Recommendations · App-building stack · Verified July 19, 2026
Recommended tech stack.
The reference stack for building new AI-native B2B SaaS apps — TypeScript end-to-end, serverless-first, minimal ops, everything self-serve.
This is the app-building stack. The company operating stack lives at Recommended business tools.
The default starter combo
- Next.js
- Vercel
- shadcn/ui
- Clerk
- Neon + Drizzle
- Inngest
- Autumn
- PostHog
- Claude & OpenAI via the AI SDK
The greenfield variant · Swap Neon + Drizzle for Convex if you want one reactive backend instead of assembling a data layer.
01 · Layer
App framework & hosting
Next.js
The React framework — routing, server components, API routes in one.
The default choice for B2B SaaS apps; biggest ecosystem and hiring pool.
Vercel
Deployment platform: preview envs per PR, edge network, observability — plus the AI SDK.
Zero-ops hosting for Next.js; increasingly the whole AI app platform (AI SDK, Eve, Workflow DevKit below).
shadcn/ui
Copy-paste component system on Tailwind + Radix — you own the code.
Design-quality UI without a design-system team; the de facto standard for AI-built apps.
02 · Layer
Auth & identity
ClerkPick
Drop-in auth: prebuilt sign-in/user components, organizations, roles, B2B SSO.
Fastest path to multi-tenant B2B auth; generous free tier, self-serve.
Auth0
Okta-owned identity platform — the enterprise-grade incumbent.
Choose when a customer’s compliance/IdP requirements demand it; heavier and pricier than Clerk.
03 · Layer
Data layer
NeonPick
Serverless Postgres: scale-to-zero, database branching per PR.
Real Postgres with modern DX; Databricks-owned since 2025 (~$1B deal) — well-funded, not going anywhere.
Drizzle
Lightweight TypeScript ORM — SQL-first, type-safe, no codegen step.
Pairs with Neon; the modern replacement for Prisma-style heaviness.
Convex
All-in-one reactive backend: database + server functions + realtime sync, all TypeScript.
The greenfield alternative to Neon+Drizzle — one system instead of an assembled data layer; excellent for AI-generated codebases.
Upstash
Serverless Redis + QStash messaging — pay per request.
Caching, rate limiting, lightweight queues without running Redis.
04 · Layer
Background jobs & durable workflows
InngestPick
Event-driven durable functions: queues, crons, retries, flow control, step functions.
The mature choice for background work and agentic pipelines; great local dev experience.
Workflow DevKit
Vercel’s open-source “make any TypeScript function durable” SDK.
Public beta — the natural pick if you’re all-in on Vercel; watch it mature. Pick one of these two, not both.
05 · Layer
Billing & monetization
Autumn
Open-source pricing & billing layer over Stripe — seats, usage, credits, plan gating without writing billing logic.
YC-backed; built for AI/SaaS pricing models that change often. Keeps Stripe as the processor.
06 · Layer
AI layer
Claude (Anthropic)
Frontier models + Claude Code + Agent SDK.
Best-in-class for agentic coding, long-context reasoning, and tool use — the workhorse for both building and running the app.
OpenAI
GPT model family + the broadest API ecosystem.
Deep tooling/integration coverage; strong for multimodal and embeddings.
xAI
Grok models — fast frontier alternative with real-time X data.
Useful as the price/performance challenger in a multi-model setup.
Eve
Vercel’s open-source agent framework (launched June 2026) — agents defined as directories of files mapped to capabilities.
“Next.js for agents”; pairs with the AI SDK and Workflow DevKit. Young — prototype first.
Strategy note
Don’t marry one model provider — route by task behind the AI SDK (or a gateway) so you can swap models as the frontier moves.
07 · Layer
Product analytics
PostHog
Analytics + session replay + feature flags + A/B + LLM analytics in one, with a generous free tier.
Same pick as the operating stack — one tool wears both hats, including LLM/token analytics for AI features.
All picks verified July 19, 2026.