Boilerplates for AI Startups

Let's not waste time on trivia and finally build our product.

When I was writing a previous post about AI wrappers (it's here, in case you missed it), I discovered the world of boilerplates. It's not that I didn't know such projects existed, but I certainly didn't realize how much hype there was around this area. But it's easy to understand.

These platforms allow creators to focus on products, have fun with the process, and avoid months of working on the technical side—all for a couple hundred dollars.

Sounds like a great deal, right? Let's break it down.

In this newsletter:

• What Startup Boilerplates Can Offer You

• How Creators Build and Monetize Them

• How to Choose One for Specific Needs

• 5 Useful Boilerplates for Your Startup

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Why Boilerplates are The New Trend

It’s always about time. (and headaches)

So, what is boilerplate? It’s a pre-built foundation or a standardized code that can be used for different tasks on a website or mobile app. Boilerplates exist in different variations and for various products, but essentially, they provide a starter kit for a quick launch. For example, you have an excellent idea for a SaaS startup and even know how to implement it, but you've never run an online business.

This is what a good boilerplate can offer you:

• Admin Dashboard

• Subscription & Payment System

• Order Statistics & Analytics

• Component Library & Example Pages

• Documentation to Set up Your Product

• Support from the Developer

To summarize, it's back end + front end, development support, and documentation.

These platforms offer considerable savings in time and nerves. With boilerplates, you can refuse the services of a freelancer team or free your hands for something more useful. An additional advantage: unlike software that you will develop for yourself, boilerplates have already been tested “in the field.”

And there are quite a few such platforms.

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Actually, boilerplates are very actively gaining momentum right now. If you go to Product Hunt, you will see many successful startups with similar business models, like Next Starter AI, NextBase, and StartKit AI. Moreover, this community already has its own leaders, like ShipFast. Let's take a closer look at this project.

ShipFast by Marc Lou

ShipFast is a platform founded by Marc Lou last August. It is a NextJS boilerplate that helps creators launch their AI and SaaS projects quickly. According to Marc, ShipFast saves developers more than 20 hours when setting up key features. Specifically, it is about user authentication, payments, design, and more.

The platform works on a “pay once, use forever” model rather than a subscription basis. Packages range from $169 to $199. When users pay, they get access to the NextJS starter with the boilerplate code they need to run a business, documentation, and access to Marc's Discord. So far, more than 4,400 makers have used ShipFast to build AI tools, SaaS startups, and other products.

By the way, ShipFast has turned out to be one of Marc Lou's most successful #buildinpublic projects. A month after its launch, this boilerplate brought the creator $36,400, and this spring its MRR reached $133,000.

Maybe we should dedicate a post to his case study?

Sharing is caring! Refer someone who started a learning Journey in AI!

But lest you think that everything is perfect with boilerplates, I will allow myself to speak about the disadvantages of such solutions. Technically, they can be divided into several points, but they all boil down to one thing: lack of flexibility.

Developers rely on versatility to reach the broadest possible audience, so not all boilerplates will be suitable for a narrowly focused product. Besides, it will not be easy for you to make changes, and some features may turn out to be useless.

However, the advantages still outweigh the disadvantages. The main thing here is to figure out how to choose the most suitable boilerplate for your startup.

Let's talk about how to do this.

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How to Choose One for Specific Needs