MkSaaS vs ShipFast
A comprehensive comparison between MkSaaS and ShipFast
As the SaaS boilerplate market continues to grow, two solutions have emerged as popular choices for developers: MkSaaS and ShipFast. Both offer comprehensive toolkits for building SaaS applications, but they differ significantly in their approach, features, and target audience.
This detailed comparison will help you understand the key differences between these two platforms and make an informed decision for your next project.
Feature Comparison
| Category | Feature | MkSaaS | ShipFast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Auth Framework | Better Auth | NextAuth (Auth.js) |
| Email/Password Login | ✅ With email verification | ❌ Not supported | |
| Social Login | ✅ Google, GitHub + extensible | ||
| Account Linking | ✅ Link different auth methods | ❌ Not supported | |
| Magic Link | ❌ Not supported | ✅ Basic support | |
| User Role Management | ✅ Admin features, user banning | ❌ Not supported | |
| Security Protection | ✅ Cloudflare Turnstile | ❌ Not supported | |
| Password Reset | ✅ Secure link reset | ✅ Basic functionality | |
| Payments | Payment Platforms | Stripe | Stripe / Lemon Squeezy |
| Support Lemon Squeezy | ❌ Not supported | ✅ Support | |
| Subscription Management | ✅ Monthly/yearly subscriptions | ✅ Monthly/yearly subscriptions | |
| One-time Payments | ✅ Lifetime membership plans | ✅ One-time products | |
| Credits System | ✅ Flexible credit packages | ❌ Not supported | |
| Customer Portal | ✅ Stripe customer portal | ❌ Not supported | |
| Webhook Handling | ✅ Complete event handling | ✅ Basic webhooks | |
| Invoice Management | ✅ Automatic invoice generation | ⚠️ Limited support | |
| Database | ORM Framework | Drizzle ORM | Mongoose (MongoDB) |
| Database Type | PostgreSQL (Neon recommended) | MongoDB / Supabase | |
| Support MangoDB | ❌ Not supported | ✅ Support | |
| Type Safety | ✅ Full TypeScript support | ⚠️ Partial type support | |
| Migration Management | ✅ Automatic migration generation | ⚠️ Manual schema management | |
| Database Tools | ✅ Drizzle Studio | ⚠️ Third-party tools | |
| Multi-platform Support | ✅ Multiple database support | ⚠️ Mainly MongoDB | |
| Email Service | Resend | Mailgun / Resend | |
| Support Mailgun | ❌ Not supported | ✅ Support | |
| Email Templates | ✅ React Email templates | ⚠️ Basic HTML templates | |
| Newsletter | ✅ Resend-based newsletter system | ❌ Not supported | |
| Waitlist | ✅ Built-in waitlist functionality | ❌ Not supported | |
| Multilingual Emails | ✅ Complete i18n support | ⚠️ English only | |
| Local Preview | ✅ Dev server preview | ❌ No preview feature | |
| Pages & Content | Landing Page | ✅ High-conversion design | ✅ Clean efficient design |
| Blog System | ✅ Fumadocs MDX, multilingual | ❌ Not supported | |
| Documentation System | ✅ Fumadocs MDX, multilingual | ❌ Not supported | |
| Premium Content | ✅ Blog premium content feature | ❌ Not supported | |
| SEO Optimization | ✅ Auto sitemap, OG metadata | ⚠️ Limited support | |
| Legal Pages | ✅ Privacy policy, terms, cookie policy | ❌ Not supported | |
| Components & UI | UI Component Library | Shadcn UI + Magic UI + Animate UI + Tailark + AI Elements | DaisyUI |
| Component Count | 350+ components | 30+ components | |
| Marketing Blocks | ✅ 80+ Tailark marketing blocks | ⚠️ Basic blocks | |
| Animation Effects | ✅ Magic UI + Animate UI | ✅ DaisyUI animations | |
| Responsive Design | ✅ Full responsive | ✅ Full responsive | |
| Dark mode | ✅ Mode switcher | ❌ Not supported | |
| Multiple themes | ✅ 5 built-in themes | ❌ Not supported | |
| Deployment | Recommended Platforms | Vercel, Cloudflare Workers, Docker/Dokploy | Vercel |
| Deployment Methods | ✅ Multi-platform compatible | ⚠️ Mainly Vercel | |
| Database Choices | PostgreSQL (Neon, Supabase) | MongoDB, Supabase | |
| Docker file | ✅ Production-ready Dockerfile | ❌ Not supported | |
| SaaS Features | Internationalization | ✅ Complete i18n support | ⚠️ English only |
| Affiliate Programs | ✅ PromoteKit/Affonso integration | ❌ Not supported | |
| Notification System | ✅ Discord, Feishu | ❌ Not supported | |
| Customer Chat | ✅ Crisp Chat integration | ❌ Not supported | |
| Analytics Tools | ✅ 10+ analytics platforms support | ❌ Not supported | |
| Theme System | ✅ 5 built-in themes | ✅ DaisyUI 20+ themes | |
| AI Features | AI Chatbot | ✅ Vercel AI SDK integration | ❌ Not supported |
| AI Text Generation | ✅ Multi-platform API support | ❌ Not supported | |
| AI Image Generation | ✅ Multi-model support | ❌ Not supported | |
| Developer Experience | TypeScript | ✅ Complete type safety | ✅ TypeScript/JavaScript |
| Code Standards | Biome (Linter + Formatter) | Basic ESLint | |
| AI Dev Support | ✅ Cursor/Claude rules | ❌ Not supported | |
| Development Tools | Drizzle Studio, React Email preview | Standard dev tools | |
| Additional Templates | Extra Templates | ✅ Blog site, directory site, AI SaaS site | ⚠️ Single template |
| Template Count | 4 complete website codebases | 1 SaaS template | |
| Use Cases | SaaS, blog, directory, AI tools | Mainly SaaS applications |
When to Choose MkSaaS
Choose MkSaaS if you need:
- International reach with complete multilingual support
- Content-rich applications with blog and documentation systems
- Modern development tools and AI integration
- Flexible deployment across multiple platforms
- Rich UI components and marketing blocks
- Advanced SaaS features like affiliate programs and notification systems
- AI-powered applications with built-in AI tools
- Multiple project types beyond just SaaS (blog, directory, etc.)
When to Choose ShipFast
Choose ShipFast if you need:
- Quick and simple SaaS setup
- DaisyUI theme ecosystem with 20+ themes
- MongoDB database preference
- Lightweight solution focused on core features
- Mature community and documentation
- Lemon Squeezy as Stripe alternative
- Proven track record with established user base
Conclusion
Both MkSaaS and ShipFast are excellent starting points for SaaS development, but they serve different needs:
MkSaaS excels in providing a comprehensive, modern development experience with extensive internationalization, AI integration, and content management capabilities. It's ideal for developers who want cutting-edge tools and plan to build feature-rich, global applications.
ShipFast focuses on simplicity and speed, offering a proven, straightforward approach to SaaS development. It's perfect for developers who want to launch quickly without complex features.
Your choice should depend on your specific requirements, technical preferences, and project scope. Consider factors like your target audience (global vs. local), required features, preferred tech stack, and long-term maintenance needs when making your decision.
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