Comparing popular tech stacks for SaaS MVP development: which one fits your needs?

When it comes to MVP development for startup, choosing the right tech stack will define everything that matters for SaaS application development. 

It helps determine the time and money invested in the project, the app's features, and its scalability and cost-efficiency.

The tech stack refers to the combination of frameworks, languages, and software used to develop and maintain the product. 

Our team has created this guide to help you compare popular tech stacks for SaaS MVP development and choose the right one for your needs.

What does MVP mean in software development

In software development, MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product - a product is built with the minimum features necessary to be launched to early customers and gather their feedback for future development. 

The primary goal of your MVP is to validate your product's core concept while minimizing the time, resources, and costs involved in its development.

The 80/20 rule (or the Pareto principle) states that 20% of features satisfy 80% of user needs. Therefore, MVPs should define and include those 20% of features.

An essential part of building an MVP is choosing the right MVP technologies. This is what we’re going to do today.

SaaS MVP development: tips for choosing the right tech stack

When choosing the best technology stack for your custom MVP software development, several factors are generally a bit more important than others.

First, go for widely used frameworks with active communities. This choice will get you easy access to top talent and timely updates based on community feedback.

It's also important to pick an MVP tech stack focused on future development and improvement.

Open-source frameworks are particularly beneficial for long-term maintenance and regular updates, so consider this in your decision-making process. Choosing a stack that saves time and reduces development costs is also crucial, as longer development times often lead to higher expenses.

Equally important is aligning the technology stack with the scale and complexity of your minimum viable product.

For instance, if you're developing a mobile app with advanced features like GPS or camera access, ensure the stack supports these functionalities and scalability.

Tech stack in custom SaaS MVP development

So, the MVP tech stack usually has two main components. Frontend - the client-facing side of the application, including the user interface and interactive elements, and the backend - the server-side infrastructure and technologies that keep the application running. 

For you to better choose tech stack for MVP, let’s review the seven most popular tech stacks used in custom SaaS MVP development, their components, and their best uses.

MVP tech stack 1: MEAN (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node.js)

MEAN is great for complex SaaS applications requiring clear structure and scalability. We recommend you choose it for larger projects with high user demand.

The first part of this tech stack is MongoDB - a NoSQL database for storing and retrieving data, which makes it great for handling large amounts of unstructured data and provides flexible schema design.

Then comes Express.js - a Node.js framework for building web applications with a lightweight and flexible way to handle HTTP requests and responses.

Then, Angular for the front end. This JavaScript framework is for building single-page applications and provides a robust set of tools for building complex user interfaces.

Next is Node.js. A JavaScript runtime environment for executing server-side code. It provides a fast and scalable way to handle server-side logic.

MVP tech stack 2: MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js)

The next one is MERN. The nice part of it is that it uses JavaScript across the entire stack, so you can easily switch between frontend and backend. The primary benefits are fast development, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

MongoDB, Express.js, and Node.js - same as in MEAN stack. Node.js with Express.js provides a scalable, non-blocking I/O model, which is apps like collaborative platforms or chat services. 

MongoDB provides flexible schema design, helping with faster iteration, which is a great feature for MVP development.

The difference from the MEAN stack is the inclusion of React, a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It provides a component-based architecture for building reusable UI components.

MVP tech stack 3: Ruby on Rails (Ruby, Rails, PostgreSQL)

This next tech stack is more suitable for complex web applications instead of real-time ones and has rapid development capabilities and robust security features.

Ruby on Rails offers rapid development with minimal configuration, thanks to the "convention over configuration" principle.

Part 1. Ruby. A programming language, mostly known for its simplicity and readability.

Part 2. Rails. A Ruby framework for building web applications.

Them together - the ease of use and extensive libraries (gems) are ideal for MVPs needing a short time to market.

Part 3. PostgreSQL. A relational database management system that offers a scalable way to store and retrieve data.

MVP tech stack 4: Django (Python, Django, PostgreSQL)

This one is also great for complex web applications. It consists of a programming language, Python + Django - a Python framework for building web applications. 

Django provides strong security features and a highly modular structure, excellent for fast development and scaling.

PostgreSQL. Same as in the Ruby on Rails stack. It is optimized for complex queries and data integrity, so it is quite suitable for SaaS applications needing strong ACID compliance. 

However, as we mentioned, this one is for complex apps because Django’s monolithic approach can be overkill for simple MVPs.

MVP tech stack 5: LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP)

Another great tech stack on our list is LAMP  - PHP runs on the backend, with the popular Linux operating system and Apache as the web server. 

LAMP is a time-tested and cost-effective stack for SaaS MVPs that need rapid development, especially for content-heavy applications like CMS or e-commerce platforms.

Another part is MySQL - a relational database management system for a robust and scalable way to store and retrieve data.

One consideration, though. This tech stack may occasionally struggle to scale for modern web apps with real-time data and high concurrency requirements.

MVP tech stack 6: Laravel (PHP, Laravel, MySQL)

Laravel tech stack is also a very good tech stack for your MVP development team if you are creating complex web apps. 

It includes simple and flexible PHP and Laravel - a PHP framework with a great set of tools for building complex web applications. 

For the database, there’s MySQL again, and no wonder because it is a reliable and widely used relational database for storing structured data.

MVP tech stack 7: Serverless (AWS Lambda, API Gateway, S3, DynamoDB)

Another tech stack for real-time web applications, Serverless is also pretty calable, cost-effective, and with reduced administrative burden. For the front end, you can use anything you want - React, Angular, Vue.js. 

The tech stack is called like that because of AWS Lambda, a serverless compute service. It handles backend logic, automatically scaling based on demand. 

Then API Gateway, a RESTful API service, connects the frontend to the backend and provides a scalable and secure way to handle HTTP requests and responses.

DynamoDB, a fully managed NoSQL database, scales automatically and is optimized for performance.

Another part is S3 - an object storage service for storing and retrieving data.

How to choose tech stack for MVP: comparisons and conclusions

When choosing a tech stack for SaaS MVP development, consider the following factors:

1. Development speed. How quickly do you need to develop and deploy your MVP?

Advice: Ruby on Rails and Django offer the fastest development with built-in tools and conventions. However, MEAN/MERN allow for faster development if the team is already proficient in JavaScript.

2. Scalability. How much traffic do you expect, and how will your application handle it?

Advice: Serverless and MEAN/MERN excel at scalability. Node.js’ non-blocking architecture is a great fit for real-time applications, while serverless models scale effortlessly with demand.

3. Cost-effectiveness. What is your budget for development and infrastructure costs?

Advice: LAMP and serverless (pay-as-you-go) are the most cost-effective options, ideal for MVPs with budget constraints.

4. Complexity. How complex is your application, and what are the technical requirements?

5. Real-time capability. Does your application require real-time updates and processing?

To sum it all up, each stack serves different needs based on the nature of the MVP. The MEAN and MERN stacks are suitable for real-time web applications, while the Ruby on Rails, Django, and Laravel stacks are better suited for complex web applications. 

For a small, fast-to-market MVP, LAMP or Ruby on Rails may be the best options. For scalability and performance under high load, Node.js-based stacks or serverless architectures are more appropriate. 

Made it this far? Go over to the next blog piece about SaaS MVP development and learn how to design an MVP.