MakerKit vs CREA.MBA: which fits your AI-builder workflow

MakerKit and CREA.MBA are two Next.js boilerplates that share an important feature: both ship with multi-tenancy out of the box. But that's where the similarities end. If you've narrowed it down to these two as finalists, this comparison helps you decide. ## The fundamental difference **MakerKit**: designed for classic B2B SaaS. Gives you complete structure, teams, plans, decisions made. If you build a tool that's purchased per company and then used by teams, MakerKit is the shortcut. **CREA.MBA**: designed for builders who build with AI. Gives you the same multi-tenancy but the entire repo is optimized so that Claude Code or Cursor understand the project from the first prompt. ## Tech stack ### MakerKit - Next.js 15 (also Remix version) - Supabase or Firebase - Tailwind v3-v4 depending on version - Stripe for payments - Resend for email ### CREA.MBA - Next.js 16 with cacheComponents on - PostgreSQL + Prisma 7 - Better Auth for auth - Polar or Stripe for payments (one active at a time) - Resend + React Email - Tailwind v4 CREA.MBA is half a step ahead in stack. MakerKit is more conservative and that brings stability. ## Multi-tenancy: how each solves it Both ship with organizations, roles, and invitations. The difference is the abstraction. ### MakerKit Has its own layer on top of Supabase Auth. Customizable roles. Plans per organization. The most complete on the market for B2B. ### CREA.MBA Uses Better Auth Organizations directly. Standard owner / admin / member roles. Slightly simpler but more aligned with the Better Auth API. If your product needs very specific roles (beyond the three classics), MakerKit gives it to you more easily. ## AI-Native: the key difference This is where they diverge. ### MakerKit Nothing AI-native. The AI has to guess the repo conventions every time you use it. ### CREA.MBA - **231-line CLAUDE.md** with project conventions - **18 reusable skills** (specialized prompt snippets) - **2 specialized agents** (architecture-auditor, quality-checker) - **16 claude.md per module** that the AI reads when touching each feature - **Automatic hooks** that validate after each change - **9 automated checks** (lint, circular deps, dead code, duplicates) The operational difference is huge. You ask the AI "add an endpoint to export users", and in CREA.MBA the AI knows which pattern to follow, which helpers to use, where to put the file. In MakerKit, the AI has to guess. ## Price - MakerKit: $199 (Starter) up to $499 (Pro with everything). - CREA.MBA: €99 (founder waitlist) / €149 (early bird) / €199 (regular). CREA.MBA is notably cheaper. ## Learning curve ### MakerKit Steep. The structure is opinionated and stepping out complicates things. But in exchange, everything is thought out. ### CREA.MBA Medium. The structure is more standard Next.js. If you know Next.js + Prisma + Better Auth, you find yourself at home quickly. ## Community - MakerKit: medium community with direct support from the author. - CREA.MBA: small but aligned community of vibe coders. If you value having thousands of users around, neither will give you that. ShipFast is still the community king. Both lose here. ## When to pick each ### Pick MakerKit if: - You're building a B2B SaaS with complex per-company plans - You need very customizable roles - You prefer stack stability over having the latest ### Pick CREA.MBA if: - You build with AI all day - You want a modern stack (Next.js 16, Better Auth, Polar, Tailwind v4) - Your budget is tight - You care more about development speed than B2B completeness ## Bottom line There's no absolute winner. They're two products focused on different problems. MakerKit wins if your bottleneck is modeling a complex B2B SaaS. CREA.MBA wins if your bottleneck is working productively with AI. Ask yourself what slows you down most day-to-day and the answer comes out by itself.