Short version: Makerkit and Already are the closest comparison in this set — both ship multi-tenancy with roles, both have TOTP, both support Drizzle and i18n. The key differences: Already adds API key management, AI integration with a credits ledger, AI-native developer experience, and passkeys. Makerkit charges monthly; Already charges once. For a team building over two or more years, that pricing difference is significant.
Feature matrix
| Feature | Makerkit | Already |
|---|---|---|
| Framework & Language | ||
| Next.js App Router | ✓ | ✓ |
| TypeScript | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tailwind CSS | ✓ | ✓ |
| shadcn/ui components | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drizzle ORM | ~recent | ✓ |
| Supabase backend | ~optional | ✓ |
| Authentication | ||
| Pre-built auth UI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email + password, OAuth, magic link | ✓ | ✓ |
| TOTP 2FA (authenticator app) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Passkeys (WebAuthn) | — | ✓ |
| Auth event audit log | — | ✓ |
| Billing & Payments | ||
| Stripe integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Idempotent webhook handler | — | ✓ |
| Dead-letter queue for failed webhooks | — | ✓ |
| Plan-based feature gating | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customer billing portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trial + grace period | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-tenancy & Orgs | ||
| Organisation / team model | ✓ | ✓ |
| Role-based access control (RBAC) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Member invitations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Row-level security (Postgres RLS) | ~if Supabase | ✓ |
| Query-layer tenant scoping | — | ✓ |
| Admin dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
| Admin user impersonation | — | ✓ |
| Messaging | ||
| Transactional email | ✓ | ✓ |
| In-app notifications (Realtime) | — | ✓ |
| Background Work | ||
| Background job support | ~Inngest | ✓ |
| API key management (hashed at rest) | — | ✓ |
| Security & Hardening | ||
| CSP nonces | — | ✓ |
| Rate limiting | — | ✓ |
| Suspicious activity detection | — | ✓ |
| GDPR export + deletion endpoints | — | ✓ |
| AI & Developer Experience | ||
| Multi-provider AI module | — | ✓ |
| AI credits ledger | — | ✓ |
| Feature flags | ~basic | ✓ PostHog |
| AI-native context (CLAUDE.md / Cursor rules) | — | ✓ |
| i18n (next-intl) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cost | ||
| Pricing model | $99–149/mo | $199 one-time |
| Firebase backend option | ✓ | — |
✓ Included · — Not included · Amber text = partial or version-dependent.
Auth
Makerkit
Strong auth with pre-built UI, TOTP 2FA, and support for both Supabase Auth and Firebase Auth. This is a genuine differentiator — Firebase as a pluggable backend option makes Makerkit unique in this category. No passkeys and no auth audit log.
Already complete
Ships Supabase Auth with pre-built screens for every flow: email + password, magic link, OAuth, TOTP, and passkeys (WebAuthn). Auth event log tracks every sign-in by device, IP, and timestamp. Email enumeration protection and rate limiting are on by default.
Multi-tenancy
Makerkit
Genuine multi-tenancy with an org/team model, RBAC, and member invitations — one of the few subscription kits to get this right. RLS is implemented in the Supabase-backed version. Admin panel included. User impersonation is not available.
Already complete
Full multi-tenant org model with Postgres RLS plus query-layer tenant scoping — the additional application-level safeguard that prevents cross-tenant data leaks. Admin dashboard with full user impersonation. Both RLS layers are tested for isolation.
Pricing model
Makerkit
Subscription: $99/month personal, $149/month team (no one-time option). After 12 months at the team tier, you've paid $1,788 for the starter kit. After 24 months, $3,576. The kit is well-maintained and updated regularly — the subscription funds that — but the compounding cost is real.
Already one-time
$199 Solo or $399 Team — one-time, own the code permanently. No recurring cost. Over a 24-month product build, Already is meaningfully cheaper even though it ships comparable or greater module coverage. The difference is the business model, not the quality of the code.
The one thing Makerkit has that Already doesn't
Makerkit supports Firebase as a backend alternative to Supabase — you choose at scaffold time. If your team is already on Firebase, uses Firestore, or prefers the Firebase Auth and security rules model, Makerkit is the only starter in this set that gives you a full kit with that backend. Already is opinionated: Supabase + Drizzle only.
Makerkit also has a larger installed base and longer track record, which means more community answers and battle-tested patterns. If those factors outweigh the pricing model for your team, Makerkit is a legitimate choice.
Who should use what
Use Makerkit when
- You need or prefer Firebase as a backend
- A larger, established community matters to your team
- Subscription pricing fits your procurement model
- You want the most battle-tested subscription starter available
- Regular updates and ongoing vendor support are priorities
Use Already when
- You want to pay once and own the code outright
- API key management is on your roadmap
- AI integration with a credits ledger is a requirement
- You need passkeys and a full auth audit log
- AI-native DX (CLAUDE.md / Cursor rules) matters to your workflow
- Supabase + Drizzle is your stack
The honest comparison
Makerkit is the most complete subscription-based SaaS starter available. The multi-tenancy, auth, billing, and i18n implementations are all well-executed. If Firebase is your backend or if you value the ongoing update cadence, it's a strong choice and the monthly cost buys you a maintained, evolving product.
Already is the closest to Makerkit in scope among the one-time options — and ships modules Makerkit doesn't include: API key management, AI integration with a credits ledger, idempotent billing, hardened security, and AI-native developer experience. The one-time price model means the total cost of ownership over a multi-year product build is substantially lower.