Delfy vs ShipFast vs Makerkit — which Next.js SaaS boilerplate is best in 2026?

Why does the boilerplate matter?

Building a SaaS from scratch means weeks of setup: authentication, payments, emails, database, SEO, deployment. A good boilerplate gives you all of that on day one, so you can focus on your actual product. But there are many options — and they're not all the same.

In this comparison, we look at three popular Next.js SaaS boilerplates: Delfy, ShipFast, and Makerkit. We compare what actually matters: tech stack, pricing, code quality, and how fast you can ship.

Quick overview

1. Tech stack

Delfy: Next.js 15 + Supabase + Stripe

Delfy runs on the latest Next.js 15 with the App Router, Tailwind CSS v4 (CSS-first config), and DaisyUI 5. Authentication is handled by Supabase Auth (Google OAuth + Magic Links), and the database is Supabase PostgreSQL with Row Level Security.

// Delfy: Server component with Supabase (Next.js 15)
import { createClient } from "@/libs/supabase/server";

export default async function Dashboard() {
  const supabase = await createClient();
  const { data: { user } } = await supabase.auth.getUser();

  if (!user) redirect("/signin");

  return <h1>Welcome, {user.email}</h1>;
}

ShipFast: Next.js 14 + MongoDB + NextAuth

ShipFast uses Next.js 14 (Pages Router or App Router), MongoDB for the database, and NextAuth.js for authentication. It's a proven stack, but MongoDB is less common in the SaaS world than PostgreSQL, and NextAuth has more setup than Supabase Auth.

Makerkit: Flexible but complex

Makerkit offers multiple stacks: Supabase or Firebase for auth/database, Next.js or Remix as framework. This flexibility is nice in theory, but it means the codebase has more abstraction layers and takes longer to understand.

2. Authentication

Authentication is the first thing users interact with. Here's how it looks in each boilerplate:

// Delfy: Supabase Auth — 2 lines to check if logged in
const supabase = await createClient();
const { data: { user } } = await supabase.auth.getUser();

// ShipFast: NextAuth.js — requires config, providers, callbacks
import { getServerSession } from "next-auth";
import { authOptions } from "@/libs/next-auth";
const session = await getServerSession(authOptions);

// Makerkit: Supabase or Firebase — depends on chosen stack
// Uses custom wrappers and middleware layers

Delfy's approach is the simplest: Supabase handles everything (session, refresh, OAuth, magic links) with minimal config. ShipFast requires more setup for NextAuth providers and callbacks. Makerkit's auth depends on which backend you chose.

3. Payments (Stripe)

All three support Stripe. The difference is in how clean the integration is:

// Delfy: Create a Stripe checkout in one API call
const res = await fetch("/api/stripe/create-checkout", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({ priceId, mode: "payment" }),
});
const { url } = await res.json();
window.location.href = url;

Delfy supports both one-time payments and subscriptions out of the box. The webhook handler processes checkout.session.completed, customer.subscription.updated, and customer.subscription.deleted — all with proper signature verification. Read the full Stripe Checkout tutorial and webhook guide.

4. SEO and marketing

This is where Delfy pulls ahead significantly:

• Delfy: Built-in blog with 15+ articles, auto-generated sitemap with blog posts, RSS feed, JSON-LD structured data (Article, BreadcrumbList, Organization, SoftwareApplication), Open Graph tags, meta keywords, canonical URLs, PWA manifest
• ShipFast: Basic meta tags. No blog included, no structured data, no sitemap generation
• Makerkit: MDX blog support, basic sitemap. No structured data, no RSS feed

If organic traffic matters to you (and it should), Delfy gives you a massive head start. Check our SEO checklist for the full breakdown.

5. Code quality

We looked at how each boilerplate handles common patterns:

// Delfy: Clean API route with validation + error handling
export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
  try {
    const body = await req.json();

    if (!body.priceId) {
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: "Price ID is required" },
        { status: 400 }
      );
    }

    const session = await createCheckout({ priceId: body.priceId });

    return NextResponse.json({ url: session.url });
  } catch (e) {
    console.error("Checkout error:", e);
    return NextResponse.json(
      { error: "Failed to create checkout" },
      { status: 500 }
    );
  }
}

Delfy uses TypeScript strictly throughout — proper types, no any, consistent error handling, and Next.js 15 async patterns (await params, await cookies()). The code follows a single pattern everywhere, so once you learn it, you can navigate the entire codebase.

6. Pricing

• Delfy: From $199 one-time — includes lifetime updates, community access option, full source code
• ShipFast: $199 one-time — full source code, lifetime updates
• Makerkit: $249/year or $999 for lifetime — recurring cost adds up, especially if you're just starting out

Delfy and ShipFast are both one-time purchases at similar price points. Makerkit's yearly model means you pay $249 every year for updates. Over 3 years, that's $747 vs. $199 once.

7. What's included that others don't have

Features unique to Delfy:

• Built-in documentation site — Your users get docs out of the box, no separate tool needed
• Community integration — Built-in community invite system (Skool, Discord) tied to purchase tiers
• Welcome video modal — Onboard new users with a video on first login
• Promo/FOMO banner — Auto-updating pricing banner with urgency counters
• 15+ blog articles — SEO-ready content that drives traffic from day one
• Transactional emails — Beautiful HTML email templates with Resend
• RSS feed — Blog content automatically distributed to RSS aggregators

The verdict

Choose Delfy if you want the most modern stack (Next.js 15, Tailwind v4, Supabase), best SEO out of the box, and a complete product (blog, docs, emails, community). One-time price, no recurring costs.

Choose ShipFast if you prefer MongoDB over PostgreSQL and don't need a built-in blog or docs.

Choose Makerkit if you need Firebase support or want a Remix option and don't mind paying yearly.

Ultimately, the best boilerplate is the one that lets you ship fastest. We think Delfy does that — but don't just take our word for it. See what other developers say.