What Is a SaaS Boilerplate?
A complete guide for developers who want to launch faster — without rebuilding the same infrastructure every time.
The Short Answer
A SaaS boilerplate is a pre-built, production-ready codebase that includes all the common infrastructure every SaaS product needs: user authentication, subscription billing, a database schema, transactional email, and deployment configuration.
Instead of spending two to six weeks writing the same plumbing every time you start a new project, you start with all of it already working and go straight to building your product's unique features.
Why Do Developers Use SaaS Boilerplates?
Every SaaS product needs the same boring infrastructure. Authentication, Stripe billing, email, a database, and deployment config are nearly identical across products. Building them from scratch is not a competitive advantage — it is just overhead.
For indie developers and small teams, the speed advantage often determines whether a product ships at all. A $200 boilerplate pays for itself the moment it saves you a week of setup work.
What Does a SaaS Boilerplate Include?
A production-ready SaaS boilerplate ships with most or all of the following:
User Authentication
Sign up, login, password reset, email verification, and social OAuth (Google, GitHub). Usually built with NextAuth, Clerk, Auth.js, or Supabase Auth.
Subscription Billing
Stripe or Lemon Squeezy integration for one-time payments and recurring subscriptions, including webhook handling, customer portal, and billing pages.
Database & ORM
A schema with user and subscription tables, migrations, and an ORM like Prisma or Drizzle. Many include hosted Postgres via Supabase, Neon, or PlanetScale.
Transactional Email
Welcome emails, password resets, and billing receipts sent via Resend, SendGrid, or Postmark, with pre-built React Email or MJML templates.
SEO Foundations
Meta tags, Open Graph images, sitemap.xml, robots.txt, and structured data already wired up so your product pages rank from day one.
Deployment Config
Ready-to-deploy configuration for Vercel, Railway, or Fly.io, including environment variable setup, build scripts, and CI/CD basics.
SaaS Boilerplate vs. Template: What's the Difference?
| Boilerplate | Template | |
|---|---|---|
| Backend logic | Fully working | You build it |
| Auth & billing | Integrated | Not included |
| Database schema | Included with migrations | Not included |
| UI / styling | Included | Included |
| Deploy-ready | Yes | Rarely |
How to Choose the Right One
With dozens of SaaS boilerplates available, the right choice depends on a few key factors:
- 1. Your tech stack. Choose a boilerplate built on a framework you know. Next.js, SvelteKit, Laravel, Django, and Ruby on Rails are the most common.
- 2. Payment provider. Most use Stripe, but some use Lemon Squeezy (simpler for solo developers, handles VAT automatically).
- 3. Authentication approach. Some use open-source solutions like NextAuth; others use managed services like Clerk. Managed auth is faster to start but adds a monthly cost at scale.
- 4. Maintenance. Check whether the author actively updates the boilerplate. An unmaintained boilerplate means you inherit its security debt.
- 5. Budget. Free open-source options exist and are a great starting point. Paid boilerplates in the $100–$300 range typically offer more polish, docs, and long-term updates.
Ready to Find Your Boilerplate?
Browse and filter 100+ SaaS boilerplates by framework, features, and price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a SaaS boilerplate?
A SaaS boilerplate is a pre-built, production-ready codebase that includes all the common infrastructure every SaaS product needs: user authentication, subscription billing, a database schema, transactional email, and deployment configuration. Instead of spending weeks building these foundations from scratch, you start with them already working and go straight to your product's unique features.
What is the difference between a SaaS boilerplate and a template?
A template is typically a UI-only starting point with placeholder content and styling. A boilerplate is a fully functional codebase with working backend integrations — authentication, payments, email, and database. A SaaS boilerplate means you can take the code, add your product logic, and deploy something real the same day. Templates require you to wire up all the backend yourself.
Are SaaS boilerplates worth it?
Yes, for most projects. Building authentication, Stripe integration, email systems, and multi-tenancy from scratch typically takes 2 to 6 weeks. A SaaS boilerplate compresses that to a day or less. For indie developers and small teams, the time saved often determines whether a product ships at all. Even at $200, a boilerplate pays for itself the moment it saves you a week of setup work.
What should a SaaS boilerplate include?
A production-ready SaaS boilerplate should include: user authentication (sign up, login, password reset, OAuth), subscription billing via Stripe or Lemon Squeezy, a database ORM with schema migrations, transactional email, SEO basics, and a clean deployment setup. The best ones also include a landing page, admin dashboard, and API rate limiting.
Are there free SaaS boilerplates?
Yes. Several open-source SaaS boilerplates are free on GitHub, including options built on Next.js, Laravel, and Django. We maintain a curated list at github.com/EinGuterWaran/awesome-opensource-boilerplates. Free boilerplates are a good starting point, though paid options often come with more complete feature sets, ongoing maintenance, and support. Browse free options by filtering by price on BoilerplateHub.
How much does a SaaS boilerplate cost?
Paid SaaS boilerplates typically range from $49 to $300 for a one-time license. Most include lifetime updates. Popular options like ShipFast and LaunchFast sit in the $150 to $250 range.
What is the best SaaS boilerplate for Next.js?
The most popular Next.js SaaS boilerplates are ShipFast, Shipped, and LaunchFast. They include Next.js App Router, NextAuth or Clerk for authentication, Stripe for billing, and Tailwind CSS for styling. Browse and compare all Next.js options on BoilerplateHub.