Next.js 16 boilerplates compared: ShipFast, MakerKit and CREA.MBA

If you've decided not to write auth from scratch and want a Next.js boilerplate, the three most-discussed options in 2026 are ShipFast, MakerKit, and CREA.MBA. All three start from the same promise (saving you the first 4-6 weeks), but with different philosophies.

This comparison lays them out side by side without diplomacy. What each one does, which type of product it fits.

Each one's philosophy

ShipFast: speed above all

ShipFast is designed so that an indie hacker can ship an MVP in a weekend. Philosophy: give me the minimum viable and let me go. Opinionated stack, ready-made templates, huge community.

You see it in how the code is organized: many loose files, decisions made for you, few abstractions.

MakerKit: completeness for B2B

MakerKit assumes you'll build an enterprise SaaS. It ships with multi-tenancy, plan management, teams, everything a "real" B2B needs.

Philosophy: I give you a lot already done, but in exchange you follow my structure.

CREA.MBA: AI-native

CREA.MBA starts from a new premise: "AI is part of the team". The boilerplate is designed so that Claude Code or Cursor understand the project from the first prompt. That means CLAUDE.md with conventions, reusable skills, specialized agents, automatic hooks.

Philosophy: I give you a solid base and the AI builds on top without breaking it.

Tech stack

Piece	ShipFast	MakerKit	CREA.MBA
Framework	Next.js 14	Next.js 15 or Remix	Next.js 16
App Router	Yes	Yes	Yes (with cacheComponents)
Auth	NextAuth	Supabase Auth or Firebase	Better Auth
DB	MongoDB / Supabase	Supabase / Firebase	PostgreSQL + Prisma 7
Payments	Stripe	Stripe	Polar or Stripe
Email	Mailgun	Resend	Resend + React Email
CSS	Tailwind v3	Tailwind v3-4	Tailwind v4

CREA.MBA is the most up-to-date stack. ShipFast the most conservative.

Key features

Multi-tenancy

• ShipFast: ❌ Not out of the box. Has to be added.
• MakerKit: ✅ Yes, complete (organizations, roles, invitations).
• CREA.MBA: ✅ Yes, with Better Auth Organizations.

2FA

• ShipFast: ❌ Not out of the box.
• MakerKit: ⚠️ Optional depending on tier.
• CREA.MBA: ✅ Yes, TOTP with QR setup and backup codes.

Internationalization (i18n)

• ShipFast: ❌ No.
• MakerKit: ⚠️ Partial.
• CREA.MBA: ✅ Yes (EN/ES out of the box, easy to add more).

Admin panel

• ShipFast: ⚠️ Basic.
• MakerKit: ✅ Complete.
• CREA.MBA: ✅ Complete (user management, ban, impersonation, audit log).

AI-native

• ShipFast: ❌ Zero.
• MakerKit: ❌ Zero.
• CREA.MBA: ✅ CLAUDE.md, 18 skills, 2 agents, 16 claude.md per module, 9 automated checks.

Price

• ShipFast: $249 (one-time license).
• MakerKit: $199 (Starter) – $499 (Pro).
• CREA.MBA: €199 (regular) / €149 (early bird) / €99 (founder waitlist).

CREA.MBA is the cheapest on the top tier. ShipFast the most stable in price.

Community and maintenance

• ShipFast: thousands-strong community. Very active Discord. Regular updates but stack lagging behind.
• MakerKit: medium community, direct support from the author. Frequent updates. Stack up to date with a few months' delay.
• CREA.MBA: small community, growing. Very frequent updates (Israel builds in public). Stack always on the latest.

If community is a critical factor for you, ShipFast wins. If update speed is, CREA.MBA.

Who each one fits

Pick ShipFast if:

• You want an MVP in a weekend, no thinking
• The stack doesn't matter as long as it works
• You value tutorials and extra templates

Pick MakerKit if:

• You're building a B2B SaaS with teams
• You need multi-tenancy from day one
• You don't mind the steep learning curve

Pick CREA.MBA if:

• You build with AI every day
• You want the most modern stack (Next.js 16, Better Auth, Polar, Tailwind v4)
• You care that the AI understands your project without you having to explain everything every time

Bottom line

It's not "ShipFast vs the rest". They're three different philosophies for three different profiles. ShipFast rewards speed, MakerKit rewards B2B completeness, CREA.MBA rewards working with AI.

Your product and your way of working decide which one fits.