TurboStarter vs MakerKit
TurboStarter and MakerKit, compared line by line on Pricing & licence, Tech stack, Billing features, Core features, Marketing & growth, Operations, AI, Tooling & updates.
TurboStarter takes this one on price and reach: $249 against $349, with mobile and a browser extension in the same licence, where MakerKit's Supabase kit answers with an Expo plugin.
- Choose TurboStarter if
- Included: One purchase has to cover web, mobile and an extension
- Included: Client projects should not need a $649 tier
- Included: Background jobs on Trigger.dev, QStash, Inngest or Vercel Workflows
- Choose MakerKit if
- Included: Your data lives behind Supabase RLS and the kit should too
- Included: Four error providers and rate limiting wired in the kit
- Included: Feedback, roadmap and waitlist plugins installed by one command
GenerateSaaS is the alternative to bothThat is us$249 one-time- Included: GenerateSaaS ships credit balances with grants and top-ups as code; both TurboStarter and MakerKit stop at a guide for building them.
- Included: No audit log ships at either price: MakerKit's is the separate Supamode product and TurboStarter's docs have none. GenerateSaaS includes one with an admin viewer at $249.
- Included: Updates are where both CLIs stop short: TurboStarter and MakerKit finish in a git merge you resolve, while the GenerateSaaS CLI carries the release into your changed files itself.
Side by side
Every feature, compared
Tap a name to hide or show its column
| Feature | TurboStarter | MakerKit |  GenerateSaaS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $249 one-time | $349 one-time | $249 one-time |
| Pricing & licence | |||
| Pricing model | Included: One-time, lifetime updates | Included: One-time, updates included | Included: One-time, updates included |
| Projects per licence | Included: Unlimited, one seat each | Included: Unlimited, per kit | Included: Unlimited, per seat |
| Client work | Included: Unlimited clients, no source | Partial: Team tier; client buys a licence | Partial: Agency tier to deliver source |
| White-label | Not available: Notices must stay in code | Not available | Partial: Agency tier |
| Refund policy | Not available: None once access redeemed | Not available: No refunds, stated | Not available: All sales final |
| Verdict | TurboStarter is $249 for three app targets; MakerKit is $349 per stack. Client work needs MakerKit's $649 Teams tier and a licence per client; TurboStarter allows it on the base licence provided the client is never handed the source. | ||
| Tech stack | |||
| Frameworks | Included: Next.js 16.3, Expo, WXT | Included: Next.js 16.3, React Router 8, TanStack | Included: Next.js 16.3 |
| Database | Included: Postgres, MySQL, SQLite | Included: Supabase, Drizzle, Prisma 7 | Included: Postgres, Neon, Supabase |
| Authentication | Included: Better Auth, passkeys, OTP, 2FA | Included: Supabase Auth, Better Auth | Included: Better Auth, passkeys, 2FA |
| Verdict | MakerKit is built around Supabase Auth and RLS, with Drizzle and Prisma variants sold separately. TurboStarter is Better Auth on Drizzle over Postgres, MySQL or SQLite, and adds Expo and WXT. | ||
| Billing features | |||
| Payments | Included: Four web, two store providers | Included: Three on Supabase kits, two elsewhere | Included: Stripe, Polar |
| Subscriptions | Included: Plans, trials, per-seat, metered | Included: Flat, per-seat, metered, one-off | Included: Month, year, lifetime |
| Usage credits | Partial: Core guide, AI Kit example | Partial: Build-it guide | Included: Balances, grants, optional top-up |
| Finance dashboard | Not available | Not available | Included: Revenue, vendor cost, margin |
| Verdict | Credits are a build-it guide on both sheets, so this band is a draw. TurboStarter adds Dodo Payments plus RevenueCat and Superwall for the stores; MakerKit adds Paddle on its Supabase kits. | ||
| Core features | |||
| Organizations | Included: Organizations, RBAC, invites | Included: Organizations, roles, invites | Included: Organizations, roles, invites |
| Admin panel | Included: Users, organizations, customers | Included: Users, organizations, RBAC, metrics | Included: Eight admin tabs |
| Admin login as user | Included: Impersonate from admin | Included: Admin acts as user | Included: Admin acts as user |
| Onboarding | Partial: Empty slots, build-it recipe | Partial: Recipe, build yourself | Included: Profile, first org, welcome drip |
| Notifications | Partial: Expo push, no web centre | Partial: Realtime, Supabase kits | Included: In-app bell, email |
| File storage | Included: S3-compatible, presigned uploads | Included: S3, filesystem, Supabase Storage | Included: S3-compatible, local disk |
| Multiple languages | Included: i18next, switcher, three apps | Included: Locales, language switcher | Included: Locales, language switcher |
| Legal pages | Partial: Three pages, shipped empty | Included: Terms, privacy, cookies | Included: Terms, privacy pages |
| Marketing & growth | |||
| Included: Resend, Postmark, Plunk, Mailgun | Included: Resend, SMTP | Included: SMTP, SES, Resend | |
| Newsletter | Partial: Homepage section, waitlist page | Partial: Signup form, no provider | Included: Listmonk, Resend sync |
| Blog | Included: MDX per locale, tags | Included: Blog in every kit | Included: Categories, tags, RSS |
| SEO tools | Included: Meta helper, sitemap, robots | Partial: Sitemap, robots, metadata | Included: OG images, JSON-LD, sitemap |
| Analytics | Included: Eight providers, consent-gated | Included: GA, PostHog, Umami, Meshes | Included: Eight providers |
| Support chat | Not available | Not available | Included: Crisp, Chatwoot |
| Affiliate tracking | Not available | Not available | Included: Refgrow, Affonso, PromoteKit |
| Cookie consent | Included: c15t banner, regional packs | Included: Banner, consent hook | Included: GDPR banner, four legal policies |
| Operations | |||
| Audit log | Not available | Not available: Supamode, sold separately | Included: With an admin viewer |
| User API keys | Partial: Recipe, not shipped | Not available | Included: Per-key rate limits |
| SMS | Not available | Not available | Included: Broadcast SMS, Twilio, SNS |
| Error reporting | Included: Sentry, PostHog | Included: Sentry, SigNoz, PostHog, Honeybadger | Included: Sentry, PostHog |
| Rate limiting | Partial: AI Kit middleware only | Included: Drizzle, Prisma kits | Included: Per-route, per-key |
| Background jobs | Included: Trigger.dev, QStash, Inngest, Workflows | Not available | Included: Inngest |
| Deploy targets | Included: Vercel, Cloudflare, Docker, Fly | Included: Vercel, Cloudflare, Docker, VPS | Included: Docker, Vercel, Fly, Railway, more |
| Verdict | MakerKit wires Sentry, SigNoz, PostHog and Honeybadger and ships rate limiting in its Drizzle and Prisma kits. TurboStarter wires Sentry and PostHog and keeps its rate limiter in the AI Kit, but names four background-job runners where MakerKit names none. | ||
| AI | |||
| AI assistant | Partial: Core chat, AI Kit templates | Partial: Teams tier, separate templates | Included: Chat, files, web search |
| User-supplied AI keys | Not available | Not available | Included: Users add provider keys |
| MCP server | Included: Docs MCP for coding agents | Included: Kit, CLI servers | Included: For your app's users |
| Tooling & updates | |||
| Project setup CLI | Included: turbostarter new | Included: @makerkit/cli new | Included: generatesaas init |
| Version updates | Included: CLI runs git merge | Included: CLI update, git merge | Included: CLI update, AI merges |
| End-to-end tests | Included: Playwright on three platforms | Included: Playwright, pre-configured | Included: Playwright, pre-configured |
| Desktop app | Not available | Not available | Partial: Electron app, Pro tier |
| Mobile app | Included: Expo, iOS and Android | Partial: Expo plugin, Supabase only | Partial: Expo, iOS and Android, Pro tier |
| Verdict | Both update through a CLI that ends in a git merge. TurboStarter includes the Expo app for every buyer; MakerKit's Expo plugin ships only with the Supabase kit, and neither documents a desktop app. | ||
- Included
- Partial
- Not available
Read from each vendor's site and docs in 2026. A cross means their docs and site do not show it.
The trade-offs
What each one gets right
TurboStarter
A Next.js, Expo and WXT kit shipping a web app, a mobile app and a browser extension from one codebase.
One licence covers three targets: a Next.js web app, an Expo app for iOS and Android and a WXT browser extension, sharing auth, billing, organizations and i18n. Billing runs on Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Dodo on the web and RevenueCat and Superwall in the app stores, with subscription, one-time, per-seat and metered variants.
Every developer needs a named seat and only one seat tier exists. The EULA keeps copyright notices in the code, permits unlimited client projects as long as the client never receives the source, and lets either side end the licence on thirty days' notice. Refunds are not offered once access is redeemed.
- Core Kit $249
- All-in-One $399
Strengths
- Included: Web, mobile and browser extension in one licence
- Included: Expo app included at $249
- Included: Four background-job runners documented
- Included: Nine deploy guides and five app stores
- Included: A CLI update command runs the merge
Trade-offs
- Not available: A seat per developer, no team tier
- Not available: Core ships no credits ledger
- Not available: Neither an audit log nor shipped API keys
- Not available: Rate limiting and persisted chat sit in the $399 bundle
- Not available: Legal pages ship empty
MakerKit
Three kits built around Supabase, with Drizzle and Prisma variants and a plugin catalogue.
Drizzle and Prisma variants sit beside the Supabase kit, each a separate product at the same price. Plugins such as testimonials, feedback, roadmap and waitlist install by one CLI command, and four error providers are wired, SigNoz and Honeybadger among them.
Client work needs the Teams tier, and every client who receives the source code must hold their own licence. Their licence states plainly that refunds are not offered.
- Pro $349
- Teams $649
Strengths
- Included: Supabase Auth with RLS-native code
- Included: Expo mobile plugin, Supabase kit
- Included: Plugins installed by one CLI command
- Included: Four error providers, SigNoz included
- Included: Two MCP servers for coding agents
Trade-offs
- Not available: Each stack is a separate licence
- Not available: A licence per client project
- Not available: Credits are a guide, not code
- Not available: No audit log or user API keys
- Not available: No broadcast SMS or announcements
FAQ
TurboStarter vs MakerKit, answered
Short answers to the questions people actually ask.
Is the mobile app part of the $249 TurboStarter tier?
Yes. The Core Kit is one licence covering the Next.js web app, the Expo app for iOS and Android and the WXT browser extension; no higher tier is needed for mobile.
Can TurboStarter bill in credits?
Metered usage ships as a billing variant. A prepaid balance does not: their credits page says the Core Kit ships no ledger, top-up flow or renewal policy, and the working deduction middleware is in the AI Kit inside the $399 bundle.
What does the TurboStarter All-in-One bundle add?
The AI Kit, a second repository with persisted chat, model selection, RAG, image generation, voice and a credits example. Their docs say to port its features across rather than merge the two repositories.
How many developer seats does a TurboStarter licence cover?
One. Their EULA assigns each seat to a named individual, contractors included, and only one seat tier is sold, so a team buys a licence per developer.
Does one MakerKit licence cover every kit?
No. Each stack is licensed separately at the same price, and their FAQ says a freelancer needs a licence for each client project.
Does MakerKit ship credit-based billing?
Not as code. Its documentation shows how to build credits on top of the billing it ships, so the schema and the deduction logic are yours to write.
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