Building Your First SaaS MVP with Next.js: A 60-Day Roadmap

You have a SaaS idea. You've validated it with potential customers. Now you need to build an MVP before you run out of runway or lose momentum.

Can you really build and launch a production-ready SaaS in 60 days? Yes—if you make smart technical decisions and stay ruthlessly focused.

After architecting full-stack Next.js applications for enterprise clients and building MVPs for multiple startups, I've refined a 60-day process that gets you from idea to paying customers. This isn't theory—it's the exact roadmap I use.

This guide covers the complete technical journey: choosing your stack, implementing authentication, setting up payments, scaling architecture, and launching fast.

What Makes a Good SaaS MVP

The Core Principle: Do One Thing Exceptionally Well

Bad MVP: "We're building Slack + Trello + Asana combined!" Good MVP: "We're building automated task assignment based on Slack messages."

Your MVP should solve one specific problem for one specific audience better than any alternative.

MVP Must-Haves

Every SaaS MVP needs:

1. User authentication (sign up, login, password reset)
2. Core feature (the thing that solves the problem)
3. Payment processing (if not free tier)
4. User dashboard (manage account, see activity)
5. Admin panel (manage users, monitor system)

MVP Nice-to-Haves (Post-Launch)

These can wait:

• Mobile app (progressive web app works initially)
• Advanced analytics
• Integrations with other services
• Team/collaboration features (start single-user)
• White-labeling
• API for third parties

The goal: Get to paying customers ASAP, then build what they request.

Why Next.js for SaaS

After building React/Next.js applications achieving 99.9% uptime for enterprise clients, Next.js is my default SaaS stack.

Next.js Advantages for SaaS

1. Full-stack in one framework:

• Frontend: React components
• Backend: API routes (no separate server needed)
• Database: Connect directly from API routes
• Authentication: Implement with libraries or custom
• Result: One codebase, one deployment, simpler architecture

2. Performance out of the box:

• Automatic code splitting (faster loads)
• Server-side rendering (better SEO)
• Image optimization (built-in)
• Edge functions (global performance)

3. Great developer experience:

• Hot reload (instant feedback)
• TypeScript support (catch bugs early)
• Excellent documentation
• Large community (easy to find help)

4. Deployment simplicity:

• Vercel (creators of Next.js) has exceptional free tier
• Deploy in minutes
• Automatic HTTPS
• Global CDN
• Preview deployments for every PR

5. Scales with you:

• MVP to 1,000 users: Free Vercel tier
• 1,000 to 10,000 users: $20-$100/month
• 10,000+ users: Incremental scaling
• Enterprise: Proven at Hulu, Twitch, TikTok scale

The Complete Tech Stack

My Recommended Stack for SaaS MVPs

Frontend:

• Next.js 14+ (App Router)
• React (component library)
• TypeScript (type safety—non-negotiable for SaaS)
• TailwindCSS (rapid UI development)
• shadcn/ui (beautiful components, customizable)

Backend:

• Next.js API Routes (serverless functions)
• tRPC (type-safe API layer—optional but recommended)
• Prisma (database ORM, type-safe queries)

Database:

• PostgreSQL (via Supabase or Neon)
  • Start: Free tier (500MB)
  • Growing: $25/month (8GB)
  • Scale: Pay as you grow

Authentication:

• NextAuth.js (most popular, supports many providers)
• Clerk (fastest implementation, $25/month after 10K users)
• Supabase Auth (if using Supabase for database)

Payments:

• Stripe (industry standard, excellent docs)
• Lemon Squeezy (simpler, handles tax automatically)

Hosting:

• Vercel (Next.js creators, best integration)
• Free tier: 100GB bandwidth, unlimited hobby projects
• Pro tier: $20/month (commercial use, better limits)

Monitoring:

• Vercel Analytics (built-in)
• Sentry (error tracking, free tier: 5K errors/month)
• PostHog (product analytics, free tier: 1M events/month)

Email:

• Resend (modern email API, free tier: 3K emails/month)
• SendGrid (alternative, free tier: 100 emails/day)

Total monthly cost for MVP: $0-$50/month (excluding domain)

The 60-Day Build Roadmap

Week 1-2: Foundation & Setup (Days 1-14)

Day 1-2: Technical Planning

Define your data model:

What entities exist in your system? For a project management SaaS:

• Users
• Projects
• Tasks
• Comments
• Teams

Sketch relationships:

• User has many Projects
• Project has many Tasks
• Task has many Comments

This becomes your database schema later.

Define user flows:

1. Sign up → Verify email → Onboard → Create first project
2. Login → Dashboard → View projects → Create task
3. Subscribe → Choose plan → Enter payment → Access premium features

Day 3-4: Initial Next.js Setup

npx create-next-app@latest saas-mvp --typescript --tailwind --app
cd saas-mvp
npm install

Install essential dependencies:

npm install prisma @prisma/client
npm install next-auth
npm install stripe
npm install zod # validation
npm install react-hook-form

Configure TypeScript strictly:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "strict": true,
    "noUncheckedIndexedAccess": true,
    "noImplicitAny": true
  }
}

From my experience with TypeScript in production applications, strict typing catches bugs before they reach users.

Day 5-7: Database Setup

Choose and set up PostgreSQL:

I recommend Neon (PostgreSQL) or Supabase (PostgreSQL + extras):

Neon setup:

1. Sign up at neon.tech
2. Create database
3. Copy connection string

Initialize Prisma:

npx prisma init

Define your schema (example for task manager):

model User {
  id        String   @id @default(cuid())
  email     String   @unique
  name      String?
  projects  Project[]
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}

model Project {
  id          String   @id @default(cuid())
  name        String
  description String?
  userId      String
  user        User     @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id])
  tasks       Task[]
  createdAt   DateTime @default(now())
}

model Task {
  id          String   @id @default(cuid())
  title       String
  completed   Boolean  @default(false)
  projectId   String
  project     Project  @relation(fields: [projectId], references: [id])
  createdAt   DateTime @default(now())
}

Run migration:

npx prisma migrate dev --name init
npx prisma generate

Day 8-10: Authentication Implementation

I use NextAuth.js for most projects:

npm install next-auth @auth/prisma-adapter

Set up auth configuration (app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts):

import NextAuth from "next-auth";
import GoogleProvider from "next-auth/providers/google";
import { PrismaAdapter } from "@auth/prisma-adapter";
import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";

export const authOptions = {
  adapter: PrismaAdapter(prisma),
  providers: [
    GoogleProvider({
      clientId: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID!,
      clientSecret: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET!,
    }),
    // Email/password if needed
  ],
  pages: {
    signIn: '/auth/signin',
    signOut: '/auth/signout',
    error: '/auth/error',
  },
};

const handler = NextAuth(authOptions);
export { handler as GET, handler as POST };

Create login page:

Simple, clean, professional. First impression matters.

Day 11-14: Core UI Components

Using shadcn/ui (my go-to for rapid development):

npx shadcn-ui@latest init
npx shadcn-ui@latest add button
npx shadcn-ui@latest add input
npx shadcn-ui@latest add card
npx shadcn-ui@latest add dialog

Build:

• Dashboard layout (sidebar, header)
• Empty states ("No projects yet")
• Loading states (skeletons)
• Error states (user-friendly messages)

Week 1-2 deliverable:

• Next.js app running
• Database connected
• Authentication working
• Basic UI components ready

Week 3-4: Core Feature Development (Days 15-28)

Day 15-18: Main Feature Backend

Build API routes for core functionality:

Example: Creating a project (app/api/projects/route.ts)

import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
import { getServerSession } from 'next-auth';
import { prisma } from '@/lib/prisma';
import { z } from 'zod';

const createProjectSchema = z.object({
  name: z.string().min(1).max(100),
  description: z.string().max(500).optional(),
});

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const session = await getServerSession();

  if (!session?.user?.email) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 });
  }

  const body = await req.json();
  const validated = createProjectSchema.parse(body);

  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
    where: { email: session.user.email },
  });

  const project = await prisma.project.create({
    data: {
      name: validated.name,
      description: validated.description,
      userId: user!.id,
    },
  });

  return NextResponse.json(project);
}

export async function GET(req: Request) {
  const session = await getServerSession();

  if (!session?.user?.email) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 });
  }

  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
    where: { email: session.user.email },
    include: { projects: true },
  });

  return NextResponse.json(user?.projects || []);
}

Key principles I follow:

1. Always validate input (Zod is excellent)
2. Always check authentication (don't trust client)
3. Return clear error messages
4. Use TypeScript strictly (catch errors at compile time)

Day 19-22: Main Feature Frontend

Build the UI for your core feature:

For project management SaaS:

• Project list view
• Create project form
• Project detail view
• Task creation
• Task list

Focus on:

• Speed: Optimistic updates (assume success, revert if fails)
• Clarity: Clear CTAs, obvious next steps
• Feedback: Loading states, success messages, error handling

Example: Optimistic UI update

'use client';

import { useOptimistic } from 'react';

export function TaskList({ tasks }) {
  const [optimisticTasks, addOptimisticTask] = useOptimistic(
    tasks,
    (state, newTask) => [...state, newTask]
  );

  async function createTask(formData) {
    const newTask = { id: crypto.randomUUID(), title: formData.get('title'), completed: false };

    addOptimisticTask(newTask); // Immediately show in UI

    await fetch('/api/tasks', {
      method: 'POST',
      body: JSON.stringify(newTask),
    });
  }

  return (
    <ul>
      {optimisticTasks.map(task => (
        <li key={task.id}>{task.title}</li>
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
}

This pattern makes your app feel instant—critical for user experience.

Day 23-25: User Dashboard

Build the main landing page after login:

Must include:

• Overview of user's data (projects, tasks, whatever your core metric is)
• Quick actions (create new project, etc.)
• Recent activity
• Call-to-action for core feature

Nice to have:

• Charts/graphs (simple ones with Recharts)
• Notifications
• Shortcuts

Day 26-28: Settings & Account Management

User must be able to:

• Update profile (name, email)
• Change password (if using email/password)
• Delete account (GDPR requirement in EU)
• View usage/limits (if you have tiers)

Week 3-4 deliverable:

• Core feature works end-to-end
• Dashboard shows user data
• Account management functional

Week 5-6: Payments & Billing (Days 29-42)

Day 29-32: Stripe Integration

Set up Stripe:

1. Create Stripe account
2. Get API keys (test mode initially)
3. Install Stripe SDK

npm install stripe @stripe/stripe-js

Create pricing plans:

In Stripe Dashboard:

• Free tier: $0/month (limited features)
• Pro tier: $29/month (full features)
• Business tier: $99/month (higher limits)

Implement checkout:

// app/api/checkout/route.ts
import Stripe from 'stripe';
import { getServerSession } from 'next-auth';

const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY!);

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const session = await getServerSession();
  const { priceId } = await req.json();

  const checkoutSession = await stripe.checkout.sessions.create({
    mode: 'subscription',
    customer_email: session.user.email,
    line_items: [{ price: priceId, quantity: 1 }],
    success_url: `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_URL}/dashboard?success=true`,
    cancel_url: `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_URL}/pricing`,
  });

  return Response.json({ url: checkoutSession.url });
}

Day 33-35: Webhook Handling

Critical: Stripe sends webhooks when subscriptions change. You must handle these.

// app/api/webhooks/stripe/route.ts
import { headers } from 'next/headers';
import Stripe from 'stripe';
import { prisma } from '@/lib/prisma';

const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY!);

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const body = await req.text();
  const signature = headers().get('stripe-signature')!;

  let event: Stripe.Event;

  try {
    event = stripe.webhooks.constructEvent(
      body,
      signature,
      process.env.STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET!
    );
  } catch (err) {
    return Response.json({ error: 'Invalid signature' }, { status: 400 });
  }

  switch (event.type) {
    case 'checkout.session.completed':
      // Activate subscription
      const session = event.data.object;
      await prisma.user.update({
        where: { email: session.customer_email },
        data: {
          subscriptionStatus: 'active',
          subscriptionId: session.subscription,
        },
      });
      break;

    case 'customer.subscription.deleted':
      // Cancel subscription
      const subscription = event.data.object;
      await prisma.user.update({
        where: { subscriptionId: subscription.id },
        data: { subscriptionStatus: 'canceled' },
      });
      break;
  }

  return Response.json({ received: true });
}

Day 36-38: Feature Gating

Implement checks throughout app:

function canAccessFeature(user: User, feature: string): boolean {
  const limits = {
    free: { projects: 3, tasks: 50 },
    pro: { projects: 50, tasks: 1000 },
    business: { projects: Infinity, tasks: Infinity },
  };

  const userLimits = limits[user.plan];

  // Check if user has exceeded limits
  return user.projectCount < userLimits.projects;
}

Day 39-42: Billing Portal

Let users manage their subscription:

Stripe provides a hosted billing portal (easiest approach):

const portalSession = await stripe.billingPortal.sessions.create({
  customer: user.stripeCustomerId,
  return_url: `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_URL}/settings/billing`,
});

redirect(portalSession.url);

Users can:

• Update payment method
• Cancel subscription
• View invoices
• Update billing info

Week 5-6 deliverable:

• Payment processing works
• Subscriptions activate/cancel properly
• Feature gating enforced
• Users can manage billing

Week 7-8: Polish & Launch Prep (Days 43-56)

Day 43-46: SEO & Marketing Pages

Build:

• Landing page (what problem you solve, pricing, CTA)
• Pricing page (clear comparison, FAQ)
• About page (build trust)
• Blog setup (for content marketing)

SEO basics:

• Metadata (title, description) for every page
• Open Graph tags (social media previews)
• Sitemap.xml generation
• Robots.txt configuration

From my experience implementing technical SEO achieving 25% organic ranking increases, these basics matter:

// app/layout.tsx
export const metadata = {
  title: 'TaskFlow - Simple Project Management for Small Teams',
  description: 'Manage projects and tasks without the complexity. Built for teams of 1-10.',
  openGraph: {
    images: ['/og-image.png'],
  },
};

Day 47-49: Error Handling & Edge Cases

Test and fix:

• What happens if payment fails?
• What if database connection drops?
• What if API is slow?
• What if user has no internet?

Implement:

• Error boundaries (React)
• Retry logic for failed requests
• Offline detection
• Rate limiting (prevent abuse)

Day 50-52: Performance Optimization

Run Lighthouse audit. Fix issues:

Images:

• Use next/image (automatic optimization)
• Serve WebP format
• Lazy load below-fold images

JavaScript:

• Code split heavy components
• Lazy load modals/dialogs
• Remove unused dependencies

Database:

• Add indexes to frequently queried fields
• Use database connection pooling
• Implement caching (Redis if needed, or Vercel KV)

Target: 90+ Lighthouse score

Day 53-54: Testing

Manual testing checklist:

• [ ] Sign up flow (all paths)
• [ ] Login (email/password, OAuth)
• [ ] Password reset
• [ ] Core feature (happy path)
• [ ] Core feature (error cases)
• [ ] Payment flow (test mode)
• [ ] Subscription changes
• [ ] Account deletion
• [ ] Mobile experience
• [ ] Cross-browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)

Day 55-56: Monitoring & Analytics Setup

Essential monitoring:

Error tracking (Sentry):

npm install @sentry/nextjs
npx @sentry/wizard -i nextjs

Get notified when users encounter errors.

Analytics (PostHog or Vercel Analytics):

Track:

• Sign-ups
• Core feature usage
• Subscription conversions
• Churn (cancellations)

Uptime monitoring:

• UptimeRobot (free, pings your site every 5 minutes)
• Alerts via email/SMS if site is down

Week 7-8 deliverable:

• Marketing pages live
• App is fast (90+ Lighthouse)
• Monitoring configured
• Ready to launch

Week 9: Launch (Days 57-60)

Day 57: Pre-Launch Checklist

• [ ] Domain purchased and configured
• [ ] SSL certificate active (automatic on Vercel)
• [ ] Environment variables set (production)
• [ ] Database backed up
• [ ] Stripe in live mode (not test)
• [ ] Error monitoring active
• [ ] Analytics tracking verified
• [ ] Legal pages complete (privacy policy, terms of service)
• [ ] Support email set up (hello@yoursaas.com)

Day 58: Soft Launch

Launch to small audience first:

• Friends and family
• Beta testers from validation phase
• Small relevant community

Goals:

• Find critical bugs before public launch
• Get initial testimonials
• Refine messaging based on feedback

Day 59-60: Public Launch

Launch channels (choose 2-3):

1. Product Hunt: Great for SaaS, can drive 500-5,000 visitors
2. Hacker News: Show HN posts can work if genuinely interesting
3. Reddit: Relevant subreddits (don't spam, provide value)
4. Twitter/X: Tweet about your launch, ask followers to share
5. Indie Hackers: Supportive community for SaaS builders
6. Email list: If you built one during validation

Post-launch monitoring:

• Watch error logs constantly
• Respond to user feedback immediately
• Fix critical bugs within hours
• Be present for questions

Real SaaS MVP Examples

Case Study 1: Form Builder SaaS (30-Day Launch)

Client: Solo founder, budget: $15,000

The MVP:

• Create custom forms (drag-and-drop)
• Embed on any website
• Collect responses
• Email notifications

Tech stack:

• Next.js + TypeScript
• Supabase (database + auth)
• Stripe
• Vercel hosting

Timeline:

• Weeks 1-2: Setup, auth, database
• Week 3: Form builder UI
• Week 4: Embed code, payments, launch

Results after 60 days:

• 150 sign-ups
• 12 paying customers ($29/month)
• $348 MRR
• Running cost: $50/month
• Profitable from day 45

Key insight: Started with just 5 form field types. Added more based on user requests.

Case Study 2: API Monitoring Tool (45-Day Launch)

Client: Technical co-founders, budget: $25,000

The MVP:

• Monitor API endpoints (uptime, response time)
• Alerting (email, Slack)
• Status page
• Incident history

Tech stack:

• Next.js + TypeScript
• PostgreSQL (Neon)
• Redis (Upstash) for job queue
• Vercel hosting

Timeline:

• Weeks 1-2: Setup, infrastructure
• Weeks 3-4: Monitoring logic
• Weeks 5-6: Alerting, status pages
• Week 7: Polish, launch prep

Results after 90 days:

• 400 sign-ups
• 45 paying customers ($19-99/month plans)
• $1,800 MRR
• Running cost: $200/month
• Raised pre-seed round based on traction

Key insight: Launched with just HTTP monitoring. Added SSL monitoring, performance monitoring, and integrations after launch based on demand.

Common MVP Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-Engineering

The mistake: Building for scale you don't have.

Example: Implementing microservices, Kubernetes, complex caching for 10 users.

The fix: Start simple. Next.js serverless functions handle 10,000+ users easily. Optimize when you have the problem, not before.

2. Feature Creep

The mistake: Adding "just one more feature" before launch.

Example: "We need chat, and file sharing, and video calls before we can launch."

The fix: Launch with core feature only. Add more based on user feedback.

3. Ignoring TypeScript

The mistake: Using JavaScript because it's "faster to write."

The impact: Runtime errors in production, hard-to-track bugs, poor developer experience.

The fix: Use TypeScript from day one. It's 10% slower to write, 90% faster to debug.

From my 15 years of development experience, TypeScript is non-negotiable for production apps.

4. Not Validating Before Building

The mistake: Building for 6 months, launching to crickets.

The fix: Talk to potential customers BEFORE writing code. Get pre-launch signups. Validate the problem exists.

5. Perfect UI Before Launch

The mistake: Spending weeks on animations and pixel-perfect design.

The fix: Clean, functional UI is enough. Iterate based on user feedback. Beautiful comes later.

Cost Breakdown: Building SaaS MVP

DIY (If You Can Code)

Time investment: 300-400 hours over 60 days

Costs:

• Domain: $10/year
• Hosting (Vercel Pro): $20/month
• Database (Neon): $25/month
• Email service: $0 (free tier)
• Monitoring: $0 (free tiers)
• Total: ~$55/month

Your time cost: If your hourly rate is $100, that's $30,000-$40,000 in opportunity cost.

Hiring Developer (If You Can't Code)

My SaaS MVP development pricing:

Basic MVP ($15,000-$25,000)

• 1-2 core features
• Authentication
• Basic payments
• Simple dashboard
• Timeline: 4-6 weeks

Advanced MVP ($30,000-$50,000)

• 3-5 core features
• Advanced auth (teams, roles)
• Full payment system (multiple tiers, billing portal)
• Admin dashboard
• Integrations (1-2)
• Timeline: 6-10 weeks

Enterprise MVP ($60,000-$100,000)

• Complex feature set
• Multi-tenancy
• Advanced integrations
• Custom admin tools
• API for third-parties
• Timeline: 10-16 weeks

Getting Started: Your SaaS Journey

Free SaaS Planning Session

Not sure if your idea is viable? I'll help you validate it.

Email hello@talaat.dev with:

1. Your SaaS idea (1-2 sentences)
2. Target customer
3. Pricing model you're considering
4. Timeline goals
5. Budget range

I'll respond with:

• Technical feasibility assessment
• Architecture recommendation
• Cost estimate (to build + to run)
• Timeline estimate
• Honest feedback (even if it means advising against building)

No sales pitch. Real technical guidance from someone who's built production SaaS applications.

My SaaS Development Services

MVP Package ($20,000-$35,000)

Includes:

• Technical architecture design
• Next.js + TypeScript app
• PostgreSQL database (Prisma ORM)
• Authentication (NextAuth.js or Clerk)
• Core feature implementation (1-2 features)
• Payment processing (Stripe)
• User dashboard
• Settings & account management
• Deployment to Vercel
• 30 days post-launch support

Timeline: 6-8 weeks

Growth Package ($40,000-$65,000)

Everything in MVP, plus:

• 3-5 core features
• Admin dashboard
• Team/collaboration features
• 2-3 third-party integrations
• Email automation
• Advanced analytics setup
• Performance optimization
• 60 days post-launch support

Timeline: 10-12 weeks

Enterprise Package ($80,000-$150,000)

Everything in Growth, plus:

• Complex multi-feature platform
• Multi-tenancy architecture
• Custom integrations (unlimited)
• API development
• Advanced security (SOC 2 prep)
• Load testing and optimization
• Dedicated project manager
• 90 days post-launch support

Timeline: 14-20 weeks

Post-Launch Support

Essential Support ($1,000/month)

• Bug fixes
• Security updates
• Performance monitoring
• Email support (48-hour response)

Growth Support ($2,500/month)

• Everything in Essential
• Feature development (up to 10 hours/month)
• Priority support (24-hour response)
• Monthly optimization

Enterprise Support ($5,000+/month)

• Everything in Growth
• Dedicated developer (up to 40 hours/month)
• On-call support
• Proactive optimization
• Architecture advisory

Launch Your SaaS

You have the idea. You have the validation. Now you need to build it before momentum fades.

60 days from now, you could have a production SaaS with paying customers.

I've built the roadmap. I've made the mistakes so you don't have to. I've launched full-stack Next.js applications achieving 99.9% uptime for enterprise clients.

Let's build your SaaS the right way: fast, scalable, and focused on getting to revenue.

Ready to start building?

Email hello@talaat.dev with your SaaS idea, and let's turn it into reality.

Last updated: January 2025. Based on my experience building 10+ SaaS MVPs with Next.js and working with enterprise clients in Washington, D.C.