Table of Contents
Quick Answer
Use Next.js 15 + Supabase + Stripe with Cursor or Claude Code. Skip features, focus on one painful problem, deploy to Vercel or a self-hosted Coolify VPS, and launch on ProductHunt/X. Weekend builds regularly hit $1K MRR in month one.
- Total time: 30-40 focused hours
- Cost: $0-50 (domain + Stripe fees)
- Required: Clear problem, target user, one "aha" feature
What You'll Need
- Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript, Tailwind
- Supabase (self-hosted or cloud)
- Stripe account
- Cursor or Claude Code
- Vercel or VPS
Steps
- Pick a painful problem (2 hours). Not "social network for pets." Pick one: "invoice reminder emails for freelancers" or "competitor price tracker for Shopify."
- Design the landing page first (4 hours). Headline, subhead, 3 benefits, email capture. Use v0.dev or Bolt to generate. Launch it before building the product — validate demand.
- Scaffold the app (2 hours).
pnpm create next-app@latest. Add Supabase SSR, Tailwind, shadcn/ui. Ask Cursor: "Set up Supabase auth with email/password and protected dashboard route." - Build the one core feature (16 hours). Resist scope creep. If it's a price tracker, ship price tracking — not alerts, not reports, not integrations. Just tracking.
- Add Stripe (4 hours). Use Stripe Checkout + Webhook. Ask AI: "Generate a checkout session route and a webhook handler that updates Supabase
subscriptionstable oncheckout.session.completed." - Add usage limits (2 hours). Free tier caps (e.g., 10 products tracked). Upgrade CTA when limit hit.
- Polish & deploy (4 hours). Error states, empty states, loading spinners. Deploy to Vercel or push to self-hosted Coolify.
- Launch (2 hours). Post on X/Twitter, ProductHunt, relevant subreddits, IndieHackers. DM 20 target users personally.
Common Mistakes
- Over-engineering auth: Supabase Auth handles it. Don't build custom.
- Landing page after product: Build landing first; validate before code.
- Too many features: One feature that works beats ten broken.
- Skipping payments: Free SaaS isn't SaaS. Charge from day one.
- No analytics: Install Plausible or PostHog before launch.
Top Tools
| Tool | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor | AI IDE | $20/mo |
| Next.js 15 | Framework | Free |
| Supabase | DB + Auth | Free tier |
| Stripe | Payments | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| v0.dev | UI generation | Free tier |
| Vercel / Coolify | Hosting | $0-5/mo |
Conclusion
Weekend SaaS is the fastest path to indie income. Problem first, landing page second, product third, payments fourth. Check our playbook for programmatic SEO to drive early traffic.