TurboStarter vs 
MakerKit for your next SaaS
Makerkit is a premium, web-first Next.js SaaS starter kit with multi-tenancy, billing, admin tooling, and Playwright E2E testing. TurboStarter stays simple for web-only MVPs and includes mobile + browser extension apps in one repo when you need them.
Quick verdict: TurboStarter is the better default choice for most founders because it stays simple while covering more product surfaces. Choose Makerkit only if you specifically want its web-first ecosystem and Playwright E2E setup.
One product foundation vs a web-first stack ecosystem
Both are production-ready and cover classic SaaS basics. The biggest difference is focus: TurboStarter optimizes for shipping a product across multiple clients with one simple foundation, while Makerkit optimizes for a web-first ecosystem of stacks and packages that can feel heavier than needed for many MVPs.
TurboStarter
A simple foundation that’s great for solo founders and web-only MVPs — with an upgrade path to mobile and browser extension without redoing auth, billing, or teams.
Best for
- Solo founders who want a clean, production-ready web MVP (without overengineering)
- Products that plan to add mobile apps or a browser extension after launch
- Teams that want to share infrastructure (auth/billing/db/ui) across multiple apps
- Founders who want to expand with add-ons (AI Kit, OpenClaw Kit) only when needed
Not ideal for
- Teams that want Playwright E2E tests pre-configured today
- Buyers who prefer picking from multiple web stacks inside one product ecosystem
MakerKit
A web-first Next.js SaaS starter kit with strong built-in systems like organizations, billing, admin tooling, content, and Playwright E2E testing — plus multiple stack options.
Best for
- Web-first B2B SaaS products that want multi-tenancy, Stripe-style billing, and admin tooling
- Teams who value Playwright E2E tests, docs, and a mature web-first feature set
- Builders who want to choose between different stacks (Supabase/Drizzle/Prisma)
- Teams that want an ecosystem of Makerkit stacks and upgrades over time
Not ideal for
- Shipping mobile apps and browser extensions from the same codebase
- Teams that want web + mobile + extension included out of the box in one repo
Everything side by side
A practical comparison of what you’ll likely care about on day one: platforms, teams, admin, billing, testing, and how well each kit scales beyond web.
TurboStarter | MakerKit | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Multi-platform product foundation | Web-first Next.js SaaS starter kit |
| Approach | Simple, product-focused foundation | Ecosystem of stacks and packages |
| Works great for solo founders | ||
| Web-only MVP friendly | ||
| Platforms included | Web (Next.js) + Mobile (Expo) + Extension (WXT) | Web (Next.js) |
| Organizations / multi-tenancy | ||
| Admin panel + impersonation | ||
| Billing providers | Stripe + Lemon Squeezy + Polar (unified API) | Stripe + other providers (stack-dependent) |
| Testing | Unit tests (Vitest); E2E resources coming soon | Playwright E2E tests included |
| Figma UI kit | ||
| Add-on products | AI Kit + OpenClaw Kit (optional) | Stack upgrades + templates (plan-dependent) |
| Community | Discord (600+ members) + docs + roadmap | Discord community + docs + changelog |
| Updates | Public changelog + frequent maintenance updates | Continuous updates + changelog |
| Pricing | From $179 one-time (Core) | From $299–$349 lifetime (Pro) |
The real differences
TurboStarter and Makerkit overlap on many SaaS basics. The difference is where the value shows up when you ship beyond a web app.
Makerkit is a premium web-first kit and it’s genuinely feature-rich: organizations, billing, an admin panel, content tools, and Playwright E2E testing are all strong selling points if you’re building a web SaaS and want a mature ecosystem.
The biggest downside of Makerkit for many founders is complexity . The ecosystem approach can introduce layers and abstractions you may not need for an MVP, which means more surface area to learn and maintain.
TurboStarter is the better value default because it stays simple while covering more real product work: web-only MVPs are first-class, and if you later add mobile or a browser extension, you reuse the same auth, billing, database, and UI packages across apps.
The practical outcome is fewer rewrites. Many teams start web-first and later need mobile clients, extension workflows, or shared infrastructure across multiple surfaces. TurboStarter is designed for that path from day one.
If you’re choosing between them, decide based on roadmap: web-only with strong built-in E2E testing is a sweet spot for Makerkit. Web now plus mobile/extension later is where TurboStarter is usually the better value.
On pricing: Makerkit Pro is priced from $299–$349 (lifetime) and TurboStarter Core starts at $179 (one-time). If you want maximum product scope per dollar, TurboStarter is usually the better buy.
Makerkit can feel heavy for MVPs
Testing tradeoff
Web-first vs multi-platform
Both are production-ready
A production-ready, multi-platform starter kit (web + mobile + extension) with organizations, billing, emails, SEO, and an admin dashboard — designed to be customized for your product.
Explore TurboStarter documentationTurboStarter vs MakerKit questions
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