ShipFast vs LaunchIt EU 2025: GDPR, Price, Stack
Compare ShipFast and LaunchIt for European startups: GDPR compliance, pricing, stack comparison, and which NextJS kit fits your market.
ShipFast is the best-known NextJS starter kit. $199-249, built by Marc Lou, focused on speed. But there's a catch: it's completely US-centered.
For European customers, that gets expensive fast. Google Analytics needs a cookie banner. GDPR has to be built separately. Privacy policies need writing from scratch.
LaunchIt is the EU alternative: built in Germany, GDPR-first, with cookie banner and Plausible Analytics (cookieless) out of the box. Cheaper (149,99 €), more features, and less rework needed.
This comparison shows both options honestly: features, stack, pricing, and what they mean for EU startups.
Quick Overview
ShipFast
From Marc Lou. ShipFast wants one thing: get indie hackers from idea to paying customers as fast as possible.
Stack:
- Next.js 15 (App + Pages Router)
- NextAuth for auth
- MongoDB or Supabase
- Stripe for payments
- Mailgun for emails
- Google Analytics
Price: $199 (Starter) to $249 (All-in)
Best for: US-first launches, indie hackers wanting minimal, fast setup.
LaunchIt
From Lorenz, Lead Engineer from Germany with 10+ years experience. LaunchIt aims to be a GDPR-safe, feature-rich foundation for EU startups.
Stack:
- Next.js 16 + React 19
- Supabase Auth + Database
- Stripe (EU-optimized, SCA-ready)
- Resend for emails
- Plausible Analytics (cookieless)
- Cookie banner integrated
- Roles
- Admin dashboard
- Rate limiting (Upstash Redis)
Price: 149,99 € (lifetime)
Best for: EU startups, B2B projects, GDPR important, full feature set out of the box.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ShipFast | LaunchIt |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199-249 | 149,99 € |
| Next.js Version | Next.js 15 | Next.js 16 |
| Database | MongoDB/Supabase (selectable) | Supabase |
| Auth | NextAuth | Supabase Auth |
| Payments | Stripe | Stripe (EU SCA-ready) |
| Analytics | Google Analytics | Plausible (cookieless) |
| Mailgun | Resend | |
| Cookie Banner | Not included | Integrated |
| GDPR-Ready | Build it yourself | Out of the box |
| Roles | Not included | Included |
| Admin Dashboard | Not included | Included |
| Rate Limiting | Not included | Included (Upstash) |
| i18n | Depends on setup | Included |
The GDPR Factor
This is the core difference. Not stack, not price—but what happens when launching in the EU.
ShipFast + GDPR
ShipFast uses Google Analytics by default. In the EU that means:
- Build cookie banner – With opt-in, not opt-out
- Configure Consent Mode – Google Analytics only after consent
- Write privacy policy – Data protection declaration, cookie policy
- Legal review – Is the setup really GDPR-compliant?
That costs 1-2 weeks of development time plus potentially a consent tool like Cookiebot or Usercentrics (50-200 €/month).
ShipFast has a "Privacy Policy Generator" in the docs, but that only generates text—not the technical consent logic.
LaunchIt + GDPR
LaunchIt makes GDPR a feature:
- Cookie banner: Already built, blocks scripts until consent
- Plausible Analytics: Runs without cookies → often no popup needed
- EU services: Supabase (EU region selectable), Resend (EU-compliant)
- Legal templates: Templates for privacy policy, terms
That saves not only time but reduces risk. GDPR fines can reach up to 20 million € or 4% of annual revenue.
Price Comparison
| ShipFast | LaunchIt | |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $199 | 149,99 € |
| All-in | $249 | 149,99 € (everything included) |
| Difference | — | ~50-100 € cheaper |
But the real costs lie elsewhere:
ShipFast:
- Cookie consent tool: 50-200 €/month (if buying a ready-made tool)
- Dev time for GDPR: 1-2 weeks = 2.000-4.000 € at 100 €/h
- Missing features (teams, admin, rate limiting) need building
LaunchIt:
- Cookie banner: included
- Plausible: cookieless, no tool needed
- GDPR setup: done
- Teams, admin, rate limiting: included
Real cost: LaunchIt isn't just cheaper—it saves 2.000-4.000 € in development time and includes features ShipFast doesn't have.
Who Should Choose What?
Choose ShipFast if:
- Main market is the USA
- You're an indie hacker wanting minimal, fast setup
- Shipping speed matters more than feature completeness
- You have time/budget to retrofit GDPR
- You don't need team management or admin features
Choose LaunchIt if:
- Building for the EU market
- GDPR is important (or customers ask about it)
- Don't want to waste time with cookie banners
- Need team management, admin dashboard, rate limiting
- Building B2B or enterprise products
- Privacy-first matters
- Want to save money (cheaper + less hidden costs)
What Else to Know
Updates
Both actively maintained. ShipFast uses Marc Lou's reach. LaunchIt shows changelog on website.
Documentation
ShipFast: Tutorial-style, "ship fast" oriented.
LaunchIt: Feature documentation + GDPR explanations.
Stack Modernity
LaunchIt runs on Next.js 16, ShipFast on Next.js 15.
Vendor Lock-in
Both: Minimal. Code is yours, no SaaS dependency.
Conclusion
ShipFast is better for small US markets and indie hackers wanting the fastest possible start with minimal features. It's proven and gets you from zero to customers quickly.
LaunchIt is better for EU markets and serious SaaS projects. GDPR out of the box, cheaper, newer stack (Next.js 16), more features (teams, admin, rate limiting), and saves weeks of cookie banner work.
The question is: Do you want minimal setup for US (ShipFast) or full features with GDPR security for EU (LaunchIt)?
If building in Europe: