ShipFast vs LaunchKit (2026): Honest Comparison for Next.js SaaS Founders

If you're shopping for a Next.js SaaS boilerplate in 2026, you've almost certainly landed on ShipFast. It's the market leader, it's been around for years, and Marc Louvion has built a strong reputation. But LaunchKit has entered the space at a fraction of the price, and it's worth a serious look — especially if you're starting a new project today. This is a side-by-side, honest comparison. I've used both. No affiliate links, no paid sponsorships. Quick Summary Feature ShipFast LaunchKit Price $199 $49 Next.js Router Pages Router App Router Auth NextAuth v4 NextAuth v5 Billing Stripe ✅ Stripe ✅ AI Features ❌ DIY ✅ Native ORM Mongoose/Prisma Prisma TypeScript Partial Full UI Components DaisyUI shadcn/ui Community Large, mature Growing Stack Generation 2022–2023 2025–2026 Architecture: Pages Router vs App Router This is the biggest technical difference and the one that matters most for the long term. ShipFast uses the Pages Router. This isn't a knock on Marc — ShipFast was built when the