Orbit
Orbit vs ShipFast

Orbit vs ShipFast, feature by feature.

ShipFast is the canonical 'launch a SaaS this weekend' boilerplate — small, opinionated, MongoDB. Orbit is the boilerplate you reach for when the SaaS needs to grow up: multi-tenant workspaces, nested teams, two-scope PBAC, an audit log, and a typed Postgres schema. Here's how they line up.

$npx create-orb@latest
Get startedAll features
TL;DR
Pick Orbit if…
  • You need real multi-tenancy — workspaces, members, invites, ownership transfer
  • You want PBAC + custom roles, not just 'is_admin'
  • You'd rather start with Postgres + Prisma than MongoDB
  • You want a typed end-to-end stack with DDD bounded contexts
Pick ShipFast if…
  • You're shipping a single-tenant tool over a weekend
  • You're already deep in MongoDB / NextAuth and want minimal divergence
  • You don't need teams, audit logs, or a separate API service
Side-by-side
FeatureOrbitShipFast
Multi-tenancy
Multi-tenant workspaces
Tenant root with slug URLs
YesNo
Nested teams + team-scoped roles
YesNo
Member invites + ownership transfer
YesPartial
Two-scope PBAC (workspace + team)
YesNo
Auth
Auth library
better-authNextAuth
Magic links
YesYes
OAuth (Google + Apple)
YesYes
Email + password with verification gate
YesNo
Admin impersonation + bans
YesNo
Billing
Providers
Stripe / Polar / DodoStripe / LemonSqueezy
Switchable behind one port
YesNo
Signed webhook receiver
YesYes
Append-only billing event ledger
YesNo
Architecture
Frontend
Next.js 16 or TanStack StartNext.js (Pages or App)
API
Separate Hono serviceNext.js API routes
Database
Postgres + Prisma 7 (or Drizzle)MongoDB (Mongoose)
DDD bounded contexts
YesNo
Unit of Work + post-commit event bus
YesNo
Realtime over WebSocket
YesNo
Audit log (workspace + admin scope)
YesNo
Background jobs
graphile-worker / QStashNo
Rate limiting
Upstash / Unkey / memoryPartial
Pricing & licensing
Free public starter
YesNo
Paid tier
$50 one-time$199–$299 one-time
Source code access
GitHub repoGitHub repo
The verdict

Orbit is the better fit when the SaaS is the product. Multi-tenancy, PBAC, audit log, realtime, and a typed Postgres schema mean you don't have to bolt the enterprise stuff on six months in — and the CLI lets you turn off the parts you don't need so a single-tenant scaffold is still a one-command install.

ShipFast is genuinely great if you're spinning up a single-tenant tool, you already know NextAuth + MongoDB, and you want to ship something this weekend. Orbit costs more upfront in concepts (workspaces, PBAC, ports + adapters) — if you'll never need them, ShipFast wins on velocity.

FAQ
Is Orbit open source like ShipFast isn't?
Both are source-available behind a GitHub repo. Orbit ships a free public starter (no payment, no GitHub access required) plus a paid private template that unlocks teams, billing, audit log, uploads, jobs, rate limiting, email, Drizzle, and the demo mode.
Can I get the same 'ship this weekend' speed with Orbit?
Yes. The CLI lets you turn off everything you don't want — pick --framework=next --orm-provider=prisma and skip teams, billing, audit log, etc. You'll get a single-tenant Next.js + Postgres + better-auth scaffold in one command.
Does Orbit work with MongoDB?
No. Orbit is Postgres-first, with Prisma 7 (default) or Drizzle behind the same repository ports. If MongoDB is non-negotiable, ShipFast or another Mongo-first template is the right pick.
How do the prices compare?
ShipFast is $199 one-time (Next.js Pages) or $299 (App Router). Orbit's paid tier is $50 one-time and unlocks every paid feature. The free Orbit starter is genuinely free — public repo, no payment required.