Guides, comparisons & use cases
Honest, in-depth pages on how Simple Stack compares to the alternatives and what you can build with it.
PHP SaaS Starter vs Laravel Boilerplate (2026)
PHP + SQLite SaaS starter vs a Laravel boilerplate: hosting cost, RAM, build step, dependencies and time-to-deploy compared honestly. Pick the right one.
A Next.js SaaS Boilerplate Alternative in PHP
A no-build-step alternative to Next.js SaaS boilerplates: plain PHP + SQLite, Stripe, Apple/Google/email auth, deploy by rsync. No npm churn, no Vercel bill.
Mobile App Backend in PHP — Auth + API + Admin
A ready-made mobile app backend in PHP & SQLite: Apple/Google/magic-link sign-in, bearer-token JSON API, per-user data and an admin console. Wire Expo or React Native in minutes.
Stripe Credits & Usage Billing Template (PHP)
Stripe credit and usage-based billing, already built in PHP: per-plan allowances, top-up packs, a ledger, mid-cycle upgrade proration and a metered API. The error-prone part, done.
AI Image Generation SaaS Starter in PHP
Launch an AI image-generation SaaS in a weekend: a fal.ai pipeline with private R2 storage, a gallery, credit deduction per image and Stripe billing — all wired in plain PHP.
Sell Digital Downloads with PHP & Stripe
Sell digital downloads on your own site with PHP & Stripe: one-time Checkout, protected files, buyer-only secure download links and no platform fee. A self-hosted Gumroad alternative.
PHP Subscription SaaS Starter with Stripe
A subscription SaaS starter in PHP you can ship this week: Stripe plans, upgrades, scheduled downgrades, webhook sync, tiered route gating, a member app and an admin app.
How to Ship a SaaS on a $5 VPS (PHP + SQLite)
How to ship a real, paying SaaS on a single $5 VPS: why SQLite + PHP-FPM is enough, the whole stack on one box, honest costs, and when you would actually outgrow it.
A No-Build-Step SaaS Stack (PHP, jQuery, SQLite)
A SaaS stack with no build step: plain PHP, jQuery and SQLite. Deploy is rsync, you debug in the browser, and your AI coding agent can read the whole repo in context.
ShipFast Alternative: £49, PHP, No Next.js
A ShipFast alternative without Next.js: a £49 one-time PHP + SQLite SaaS starter with Stripe, auth and admin — cheaper than ShipFast, and a fixed-cost VPS instead of a scaling bill.
A Self-Hosted Supabase Alternative in PHP
A self-hosted Supabase alternative in plain PHP & SQLite: auth, a JSON API, an admin console and Stripe — on one VPS you own, with no managed-backend bill that grows with usage.
A Firebase Alternative for App Backends (PHP)
A self-hosted Firebase alternative for mobile and web app backends: Apple/Google/magic-link auth, a bearer-token JSON API and per-user data in PHP + SQLite — your server, no lock-in.
A Django / Rails SaaS Starter Alternative in PHP
A lighter alternative to a Django or Rails SaaS starter: plain PHP + SQLite with Stripe, auth and an admin app — no migrations server, no background worker, deploy by rsync.
A Cheap, Self-Hosted SaaS Boilerplate (PHP)
A cheap, self-hosted SaaS boilerplate: a £49 one-time PHP + SQLite starter with Stripe, auth and admin that runs on a $5 VPS — no monthly platform bill that grows with you.
An Indie-Hacker SaaS Template You Can Read
A SaaS template built for indie hackers and solo founders: plain PHP + SQLite with Stripe, auth, a member app and admin — no toolchain to babysit, and small enough to read in an afternoon.
SaaS Boilerplate Built for Claude Code & AI Agents
An agent-ready SaaS boilerplate for Claude Code, Cursor and Codex: plain PHP + SQLite — the stack LLMs know best — with AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md and one-file entry points. £49 once.
SaaS Boilerplate, One-Time £49 — No Subscription
A SaaS boilerplate for a one-time £49 payment — and no runtime subscriptions to run it either. No Vercel, Supabase, Clerk or Resend bills: one cheap VPS covers hosting, database and email.
The levelsio Stack, Productized — PHP, jQuery, SQLite
The Pieter Levels-style stack — PHP without a framework, jQuery, SQLite, nginx, one VPS, Stripe — productized with auth, billing, admin and native apps pre-built. Inspired by, not affiliated.
SaaS Boilerplate With Native iOS & Android Apps
One £49 purchase: a web SaaS plus native iOS (SwiftUI) and Android (Compose) apps, wired to a PHP backend — with Stripe on web and RevenueCat on mobile reconciled into one entitlement.
Self-Hosted Gumroad Alternative — Own It for £49
A self-hosted Gumroad alternative: your own storefront, Stripe Checkout and protected downloads on a cheap VPS for £49 once — instead of a flat 10% of every sale, forever.
SQLite-First SaaS Boilerplate (Production-Ready PHP)
A SaaS boilerplate that runs SQLite in production: WAL mode, cron backups of one file, no database server to pay for — the pattern Expensify and Tailscale proved, ready to ship.
Done comparing?
Every claim above is clickable — the demos run the code you'd be buying.