dotnet-starter-kit vs next-forge
Two of the top projects in SaaS boilerplates, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
dotnet-starter-kit
.NET 10 multi-tenant SaaS starter with two React 19 front-ends
next-forge
Turborepo monorepo template for SaaS apps built on Next.js
Verdict
dotnet-starter-kit ranks higher, 78 to 70. Of the 4 score parts we measure for both, dotnet-starter-kit leads on 2, next-forge on 1 and 1 is even.
- Adoptionnext-forge leads by 11 points, 40 to 29.
- Freshnessdotnet-starter-kit leads by 15 points, 100 to 85: a wide gap.
- Easy to runEven at 100.
- Agent-readydotnet-starter-kit leads by 70 points, 70 to 0: a wide gap.
Pick dotnet-starter-kit if you are
.NET teams building a multi-tenant SaaS who want owned source
- Full source scaffolded with project references, no hidden runtime NuGet packages
- Multitenancy, JWT/Identity auth, billing, auditing and webhooks already wired in
Pick next-forge if you are
Teams starting a Next.js SaaS who want an integrated monorepo stack
- Auth, payments, email, analytics, observability and security packages are pre-wired in one monorepo
- Each app is independently deployable; packages are shared across apps
| What we compare | dotnet-starter-kit | next-forge |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 29, niche | 40, known |
| Freshness | 100, active | 85, active |
| Maintenance | Not scored for this kind | Not scored for this kind |
| Easy to run | 100, very easy | 100, very easy |
| Agent-ready | 70, partly | 0, none |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 6.8k | 7.7k |
| License | MIT (permissive) | MIT (permissive) |
| Last commit | Sep 2026 | May 2026 |
| Last release | Jun 2026 | Mar 2026 |
| Language | C# | TypeScript |
| Docker | No | No |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Not stated | Not stated |
dotnet-starter-kit
A modular .NET 10 monolith using vertical slices, Mediator CQRS, EF Core on PostgreSQL and Finbuckle multitenancy. It ships Identity, Billing, Files, Webhooks, Auditing, Chat and other modules, plus admin and tenant React 19 apps. The fsh CLI or dotnet new scaffolds the full source, and .NET Aspire starts the stack locally.
Who it is for: .NET teams building a multi-tenant SaaS who want owned source
Strengths
- Full source scaffolded with project references, no hidden runtime NuGet packages
- Multitenancy, JWT/Identity auth, billing, auditing and webhooks already wired in
- 1,600+ backend tests and 200+ Playwright E2E tests, with NetArchTest boundary checks
- Docker Compose and AWS Terraform deployment included
Weaknesses
- No AI or LLM features described in the README
- PostgreSQL only; other databases are not mentioned
- Local stack needs .NET 10 SDK, Docker and Node 20+
- Many modules to learn and trim before it fits a smaller product
- C#
- Needs PostgreSQL, Valkey, RustFS (S3-compatible storage), .NET 10 SDK, Docker, Node 20+
- GitHub template
next-forge
next-forge is a Turborepo monorepo scaffolded with `npx next-forge@latest init`. It includes a marketing site, main app, API, docs, email templates and Storybook, with shared packages for Clerk auth, a typed database ORM, Stripe payments, Resend email, analytics, Sentry and Arcjet security. An AI utilities package is included, but it is one package among many.
Who it is for: Teams starting a Next.js SaaS who want an integrated monorepo stack
Strengths
- Auth, payments, email, analytics, observability and security packages are pre-wired in one monorepo
- Each app is independently deployable; packages are shared across apps
- Live demos for web, app, Storybook and API health check
- Docs include migration guides for swapping providers
Weaknesses
- Default stack needs many third-party accounts: Clerk, Stripe, Resend, Sentry, Arcjet, PostHog
- AI package is described only as 'AI integration utilities'; specifics not in README
- Opinionated stack; replacing providers means following migration guides
- Requires Node.js 20+ and Stripe CLI for local webhook testing
- TypeScript
- Needs Node.js 20+, Bun, Stripe CLI, Clerk, Stripe, Resend, Sentry, BetterStack, Arcjet, PostHog, Google Analytics
- GitHub template
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