AppKickOff vs Gravity

When choosing between AppKickOff and Gravity, 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 AppKickOff?

AppKickOff is a starter generator for Android apps, built to deliver a “full-app foundation” quickly, rather than forcing you to wire up every piece by hand. It gives you a Kotlin-based Android codebase pre-packaged with what many apps need: local database support, UI scaffolding, optionally authentication, in-app purchases or payment support, push notifications, dark-mode UI, navigation, and common UI components. The idea is simple instead of spending days or weeks setting up basic infrastructure (login/sign-up, database, UI screens and navigation, settings, notifications, styles, etc.), you get a ready-to-go skeleton with many of those pieces wired up and working. That can significantly reduce the initial overhead and let you start building “your app’s logic” sooner. That said, using AppKickOff means embracing its architecture and design decisions. It assumes certain tools (Kotlin, Firebase or whichever backend you choose, the provided database/notification/payment setup), which can speed up development — but may also limit flexibility if your project diverges from what the template anticipates.

Developed by Paulo Lima, AppKickOff has become a popular choice among developers looking for a reliable starting point for their SaaS projects.

What is Gravity?

Gravity is a full‑stack boilerplate for JavaScript/TypeScript projects combining a Node.js backend with a React (or React Native) frontend designed to give developers a head‑start when building SaaS applications. It aims to deliver a working foundation so that you don’t need to assemble all the plumbing (auth, billing, database, UI, API) from scratch. The boilerplate includes support for multiple databases (like Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and possibly others) which gives flexibility depending on your data/storage preferences. There is also a full “stack” support: server (Node.js + Express/API backend), web client (React + Tailwind or similar), and optionally native mobile clients (via React Native), which helps if you want a unified codebase for web + mobile. Beyond the core stack, Gravity claims to bundle SaaS‑ready features: authentication (email/password, magic links, social logins, 2FA, account security), subscription & billing support (with free plans, trials, seat‑based or usage billing), and a library of UI components & views (dashboard, admin tools, layout components, responsive UI, dark mode, etc.). Gravity also offers a “website/landing page template” (built with a static‑site generator + modern site tooling) useful for marketing, landing pages, pricing pages, etc. — thereby giving you both the “app core” and “public‑facing site” foundation.

Created by Kyle Gawley, Gravity 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 AppKickOff and Gravity.

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

AppKickOff is ideal if you're looking for a more affordable option with specific capabilities.

Gravity stands out for its comprehensive feature set 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.