kit that helps you launch the SaaS you have always dreamed of.
My job is to help you achieve your goals, and I work hard to make it happen.
You can find me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and GitHub.