Dome vs Horizon Boilerplate

When choosing between Dome and Horizon Boilerplate, 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 Dome?

Dome SaaS Validation Template is a full‑stack boilerplate built on Next.js + Tailwind CSS, designed to help developers launch a SaaS MVP (minimum‑viable‑product) quickly. It bundles essential infrastructure authentication (social login, magic link, NextAuth), payment integrations (via Stripe and LemonSqueezy), email support (e.g. using Mailgun), analytics, and customer‑feedback tools (like chatbot or messaging integrations) all preconfigured to spare you the boilerplate wiring. On the frontend, the template provides a ready-to-use landing page, blog, pricing and FAQ pages, standard marketing and SaaS‑site sections (hero, features, testimonials, CTA, banners, etc.), and responsive layout out of the box. That means you don’t start with an empty shell, instead you get a functioning, production‑ready codebase where much of the common SaaS plumbing (UI pages, auth, payments, database logic via Prisma, etc.) is already connected. The main advantage of using Dome’s SaaS Validation Template is speed it reduces the time to launch a SaaS or MVP drastically by handing you a full stack ready for deployment, with integrations and default pages. This lets you focus on business logic, custom features, and go‑to‑market strategy instead of building foundational infrastructure. However, adopting this template also means accepting its architecture and predefined integrations: Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Prisma, Stripe/LemonSqueezy, Mailgun, and the included feedback/analytics integrations. If your project needs a radically different stack, custom database structure, or nonstandard integrations, you may need to refactor or remove parts — which can bring overhead. Also, as with many full‑featured boilerplates, you may end up with features you don’t need (blog, blog CMS, chat support, analytics) which adds extra complexity.

Developed by Thom Crowe, Dome has become a popular choice among developers looking for a reliable starting point for their SaaS projects.

What is Horizon Boilerplate?

Horizon UI Boilerplate is a full‑stack / UI‑kit + boilerplate template for web applications built on modern front‑end and backend technologies. It is designed to help developers jump‑start a project (dashboard, SaaS app, admin panel, landing pages, etc.) without building all the plumbing and UI from scratch. Under the hood, it uses Next.js (recent version), along with React, and it supports styling with Tailwind CSS. It also integrates with Supabase for database/auth (or backend services) and Stripe for payment/billing handling providing a foundation for SaaS‑style apps with user authentication, subscriptions, payments, and user sessions. It supplies a large library of ready-made frontend building blocks: dashboards, admin layouts, landing pages, authentication screens, UI components (buttons, cards, navbars, form elements, etc.), and example page templates. This offers a starting point with both structural and visual parts already assembled. The boilerplate is offered in multiple variants: including a version built with Chakra UI or integration with shadcn/ui / Shadcn‑styled components or Tailwind, depending on your preference.

Created by Vlad Mihalache, Horizon Boilerplate 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 Dome and Horizon Boilerplate.

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

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

Horizon Boilerplate 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.