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Build a SaaS MVP

Scope one paid SaaS journey, then trial coding, authentication, payments, email and deployment. Quote eligible plans and usage before launch.

DifficultyIntermediate
ScheduleDepends on scope
Steps7
Tools7
C
Cursor
N
Next.js
S
Supabase
S
Stripe
R
Resend
V
Vercel
P
PostHog

Candidate tools and acceptance checks.

1

Code with AI

C
Cursor

Implement a bounded task with coding assistance, then inspect the proposed changes.

Run the project checks and review secrets, access boundaries and dependencies; no coding speed multiplier is established.

Other candidates: Claude · Windsurf
2

Frontend framework

N
Next.js

Build one interface and its server/data path in the selected framework.

Test loading, validation and errors; authentication and access control must be implemented and verified.

Other candidates: Astro · SvelteKit
3

Database and auth

S
Supabase

Define the schema, authentication and account-isolation rules for a small dataset.

Test a second user, password recovery and backups before storing customer data; quote the required project and compute.

Other candidates: Neon + Clerk · Convex
4

Take payments

S
Stripe

Use payment sandbox mode to test a purchase, failed payment, cancellation and refund.

Confirm seller eligibility and product-specific fees; webhook retries and entitlement changes need explicit tests.

Other candidates: Lemon Squeezy · Paddle
5

Send transactional email

R
Resend

Trial welcome, password-reset and failed-delivery email paths.

Check domain authentication, sender permissions and sending limits. Resend’s free transactional allowance is 3,000/month with a 100/day limit.

Other candidates: Postmark · Loops
6

Deploy

V
Vercel

Deploy a preview, test the user journey and rehearse rollback.

Vercel Hobby is restricted to non-commercial personal use. Quote an eligible commercial plan and resource usage before taking customers.

Other candidates: Netlify · Cloudflare Pages
7

Track product usage

P
PostHog

Define a few events that answer a specific product question.

Check event correctness, consent, retention and access; bundled features do not prove that several other services can be removed.

Other candidates: Plausible · Mixpanel

Cost is not quoted.

Obtain the required feature tiers, seats, usage, transaction fees and operating costs before adopting this combination. A free allowance does not establish a complete commercial workflow.

  • Vercel: USD · Platform subscription and developer-seat price; resource usage and add-ons are separate. Included usage credit is not an unlimited hosting allowance. Regional resource rates, extra projects and add-ons can increase the bill. Official pricing
  • Cursor: USD · Default public Individual Pro and Teams Standard prices; higher plan selectors and annual discounts were not checked. Optional on-demand model usage is billed separately. Prices exclude applicable taxes; confirm billing cycle at checkout. Official pricing
  • Supabase: USD · Monthly plan starting prices; compute, projects and usage can change total cost. Official pricing
  • Resend: USD · Transactional sending and receiving email plans; marketing email prices are separate. Automation runs, dedicated IPs, domains and other add-ons can cost extra. Official pricing

9 October 2026 price observations and their limits · Evidence policy

Need a different stack?

Choose another editorial guide or define a small release with acceptance checks.

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