Side-by-side verdicts for questions founders keep turning into architecture debates. The tables are here. The numbers are here. The drama is optional.
Start with the comparison that matches the argument currently occupying your Slack thread, then follow the linked guide if you still need a longer explanation. This is the shortest route from "we should evaluate options" to a decision that ships.
Coolify. Unless you enjoy paying 10x for convenience.
Vercel costs $680–$890/mo at 500k MAU. Coolify self-hosted costs $15–$75/mo. An in-depth comparison of architecture, pricing, performance, and developer experience for production deployments.
SQLite. Until you have a measured, specific reason for Postgres.
SQLite handles 50,000 writes per second and costs nothing. Postgres costs $25+/month managed. A side-by-side comparison for SaaS founders who want data, not opinions.
BetterAuth. Under 10,000 users, own your data.
BetterAuth is free, self-hosted, and you own your data. Clerk costs $25+/month at scale and your users' passwords live on their servers. A comparison for SaaS founders.
Checkout. Until 1,000+ subscribers.
Stripe Checkout handles your first $10,000 with zero webhooks. Stripe Billing adds subscription management at the cost of weeks of implementation. A comparison for SaaS founders.