Three-way comparison
next-forge vs ShipFast vs TanStack Ship: free monorepo, paid cookbook, or edge-native
next-forge is free + Turborepo. ShipFast is $199 + single-app. TanStack Ship is $99 + edge + growth ops. Three routes to a SaaS baseline.
2026-07-01
I evaluated next-forge as a free SaaS foundation: - next-forge: Free + Turborepo, but requires self-assembling SaaS features - ShipFast: $199, features pre-installed As a freelancer, my time is worth > $199. But if you have ample time and want to learn Turborepo, next-forge is a great starting point. Below, I'll compare the "time cost of free" in detail.
TL;DR
- Pick next-forge if you want free Turborepo Next.js and will assemble SaaS pieces yourself.
- Pick ShipFast if $199 + community is worth skipping the assembly work.
- Pick TanStack Ship if you want the SaaS pieces AND growth ops AND edge deploy at $99 base.
| Dimension | next-forge | ShipFast | TanStack Ship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (MIT) | $199 flat | $99 – $299 |
| Structure | Turborepo monorepo | Single app | Single app + modules |
| SaaS features included | Foundation only | Yes | Yes + growth ops |
| Auth | Clerk baked | NextAuth + custom | Better Auth-based |
| DB | Prisma + Neon | Prisma + any | D1 / any |
| Docs | Mintlify baked | Own cookbook | Fumadocs-compatible |
| UTM / MRR | No | No | Built in |
| Deploy | Vercel | Vercel | Cloudflare edge |
Cost vs support
next-forge is free — you assemble the SaaS pieces (billing, tenancy, admin) yourself.
ShipFast is $199 — the pieces are pre-built and a community answers questions.
How TanStack Ship handles this
TanStack Ship is $99 base — cheapest of the three — with SaaS pieces + growth ops pre-built. Founder support (no community yet like ShipFast's).
Architecture
next-forge assumes monorepo from the start. Great once you have 2+ apps, overhead when you have 1.
ShipFast is one folder. Faster to hold in your head, worse for later expansion.
How TanStack Ship handles this
TanStack Ship is single-app with a modules folder pattern — extract to packages later if you actually need a monorepo. Most B2B founders never do.
Who next-forge is best for
- Founders comfortable assembling free tools
- Teams planning multi-app suites
- Clerk/Neon/Mintlify believers
Who ShipFast is best for
- Solo founders on one product
- People who value bundled cookbook + community
- Buyers who value convenience
Who TanStack Ship is best for
- Growth-focused founders wanting SaaS + attribution built in
- Cloudflare edge believers
- Buyers wanting the cheapest paid option
Which should you pick?
Three concrete scenarios. Find the closest match, take the recommendation.
Team of 3 planning 2+ related products with time to assemble SaaS pieces
next-forge's Turborepo pays off; free saves budget for other tools.
Solo dev wanting the biggest community and least friction
ShipFast's community and cookbook are worth the $199.
Solo dev wanting the cheapest complete SaaS + growth ops
TanStack Ship base at $99 with growth built in beats both.
Frequently asked questions
Is next-forge really free?
Yes, MIT.
Which is fastest to launch?
ShipFast or TanStack Ship (paid, pieces pre-built). next-forge takes longer.
Which has better auth?
next-forge with Clerk is most turnkey.
Which for real monorepo?
next-forge — Turborepo baked.
Which has UTM/MRR?
Only TanStack Ship.
Related Links
Ready to see TanStack Ship in action?
Ship a paid SaaS on TanStack Start with UTM attribution, MRR dashboards, and 14 growth modules built in — from $99.