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Compare

MERN SaaS Starter Kit vs Open SaaS

Open SaaS is also a free React & Node starter but focuses on PostgreSQL instead of MongoDB and has a different UI stack.
MERN SaaS Starter KitA open source free SaaS subscription starter kit Open SaaSAn open-source, 100% free, production-grade, React & Node.js SaaS starter!

Which to pick

Pick MERN SaaS Starter Kit if you want…

  • Full-stack SaaS starter kit
  • A free, open-source tool
  • Integrations with Express, MongoDB or AWS SES (on MERN SaaS Starter Kit's list, not Open SaaS's)

Pick Open SaaS if you want…

  • Full-stack SaaS starter with built-in payments
  • React + Node SaaS starter with Postgres
  • Integrations with Prisma, Polar.sh or Lemon Squeezy (on Open SaaS's list, not MERN SaaS Starter Kit's)

Side by side

What it is
MERN SaaS Starter Kit:A free open-source MERN starter kit with auth, Stripe subscriptions, email, reCAPTCHA and TypeScript-based full-stack boilerplate.
Open SaaS:Open SaaS is a free, open-source full-stack React + Node.js starter kit with built-in auth, payments and AI-ready features.
Best for
MERN SaaS Starter Kit:Full-stack SaaS starter kit
Open SaaS:Full-stack SaaS starter with built-in payments
Who it’s for
MERN SaaS Starter Kit:Developers building SaaS products with the MERN stack who want a production-ready foundation.
Open SaaS:Developers building SaaS products who want a ready-made, type-safe stack.
Pricing
MERN SaaS Starter Kit:Open source
Open SaaS:Freemium
Plans
MERN SaaS Starter Kit:—
Open SaaS:Hobby $9.99/month per month · Pro $19.99/month per month · 10 Credits $9.99
Open source
MERN SaaS Starter Kit:Yes, 2 GitHub stars
Open SaaS:Yes, 16,015 GitHub stars
Works with
MERN SaaS Starter Kit:React, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, Stripe, AWS SES, Mailgun, Nodemailer
Open SaaS:React, Node.js, Prisma, Stripe, Polar.sh, Lemon Squeezy, Plausible, Google Analytics

MERN SaaS Starter Kit features

  • Authentication. Local email/password login with bcrypt and Google OAuth 2.0, plus email verification and password recovery.
  • Payments & Subscriptions. Stripe integration supporting multiple plans, monthly/annual billing and webhook-driven subscription management.
  • Email System. Configurable email sending via AWS SES, Mailgun or Nodemailer with templates and retry logic.
  • Security. Rate limiting, CSRF protection, Google reCAPTCHA v3 and security headers for hardened endpoints.
  • Modern Frontend. React 19 with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui components and React Query for cached API data.
  • Backend Architecture. Express.js API written in TypeScript, MongoDB with Mongoose, and RESTful routes with role-based access.

Open SaaS features

  • Full-stack Type Safety. TypeScript types are auto-generated across the entire stack without extra configuration.
  • Pre-configured Auth. Ready-to-use authentication flow that you own and can customize.
  • Payment Provider Integration. Stripe, Polar.sh and Lemon Squeezy checkout and webhook setup out of the box.
  • Admin Dashboard & Analytics. Built-in dashboard with graphs, tables and Plausible/Google Analytics support.
  • File Uploads via AWS S3. Example code for presigned S3 uploads, fully documented.
  • Built-in Blog with Astro. Markdown-based blog powered by Astro, with SEO-friendly rendering.
  • E2E Tests & CI. Playwright tests and GitHub Actions CI pipeline included.
  • Deploy Anywhere. No vendor lock-in; deploy yourself or use Wasp’s one-click deploy.

MERN SaaS Starter Kit vs Open SaaS FAQ

Is MERN SaaS Starter Kit or Open SaaS free?+

MERN SaaS Starter Kit is free and open source. Open SaaS has a free plan; paid plans start at $9.99/month (Hobby).

Which is cheaper, MERN SaaS Starter Kit or Open SaaS?+

MERN SaaS Starter Kit is free, so it costs less. Open SaaS starts at $9.99/month (Hobby).

Is MERN SaaS Starter Kit or Open SaaS open source?+

Yes, both are open source: MERN SaaS Starter Kit (viitormasc/SaaS-Subscription-Auth-Starter-Kit on GitHub) and Open SaaS (wasp-lang/open-saas on GitHub, MIT license).

Do MERN SaaS Starter Kit and Open SaaS integrate with the same tools?+

Partly. Both list React, Node.js and Stripe. MERN SaaS Starter Kit also lists Express, MongoDB, AWS SES, Mailgun and 4 more; Open SaaS also lists Prisma, Polar.sh, Lemon Squeezy, Plausible and 4 more.

On DevHunt

MERN SaaS Starter Kit

0 upvotes · Launched on DevHunt on Jan 6, 2026

MERN SaaS Starter Kit on DevHunt →

Open SaaS

98 upvotes · Launched on DevHunt on Jan 23, 2024

Open SaaS on DevHunt →Open SaaS alternatives

Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.