ShipKitComparison
ShipKit vs MakerKit
This page is written by the makers of ShipKit, one of the two products compared. Every MakerKit fact comes from MakerKit's own website and links to its source; where their page didn't say, we wrote “Not confirmed” instead of guessing.
Competitor details checked on 2026-10-19; prices change, check their site.
Pick MakerKit if you are building a multi-tenant B2B product: team accounts, invitations, granular roles, MFA and passkeys, on Postgres, with documentation maintained since 2022. Pick ShipKit if your product is used by single users, you want it on Cloudflare Workers, and $99 is the budget.
Side by side
| Feature | ShipKit | MakerKit |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | TanStack Start | Next.js 16 and TanStack Start; the Supabase kit also ships React Router 8. A license covers one data stack, including its TanStack Start version.[1][2] |
| Database | D1 (SQLite) with Drizzle; R2 for files. Database docs | Pick one stack: Supabase (Auth, Postgres, Storage, Row Level Security), Drizzle + Better Auth, or Prisma 7 + Better Auth on the Postgres provider you choose.[1] |
| Hosting | Cloudflare Workers only | Its FAQ, answering for the Next.js kit: the Supabase kit has deployment guides for Vercel, Cloudflare, Docker and a VPS; the Drizzle and Prisma kits document Docker and Railway.[2] |
| Runs on Cloudflare Workers | Yes, it is the only target. | Not confirmedA Cloudflare guide is named for the Supabase kit; whether it covers Workers, or the TanStack Start version, is not stated.[2] |
| Sign-in | Passwordless through Better Auth: Google, GitHub and emailed codes. No passwords, 2FA or passkeys. Auth docs | Password, magic link, passkey and social sign-in (Google, GitHub, Facebook, X, Discord and more), plus TOTP-based MFA.[2] |
| Teams / multi-tenancy | None yet: every account is a single user. | Multi-tenant B2B: personal and team accounts, email invitations with roles, granular role-based access control, and a super admin.[2][1] |
| Payments | Stripe and Creem, even at the same time, through one provider-neutral payment layer; subscriptions and one-time credit packs. Payments docs | "Subscriptions with Stripe and other providers": Stripe Checkout and Customer Portal, per-seat, metered, flat-rate or one-time. Which other providers: not confirmed.[2] |
| Languages (i18n) | English and Chinese (Paraglide), routed by URL. | Translations (i18n) in every kit.[1] |
| AI coding agents | CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md rules that tests enforce, skills for setup flows (first run, Stripe, Creem, Google OAuth, deploy and more), and a deletion recipe for every optional feature that CI runs. AI agent docs | AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md at the root and in each package, rules for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Gemini, and the MakerKit MCP server ("Built for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex & Gemini — MCP server included").[2][1] |
| Also included | Credits, API keys, affiliate tracking, in-app notifications, an MDX blog and docs. | Figma UI kit, marketing pages, a blog, a documentation section, Playwright end-to-end tests.[1][2] |
| Price | $99 one-time (launch price; $199 after launch): the full source in a private GitHub repository, every future update, unlimited projects of your own. All sales are final. Pricing | One-time, lifetime license, unlimited projects: Pro for 1 developer, Teams for up to 5. On makerkit.dev the pricing cards show $299 / $599 next to a struck-through $349 / $649, while the page header and pricing FAQ say $349 / $649.[1] |
| Free version | ShipKit Lite, free and MIT-licensed: GitHub | MakerKit Lite, free and MIT-licensed: a Next.js boilerplate with Supabase auth and marketing pages, without billing, teams or the admin panel.[1][2] |
| Track record | New: no buyer reviews yet. | Maintained full-time since 2022, by its founder.[2] |
Do you need organizations?
This is the question that decides it. Teams, members, invitations and per-team billing are a lot of work to add later, because they change who owns every row in the database. MakerKit models them from the start: personal and team accounts, invitations, roles and permissions, with access enforced by Postgres Row Level Security on the Supabase kits and by organization-scoped policies on the Better Auth kits.
ShipKit has no teams or organizations yet: every account is a single user. A single-user product (a tool, a consumer app, an API people pay for with credits) does not need them. A B2B product almost always does, and then MakerKit is the honest recommendation.
AI coding agents: an MCP server, or rules that tests enforce
MakerKit ships AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md at the root and in each package, rules for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Gemini, and an MCP server that, in its words, "gives your agent structured access to the kit".
ShipKit takes a different route: its CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md rules are backed by tests, so an agent that breaks one (an admin server function without a permission check, say) fails the suite. Setup flows are skills the agent runs step by step, and every optional feature has a deletion recipe that CI runs. Neither approach is better for every project; see the AI agent docs for what ShipKit gives the agent, and SaaS boilerplates for AI coding agents for a wider comparison.
Price
MakerKit is a one-time, lifetime license with unlimited projects: Pro gives one developer repository access, Teams up to five. On 2026-10-19 makerkit.dev showed the price two ways: the pricing cards show $299 (Pro) and $599 (Teams) next to a struck-through $349 and $649, while the page header and pricing FAQ say $349 and $649; the page doesn’t say whether the lower price is a time-limited discount. Check its site for the price you will actually pay.
ShipKit is $99 once at launch; $199 after launch, with unlimited projects of your own and every future update. See pricing for what is included.
When MakerKit is the better pick
- You are building a multi-tenant B2B product that needs team accounts, invitations, granular roles and per-seat billing in the first release.
- You need password sign-in, passkeys or MFA. ShipKit has none of them.
- You want Postgres (Supabase, Drizzle or Prisma), with Row Level Security on the Supabase kit.
- You value long-maintained documentation: MakerKit has been maintained full-time since 2022, and its Next.js Supabase kit alone has more than 170 documentation pages.
- You want an MCP server for your coding agent, or a Figma UI kit to design new screens in.
- A small team will work in the repository: the Teams license covers up to five collaborators.
When ShipKit is the better pick
- Your product is used by single users, not teams, so multi-tenancy is weight you would carry for nothing.
- You want Cloudflare Workers with D1 and R2 (why we chose Cloudflare).
- You want credits, API keys for your customers and affiliate tracking already built, and English and Chinese from the start.
- An AI coding agent will write most of the code, and you want its rules enforced by tests and every optional feature removable by a recipe CI runs (deleting features).
- Budget matters: $99 once.
See ShipKit before you buy
The live demo opens the whole app, admin console included, in read-only mode and with no sign-up. The docs are public too. Open the live demo · Read the introduction
FAQ
Common questions
Does MakerKit have a TanStack Start version?
Yes. Its pricing page lists TanStack Start for all three kits (Supabase, Drizzle and Prisma), next to Next.js 16, and React Router 8 on the Supabase kit. A license covers one data stack, including its TanStack Start version.
Does ShipKit do multi-tenancy?
No. ShipKit has no teams or organizations yet; every account is a single user. If you need team accounts, invitations and roles from the first release, MakerKit is built for that.
Can MakerKit deploy to Cloudflare?
Its FAQ, answering for the Next.js kit, says the Supabase kit has deployment guides for Vercel, Cloudflare, Docker and a VPS, and the Drizzle and Prisma kits document Docker and Railway. Whether that covers Cloudflare Workers or the TanStack Start version is not confirmed.
Is MakerKit a subscription?
No. Its pricing FAQ says: "You pay once and keep access to the private repository and every future update. There is no monthly or yearly fee." ShipKit is also a one-time purchase.
Which is better for AI coding agents?
They give the agent different things. MakerKit: AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md in every package, rules for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Gemini, and an MCP server. ShipKit: CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md rules enforced by tests, skills for setup flows, and deletion recipes that CI runs. Pick by which of those your workflow uses.
Is there a free version?
Both have one. MakerKit Lite is a free, MIT-licensed Next.js boilerplate without billing, teams or the admin panel. ShipKit Lite is a free, MIT-licensed TanStack Start starter on Cloudflare Workers (https://github.com/rice408s/tanstack-start-cloudflare-starter).
Sources
Every MakerKit fact on this page comes from these pages, checked on 2026-10-19. ShipKit's own facts link to its docs and pricing on this site.
- [1]https://makerkit.dev/pricing · 2026-10-19
- [2]https://makerkit.dev/ · 2026-10-19
More comparisons
Picked ShipKit?
$99 once: the full source, every future update, unlimited projects of your own.