Achromatic vs ProtonStack

When choosing between Achromatic and ProtonStack, it's essential to understand the key differences that make each boilerplate unique. Both are excellent choices for building SaaS applications, but they cater to different needs and development approaches.

What is Achromatic?

Achromatic is a Next.js 15–based SaaS starter that tries to cover most of the groundwork developers usually build themselves: authentication, organizations, role management, billing, email, and a consistent UI built on shadcn/ui and Tailwind. The appeal is that it doesn’t just drop in loose components — the pieces are wired together in a way that feels closer to a real application than a template. The onboarding flow, subscription logic, and organization system actually work out of the box, which makes it easy to jump into feature development without spending days on the usual boilerplate chores. There are a few things worth noting, though. The project is relatively new, and the ecosystem around it is still small, so you’re buying into a structure that depends heavily on the maintainer’s ongoing involvement. It’s an opinionated setup, which is great if you like the architecture as-is, but less ideal if you prefer a lighter, more minimal foundation. Achromatic positions itself as a time-saver for developers who want a polished starting point rather than assembling every piece manually, and it mostly succeeds at that. Still, it’s best suited for teams comfortable adopting someone else’s patterns and conventions anyone needing maximum flexibility might find it a bit heavier than they’d like.

Developed by Mahmut Jomaa, Achromatic has become a popular choice among developers looking for a reliable starting point for their SaaS projects.

What is ProtonStack?

ProtonStack is a full‑stack boilerplate built with Next.js + React + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS, designed to give developers a ready‑made foundation for SaaS and web applications. Out of the box, ProtonStack includes a production‑ready authentication and user‑management system via Clerk.dev, database integration through Prisma (with support for various databases, including Postgres, MySQL, or scalable services like PlanetScale or Supabase), subscription and payment workflows via Stripe, multitenancy (organizations/teams support), plus a UI kit built with component libraries like Shadcn UI / Radix UI. ProtonStack also provides strong developer tooling: linting/formatting (ESLint, Prettier), commit‑hooks (with Husky), schema validation (via Zod), unit and end‑to‑end testing setup (with Jest, React Testing Library, and Cypress), plus built-in support for a blog or documentation using MDX useful for marketing or public‑facing content.

Created by Ozan Yildirim, ProtonStack offers a robust foundation for building scalable SaaS applications.

When building a SaaS application, choosing the right payment integration is crucial for monetization success. Let's compare the payment options available in Achromatic and ProtonStack.

Both Achromatic and ProtonStack are excellent choices for building SaaS applications. Your decision should be based on your specific requirements, budget, and technical preferences.

Achromatic is ideal if you're looking for a feature-rich solution with built-in authentication.

ProtonStack stands out for its competitive pricing and is perfect for developers who need authentication.

Ultimately, both boilerplates will help you launch your SaaS product faster and more efficiently. Review the detailed comparison above, consider your project requirements, and choose the one that aligns best with your goals.