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---
title: "djaodjin Review 2026: Open Source Django SaaS"
description: "djaodjin is a 10-year battle-tested Django SaaS framework with billing, multi-tenancy, and RBAC. Review for Python B2B teams in 2026. Free and MIT licensed."
date: "2026-03-08"
tier: 1
authors: ["team"]
tags: ["djaodjin", "django", "python", "review", "2026"]
featured_boilerplate: "djaodjin"
---

## TL;DR

**djaodjin is a battle-tested open-source Django SaaS framework** with 10+ years of production use. It handles multi-tenancy, subscription billing, RBAC, and email — all the hard parts of SaaS — in a conventional Django package. Free and MIT licensed. Best for Python teams building B2B SaaS who want conventions and a mature codebase over a fresh startup stack.

## What djaodjin Is

djaodjin is not a starter template — it's a set of reusable Django apps:

- **djaodjin-saas**: Subscription billing, multi-tenancy, plans
- **djaodjin-signup**: Authentication with magic links + social auth
- **djaodjin-pages**: Editable landing pages
- **djaodjin-rules**: Rule-based access control
- **djaodjin-survey**: Survey and form builder

Used together, they form a complete SaaS platform.

---

## Installation and Setup

```python
# settings.py — adding djaodjin components
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    # djaodjin apps
    'saas',
    'signup',
    'rules',
]

# saas configuration
SAAS = {
    'PROCESSOR_BACKEND': 'saas.backends.stripe_processor.StripeProcessor',
    'BROKER': {
        'GET': 'saas.utils.get_broker',
    },
}
```

---

## Multi-Tenancy Model

djaodjin uses an "organization" model for multi-tenancy:

```python
# models are provided by djaodjin-saas
from saas.models import Organization, Subscription

# Get all active subscribers for a plan
active_subscribers = Organization.objects.filter(
    subscriptions__plan__slug='professional',
    subscriptions__ends_at__gte=timezone.now(),
)

# Create a new organization subscription
from saas.utils import get_broker, get_or_create_stripe_customer
from saas import settings as saas_settings

def subscribe_organization(organization, plan):
    subscriber = Subscription.objects.new_instance(
        organization,
        plan=plan,
    )
    subscriber.save()
    return subscriber
```

---

## Plan and Billing Configuration

```python
# Define plans in the database via fixtures or admin
# fixtures/plans.json
[
  {
    "model": "saas.plan",
    "fields": {
      "slug": "starter",
      "title": "Starter",
      "description": "For individuals and small teams",
      "period_amount": 2900,  # $29.00 in cents
      "interval": 4,          # Monthly
      "unit": "mo",
      "max_subscribers": 1,
      "is_active": true
    }
  },
  {
    "model": "saas.plan",
    "fields": {
      "slug": "professional",
      "title": "Professional",
      "period_amount": 9900,  # $99.00
      "interval": 4,
      "unit": "mo",
      "max_subscribers": 5,
      "is_active": true
    }
  }
]
```

---

## Access Control

```python
# djaodjin-rules: URL-based access control
# urls.py
from rules.urldecorators import is_authenticated, is_contributor_to

urlpatterns = [
    # Requires authentication
    path('dashboard/', is_authenticated(DashboardView.as_view())),

    # Requires organization membership
    path(
        'organizations/<slug:organization>/billing/',
        is_contributor_to('organization')(BillingView.as_view())
    ),
]

# In views.py — programmatic access check
from rules.mixins import RulesMixin

class ProjectView(RulesMixin, DetailView):
    model = Project
    rule_prefixes = ['project']

    def get_accessible_projects(self):
        return Project.objects.accessible_to(self.request.user)
```

---

## API Views

djaodjin integrates with Django REST Framework:

```python
# api/v1/organizations.py
from rest_framework.viewsets import ModelViewSet
from rest_framework.decorators import action
from rest_framework.response import Response
from saas.models import Organization
from saas.serializers import OrganizationSerializer

class OrganizationViewSet(ModelViewSet):
    serializer_class = OrganizationSerializer

    def get_queryset(self):
        return Organization.objects.accessible_to(self.request.user)

    @action(detail=True, methods=['post'])
    def invite_member(self, request, pk=None):
        organization = self.get_object()
        # Invitation logic via djaodjin-signup
        email = request.data['email']
        from signup.utils import invite_user
        invite_user(email=email, organization=organization)
        return Response({'status': 'invited'})
```

---

## djaodjin vs FastAPI Template vs Node.js

| Factor | djaodjin | FastAPI Template | Next.js (ShipFast) |
|--------|----------|-----------------|---------------------|
| Maturity | 10+ years | 3+ years | 3+ years |
| Multi-tenancy | Built-in | Manual | Manual or Makerkit |
| Billing | Built-in | Manual | Built-in |
| Frontend | Django templates | React SPA | Next.js |
| Type safety | Python typehints | Pydantic | TypeScript |
| Admin | Django admin | Basic | Varies |
| Learning curve | Medium | Low-Medium | Low-Medium |
| Community | Python/Django | Python/FastAPI | JavaScript |

djaodjin's 10-year production track record is its biggest advantage.

---

## The Django Advantage in 2026

Django's strengths remain relevant:

1. **ORM**: Django ORM is still excellent for complex relational queries
2. **Admin**: Django admin + djaodjin conventions give powerful admin tools
3. **Security**: Django's security defaults are battle-tested
4. **Conventions**: Any Django developer can navigate a djaodjin app
5. **Data science**: Seamless integration with pandas, numpy, sklearn

```python
# Example: complex business logic is readable in Django
from django.db.models import Sum, Count, Avg, Q
from django.utils import timezone

def get_mrr_report():
    return Subscription.objects.filter(
        ends_at__gte=timezone.now(),
        plan__interval=Plan.MONTHLY,
    ).aggregate(
        mrr=Sum('plan__period_amount') / 100,
        subscriber_count=Count('organization'),
        avg_plan_value=Avg('plan__period_amount') / 100,
    )
```

---

## Limitations

- **Not a starter kit**: More of a framework extension — requires Django knowledge
- **Frontend**: Django templates by default (React requires extra setup)
- **Documentation**: Functional but less polished than commercial alternatives
- **Deployment**: Requires a server (no serverless)
- **Slower API**: Django REST Framework is slower than FastAPI for pure API work

---

## Who Should Use djaodjin

**Good fit:**
- Python/Django teams building B2B SaaS
- Products where billing + multi-tenancy are complex (enterprise)
- Teams who want proven, production-hardened SaaS code
- Applications with significant data analysis requirements

**Bad fit:**
- Teams new to Django (learning curve before productivity)
- Products needing modern JavaScript frontend
- Serverless deployment environments
- Teams choosing between Python and JavaScript (JavaScript ecosystem is larger)

---

## Final Verdict

**Rating: 3.5/5**

djaodjin is underrated in the boilerplate ecosystem — it's one of the most mature open-source SaaS frameworks available. The billing, multi-tenancy, and access control are production-proven. The trade-offs are documentation quality and the Django learning curve. For Python teams building serious B2B SaaS, it's worth serious consideration.

---

---

## Getting Started with djaodjin

djaodjin installs as Django packages into an existing project:

```bash
# Create a Django project
pip install django psycopg2-binary
django-admin startproject myapp .
cd myapp

# Install djaodjin packages
pip install djaodjin-saas djaodjin-signup djaodjin-rules

# Run migrations
python manage.py migrate

# Load initial fixture data (plans, etc.)
python manage.py loaddata plans.json
python manage.py runserver
```

Unlike JavaScript boilerplates that you clone and modify, djaodjin is a set of packages you install into your Django project. This means you keep full control of your project structure while adding pre-built SaaS functionality. The trade-off: there's more integration work upfront compared to a clone-and-run starter.

---

## Deployment

djaodjin requires a persistent server — not serverless:

```bash
# Docker deployment
# Dockerfile
FROM python:3.12-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
RUN python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
CMD ["gunicorn", "myapp.wsgi:application", "--bind", "0.0.0.0:8000"]
```

**Hosting options:**
- **Railway**: Docker-native, PostgreSQL add-on, straightforward Django deployment
- **Render**: Free tier supports Django; PostgreSQL managed service available
- **Fly.io**: Works well for persistent Django containers
- **DigitalOcean App Platform**: Django-specific configuration available

The lack of serverless support isn't a Django-specific limitation — it's by design. Django's ORM connection management and middleware stack are optimized for persistent process deployment, not cold-start serverless environments.

---

## djaodjin vs Other Python SaaS Options

| | djaodjin | FastAPI Template | Wagtail + plugins |
|--|---------|-----------------|-------------------|
| Maturity | 10+ years | 3+ years | 15+ years |
| Multi-tenancy | ✅ Built-in | Manual | Partial |
| Billing | ✅ Stripe + Paddle | Add yourself | Add yourself |
| Admin | Django admin | Basic | Wagtail admin |
| Frontend | Django templates | React SPA | Django templates |
| API | DRF included | Native FastAPI | DRF |
| Free | ✅ MIT | ✅ MIT | ✅ BSD |

For Python teams who need billing and multi-tenancy built-in, djaodjin is the most complete option. FastAPI Template is faster for pure API work but requires you to build the SaaS layer yourself. Wagtail excels at CMS and content-heavy products but isn't designed around subscription SaaS.

---

## Key Takeaways

- djaodjin is 10+ years of production-proven Django SaaS code — billing, multi-tenancy, and RBAC are built-in, not add-ons
- Free and MIT licensed — no per-seat fees or license costs; ideal for bootstrapped projects
- Installation is package-based (pip install), not clone-and-fork — requires more Django integration knowledge than clone-based starters
- Requires persistent server deployment (Railway, Render, Fly.io); not serverless-compatible
- Best for Python teams with existing Django knowledge who need B2B SaaS features without rebuilding from scratch
- Documentation is functional but less polished than commercial alternatives; the trade-off for a free, mature project with a decade of production use
- Django's ORM is genuinely excellent for complex relational queries and reporting — if your product involves significant data analytics alongside SaaS features, the Python ecosystem (pandas, SQLAlchemy queries) integrates seamlessly with djaodjin's model structure in ways that JavaScript ORMs don't match
- djaodjin's GitHub repository has active commits and issue responses; for a 10-year-old open source project, the maintenance cadence is reassuring for teams evaluating long-term sustainability
- The package-based installation approach (versus clone-and-fork) means your application code stays clean and separate from the SaaS framework code — you apply Django conventions on top of djaodjin, rather than modifying a starter's interleaved code
- Teams coming from a Rails background will find Django + djaodjin familiar: convention over configuration, mature ORM, and built-in admin that matches active record patterns

---

## Building a Frontend with djaodjin

The most common friction point with djaodjin is the frontend question. By default, djaodjin uses Django templates — server-rendered HTML with Bootstrap. In 2026, many teams want a React or Vue frontend. The options are:

**Option 1: Django templates with htmx.** htmx adds interactive behavior to server-rendered pages without requiring a full JavaScript framework. For SaaS applications where most interactions are form submissions and data display, htmx covers the majority of use cases. The result is a lighter stack that pairs well with Django's server-side strengths. Teams choosing this path report faster initial development than React SPA setups.

**Option 2: React SPA with Django REST Framework.** djaodjin includes DRF integration, so the backend serves API endpoints and a React frontend consumes them. This requires significantly more frontend configuration: routing, state management, auth token handling on the client. The benefit is full React capability for complex interactive UI.

**Option 3: Next.js + Django API.** Some teams use Next.js as the frontend with a Django/djaodjin backend serving a JSON API. This combines Next.js's SEO and SSR capabilities with Django's battle-tested backend. The complexity is higher — two separate codebases and two deployment targets — but for teams with strong Next.js experience alongside Python backend experience, it's workable.

For teams starting fresh without frontend expertise, Option 1 (Django templates + htmx) is the pragmatic choice. Django's templating system is well-understood, and htmx reduces the need for JavaScript knowledge while delivering modern-feeling interactions.

## The Case for Python SaaS in 2026

JavaScript dominates the SaaS boilerplate ecosystem — ShipFast, Makerkit, Supastarter, and most alternatives are Next.js-based. The Python options (djaodjin, Wagtail, SaaSBoilerplate) serve a smaller market but a genuinely different one. Python teams at companies already using Django for data pipelines, ML models, or internal tooling have a compelling reason to keep the entire stack in Python: code reuse, reduced operational complexity, and unified data access without API boundaries.

If your product involves machine learning inference, recommendation systems, or data science workflows as core features, Django + djaodjin lets you call scikit-learn or pandas directly from your Django views. The equivalent in Next.js requires a separate Python API service and HTTP calls. For data-heavy B2B SaaS, this distinction matters.

The boilerplate ecosystem reflects the team demographics building products: JavaScript-first indie hackers ship JavaScript SaaS starters; Python-first enterprise teams maintain Python SaaS frameworks. djaodjin is the most battle-tested option in the second category. With over a decade of production use and an active codebase, djaodjin has absorbed edge cases across subscription billing, multi-tenancy, and authentication that most newer frameworks have yet to encounter — a depth of real-world validation that is genuinely rare in the open-source SaaS starter space.

---

*See our [FastAPI Template review](/guides/fastapi-template-review-2026) for the modern Python API alternative.*

*Browse [best open source SaaS boilerplates](/guides/best-free-open-source-saas-boilerplates-2026) for the full comparison including Wave, T3 Stack, and Next SaaS Starter.*

*Compare Django and Python SaaS options with JavaScript alternatives in our [best SaaS boilerplates guide](/guides/best-open-source-saas-boilerplates-2026).*