I Spent $300 Testing SaaS Boilerplates So You Don't Have To (2026 Verdict)

I've been building SaaS products for the better part of five years. Every time I start a new project, I face the same decision: build auth and billing from scratch (again), or buy a boilerplate and get moving. Last year I decided to stop guessing and actually test the most popular options. I spent $300 across three boilerplates, set up each one on a real project, and took notes. Here's my honest 2026 verdict. The Three Contenders ShipFast — $199, Marc Louvion's boilerplate, the market leader Supastarter — $99 (roughly), well-regarded in the indie hacker community LaunchKit — $49, newer AI-native starter built on Next.js 16 App Router I tested all three on a real project: a simple subscription SaaS with auth, billing, and a couple of AI features. Same idea, three builds. ShipFast ($199) Setup time: ~2 hours to get running ShipFast is the battle-tested option. Marc has been refining it for years and the documentation is genuinely good. If you're looking for a community and a track record