Open SaaS Review 2026: Wasp's Free Full-Featured SaaS Boilerplate

TL;DR

Open SaaS is the most feature-complete free SaaS boilerplate. It includes Stripe, email, blog, admin panel, analytics (PostHog), and Plausible — all free. The catch: it's built on Wasp, a newer React/Node.js framework with a smaller ecosystem. If the Wasp trade-off works for you, this is exceptional value. If you need Next.js or standard tooling, look elsewhere.

What You Get (Free)

Source: github.com/wasp-lang/open-saas

Core features:

• Wasp (React + Node.js framework)
• TypeScript
• Prisma + PostgreSQL
• Auth: Wasp Auth (email, OAuth)
• Payments: Stripe (subscriptions + one-time)
• Email: SendGrid + Mailgun
• Blog: Astro-based blog
• Admin panel: Complete dashboard
• Analytics: PostHog + Plausible
• Background jobs: Wasp jobs
• File upload: AWS S3

Free. No license fee.

What is Wasp?

Wasp is a full-stack framework that simplifies React + Node.js development:

// main.wasp — declare your app structure
app OpenSaaS {
  wasp: { version: "^0.14.0" },
  title: "Your SaaS",
  auth: {
    userEntity: User,
    methods: {
      email: {},
      google: {},
      github: {},
    },
  },
}

route DashboardRoute { path: "/dashboard", to: DashboardPage }
page DashboardPage {
  authRequired: true,
  component: import Dashboard from "@client/pages/Dashboard"
}

// Jobs — background processing
job emailNotificationJob {
  executor: PgBoss.new,
  perform: {
    fn: import { sendNotification } from "@server/jobs/email"
  }
}

Wasp generates the boilerplate (auth routes, API wiring, job setup) from these declarations. You write the business logic.

---

The Stripe Integration

Open SaaS includes complete Stripe subscription billing:

// server/payments/stripeWebhookHandlers.ts
export const handleCustomerSubscriptionUpdated = async ({
  stripeSubscription,
}: {
  stripeSubscription: Stripe.Subscription;
}) => {
  const subscription = await fetchUserSubscription(stripeSubscription.id);

  if (!subscription.userId) throw new Error('No user ID found in subscription');

  let datePeriodEnd: Date | null = null;
  if (stripeSubscription.status === 'active') {
    datePeriodEnd = new Date(stripeSubscription.current_period_end * 1000);
  }

  await updateUserSubscription(subscription.userId, {
    subscriptionStatus: stripeSubscription.status,
    subscriptionPlan: stripeSubscription.items.data[0]?.price.id,
    stripeCurrentPeriodEnd: datePeriodEnd,
  });
};

Webhook handlers for subscription lifecycle events are pre-built and tested.

---

The Admin Panel

The admin dashboard is comprehensive for a free boilerplate:

// client/admin/pages/UsersDashboardPage.tsx
export default function UsersDashboard() {
  const users = useQuery(getUsers);

  return (
    <AdminLayout>
      <DashboardMetrics>
        <MetricCard title="Total Users" value={users.data?.count} />
        <MetricCard title="Paid Users" value={users.data?.paidCount} />
        <MetricCard title="MRR" value={users.data?.mrr} prefix="$" />
      </DashboardMetrics>

      <UsersTable
        users={users.data?.users}
        onTogglePayingStatus={handleTogglePayingStatus}
        onDeleteUser={handleDeleteUser}
      />
    </AdminLayout>
  );
}

Users table, MRR metrics, toggle subscription status, delete users — customer support-ready on day one.

---

The Blog (Astro-Powered)

The blog is a separate Astro app that ships alongside the main Wasp app:

open-saas/
├── app/         ← Wasp app (dashboard, auth, billing)
└── blog/        ← Astro blog (marketing, content)

This separation is smart: blog content is served as static files with excellent Core Web Vitals, while the app has dynamic server rendering.

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The Not-So-Good

1. Wasp Ecosystem Lock-In

Wasp has a smaller ecosystem than Next.js or Remix. Some npm packages don't work in Wasp's server environment. Community resources (Stack Overflow, tutorials) are limited.

If you hit a problem that's Wasp-specific, the community is smaller and debugging is harder.

2. Wasp's Abstractions Can Confuse

// Wasp declares routes and auth — but the magic can be confusing
action createTask {
  fn: import { createTask } from "@server/actions",
  entities: [Task]  // Wasp auto-injects Prisma context
}

Understanding what Wasp generates vs what you write requires a learning curve. Advanced customization may require understanding Wasp's code generation.

3. Long-Term Bet on Wasp

Wasp is actively developed (YC-backed, 12k+ GitHub stars) but newer than Next.js or Remix. There's uncertainty about long-term maintenance compared to frameworks with 10+ year track records.

4. Deployment Is More Complex

Wasp apps need both client and server deployed. Not as simple as git push to Vercel.

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Who Should Use Open SaaS

Good fit:

• Founders who want the most features for free
• Developers willing to learn Wasp for the productivity benefits
• Products where the complete admin panel and billing are must-haves
• Teams evaluating Wasp as a framework

Bad fit:

• Teams who need Next.js/standard React tooling
• Developers who need npm ecosystem compatibility
• Products where framework longevity is a risk factor
• Founders who want Vercel deployment simplicity

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Final Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Open SaaS is an outstanding value — free, complete, and production-ready. The Wasp trade-off is the only significant concern. If you evaluate Wasp and it fits your team's workflow, Open SaaS is the best free SaaS boilerplate available.

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Compare Open SaaS with alternatives on StarterPick.