Free SaaS boilerplate with authentication and database: honest comparison

There are three genuinely useful free SaaS boilerplates with authentication and database support in 2026. Here's what each includes and where each stops.

Create T3 App (MIT, free)

• Next.js + tRPC + Prisma + Tailwind + NextAuth
• Auth: NextAuth wired up
• Database: Prisma schema with SQLite/Postgres
• Stops at: payments, admin dashboard, email templates

ixartz SaaS-Boilerplate (MIT, free)

• Next.js 16 + Clerk auth + Drizzle ORM + multi-tenancy + i18n
• Auth: Clerk with 10+ providers, MFA, passkeys
• Database: Drizzle with Postgres/SQLite/MySQL
• Stops at: Stripe (Pro version, $99), dark mode (Pro only)

Wasp Open SaaS (MIT, free)

• Wasp framework + React + Prisma
• Auth: built-in email, Google, GitHub
• Database: Prisma with any provider
• Stops at: payments setup complexity (Stripe via packages), admin dashboard

Where free boilerplates end

All three include auth and database. None include pre-wired payment processing with webhooks, admin dashboards, or transactional email templates. That's the gap between "starter" and "ship-ready."

The budget decision

If you want free auth + DB and will add billing yourself: Create T3 App or ixartz works.

If you'd rather pay $49-59 once (not monthly) for auth + DB + pre-wired Stripe/Polar payments + admin dashboard: the CheapStack SaaS Starter and SaaS Boilerplate cover that. One-time price, no subscription to the boilerplate itself.

About the author: Muhammad Akbar builds affordable developer tools at CheapStack and writes about bootstrapping products on realistic budgets.