Compare SaaS starters
Ghoststack vs Makerkit
Compare the starting features and learning path for the app you want to build.
Reviewed September 23, 2026. Written by Ghoststack using our starter and Makerkit's public documentation. This comparison covers Makerkit's Next.js and Supabase kit; its other stacks differ. We have not audited Makerkit's paid source code.
Start with your first customers
A personal planner and a workspace shared by a company have different needs. Ghoststack starts with individual user accounts and guides for building your first feature. Makerkit includes personal and team workspaces, invitations, and roles. Those features can be useful if customers need to work together from the first release. Makerkit's included features.
Scroll sideways to see both starters.
| Decision | Ghoststack | Makerkit |
|---|---|---|
| Project structure | One Next.js app with TypeScript, Tailwind, and DaisyUI. Architecture guide. | A Turborepo project with shared packages, a web app, end-to-end tests, and Shadcn UI components. Project overview. |
| Accounts and sign-in | Supabase email-link login and policies limiting users to their own records. Team accounts are additional development. Customer auth guide. | Personal and team accounts, invitations, role permissions, and login options including passwords, social providers, and MFA. Account features. |
| Billing | Stripe subscriptions, checkout, a billing portal, and webhook handling. Payment setup. | Stripe and Lemon Squeezy integrations, with Paddle available as a plugin. Documents subscriptions, one-time purchases, per-seat pricing, and metered usage. Billing guide. |
| Blog and product documentation | Optional features you add using prompts. The supplied Markdown guides teach you to use the starter; they are not a customer-facing docs site. Customer blog guide. | Content infrastructure with blog, documentation, and changelog collections through Keystatic, plus documented CMS alternatives. CMS guide. |
| First local setup | Node.js and npm open the public-page preview; connect service accounts as you need them. Public setup guide. | The documented workflow starts Docker, local Supabase, and the Next.js app using pnpm. Stripe webhook forwarding is optional. Local setup. |
Both give your coding AI project context
Makerkit documents agent instructions, reusable skills, and an optional Makerkit MCP server for working with its codebase. Codex, Claude Code, and Cursor are among the supported tools. AI development guide.
Ghoststack includes shared project instructions and task-specific prompts with prerequisites and checks. Its optional MCP examples connect your assistant to Supabase, Stripe, and Render after configuration and authorization. Read Ghoststack's workflow.
Which fits your starting point?
- Choose Ghoststack if you want a small app to learn on, one recommended service setup, and written steps for building your first feature with AI. Expect to learn commands, configure accounts, and test your changes.
- Consider Makerkit if team workspaces, roles, broader billing, or included content infrastructure are requirements for your first release. Its prerequisites expect familiarity with Next.js, React, and Supabase.
Read each setup guide before buying. With either option, your app's distinctive features, hosting, service configuration, and ongoing maintenance still need your attention. Compare the current license and service costs as well as the starting code.