ShipFast alternatives: 5 things to consider in 2026

ShipFast has been the default answer for years when someone asks "which Next.js boilerplate should I buy". It has a huge community, landing templates, and tutorials everywhere. But that doesn't mean it's the best option for you. If you're considering alternatives, it's usually for one of five reasons. Here they are, and at the end, the boilerplates worth looking at depending on the case. ## 1. Your stack doesn't fit ShipFast uses **Next.js 14, NextAuth, and MongoDB or Supabase**. If you want: - **Next.js 16 with cacheComponents** (the new model that changes how pages are cached) - **Better Auth** instead of NextAuth - **Plain PostgreSQL with Prisma** ShipFast won't give you that. You'll have to migrate it, and migrating someone else's boilerplate is almost worse than starting from scratch. ## 2. You need multi-tenancy ShipFast doesn't ship with multi-tenancy. You have users, not organizations. If your product is: - A B2B SaaS where a company subscribes and then invites employees - A tool where people work in teams under an "account" - Anything with owner / admin / member roles You'll need to add multi-tenancy from scratch. That's 1-2 weeks of work done right (relationships, permissions, invitations). ## 3. You want something more AI-friendly If you build with Claude Code, Cursor, or any generative AI, you notice it: the AI works better when there's a central file that explains how the project is structured. ShipFast wasn't designed with AI in mind. No CLAUDE.md, no "skills" or operational rules. The AI has to guess the repo conventions every time. There are newer boilerplates that ship with it. And the difference shows after a few prompts. ## 4. The price doesn't fit ShipFast is $249. Not expensive for what it offers, but there are options: - Cheaper (IndieKit $149, CREA.MBA from €99) - Pricier but more features (MakerKit up to $499 with multi-tenancy) If your budget is tight, there are alternatives at half the price that cover the basics. ## 5. The community doesn't help you ShipFast's community is huge, but also very generalist. If you're in a specific niche (vibe coders, non-dev founders, specific B2B SaaS), a small but aligned community helps more than a 5,000-person Discord asking basic questions. ## 5 real alternatives in 2026 ### MakerKit ($199–499) Best alternative if you need **multi-tenancy out of the box**. Has Next.js or Remix, Supabase or Firebase, plan and team management. Best for: B2B SaaS with teams. ### CREA.MBA (€99–199) Best alternative if you **build with AI**. Next.js 16 stack with Better Auth, Polar or Stripe, Resend. Ships with 231-line CLAUDE.md, skills, agents, and hooks the AI understands. Best for: vibe coders and founders who rely on Claude Code or Cursor. ### IndieKit ($149) Best alternative if you want **the minimum and cheap**. Just the essentials: auth, payments with Polar, dashboard. Easy to read and modify. Best for: starting a side project without spending much. ### NextBase ($299) Best alternative if your stack is **Next.js + Supabase**. Has auth, payments, blog, and dashboard with good Supabase integration. Best for: you already know Supabase and don't want to switch. ### Saasrock ($399) Best alternative if you want **everything inside the package** (CRM, knowledge base, blog, support). But it uses Remix, not Next.js. Best for: a product that needs integrated internal tools. ## How to decide in 5 minutes Ask yourself three questions: 1. **Is your ideal stack Next.js 14 or newer?** If newer, drop ShipFast. 2. **Do you need multi-tenancy?** If yes, MakerKit or CREA.MBA. 3. **Do you build with AI every day?** If yes, CREA.MBA. If all three are "I don't care" or "ShipFast covers it", stick with ShipFast. It has the largest community and that's worth money. If any are "yes", look at the alternatives. The most popular isn't always the best fit.