Laravel Spark vs Larafast: Which Laravel SaaS Starter Should You Use?
Comparing the two most popular Laravel SaaS boilerplates. We break down pricing, features, and use cases to help you choose the right starter kit.
Laravel Spark vs Larafast: Which Laravel SaaS Starter Should You Use?
Laravel has always been a great choice for building SaaS products. But starting from scratch still means weeks of building authentication, billing, and team management.
Laravel Spark and Larafast are the two most popular options, but they serve different needs.
Quick Comparison#
| Aspect | Laravel Spark | Larafast |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99/project or $199 unlimited | ~$149 one-time |
| Focus | Billing & subscriptions | Full SaaS starter |
| Creator | Laravel (official) | Independent developer |
| Teams | Basic support | Full teams/roles |
| UI Stacks | Livewire or Inertia | TALL, VILT, and more |
TL;DR: Choose Laravel Spark if billing is your main pain point. Choose Larafast for a more complete starter with multiple stack options.
Laravel Spark: The Official Billing Solution#
Price: $99/project or $199 unlimited
Landing pages, admin dashboards, complex team structures, pre-built CRUD scaffolding, or email templates. Spark solves billing well and lets you handle everything else your way.
Official Laravel product — Guaranteed compatibility with new versions
Billing done right — Battle-tested across thousands of apps
Clean integration — Feels like natural Laravel extension
Two flavors — Livewire and Inertia variants
Not a complete starter — You build significant parts yourself
Per-project pricing — Multiple projects add up
Billing-centric — If billing isn't your challenge, value weakens
Larafast: The Complete Starter Kit#
Price: ~$149.50 one-time
Stack flexibility — TALL, VILT, choose your preference
Complete starting point — Teams, roles, admin included
One-time pricing — $149 once, own it forever
Full-stack coverage — Landing pages to admin dashboards
Independent maintainer — Check update history
Multiple stacks add complexity — Pick one and stick with it
More opinionated — More features means more opinions
Feature Comparison#
Authentication#
Winner: Larafast for completeness, Spark for simplicity.
Billing#
Winner: Laravel Spark, clearly. Billing is its entire reason for existing.
Teams & Multi-tenancy#
Winner: Larafast for team-heavy applications.
Admin & User Management#
Winner: Larafast—admin features included rather than extra work.
Making Your Decision#
What About Wave?#
Wave is the free, open-source option with Paddle billing, Voyager admin, and team support. Consider it if budget is tight or you prefer Paddle.
Our Recommendation#
For most Laravel SaaS projects, Larafast offers better value. The complete feature set means less work after purchase.
Choose Laravel Spark specifically when billing complexity is your main concern or you want official Laravel maintenance guarantees.
The Jetstream + Spark combination is worth considering: free official auth/teams from Jetstream, plus official billing from Spark.
Still Deciding on Laravel?#
If you're weighing Laravel against other frameworks, take our quiz. We compare boilerplates across all major stacks.
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