Starters

The closest thing Node has to Laravel — a complete, conventions-first backend framework. Lovely when you want everything decided for you and just want to build.

The best choice for content sites, blogs and marketing pages — fast by default, and its content collections are a joy for data-driven sites (this library runs on them). Bring React only where you actually need it.

Scaffolds a typesafe Next.js + tRPC + Prisma + Tailwind stack in seconds. Still the fastest way to start an end-to-end-typed app.

A refreshingly simple static site generator — bring your own templates, ship pure HTML. The pick when even Astro feels like too much framework for a content site.

The way to build real native apps with React, and the React team's own recommendation. The framework is free; pay only if you want their cloud build service.

Once the go-to React static framework, now in maintenance mode with a fading plugin ecosystem. Honest take: don't start new projects on it — use Astro or Next instead.

A tiny, lightning-fast web framework that runs everywhere — Cloudflare, Bun, Deno, Node. My pick for building an API or edge backend without ceremony.

A batteries-included SaaS kit with billing, teams and RBAC done for you, plus AI rules files in the box. Worth the license if you're shipping a real SaaS.

Opinionated, Angular-flavoured structure for Node backends — modules, DI, the lot. Heavy for a small API, but a sane backbone for a large, team-built one.

The default when you are building a real app, not a content site — server components and the app router are powerful once they click. Heavier and more opinionated than Astro; pick it when interactivity is the point.

Vercel's own open-source SaaS template — Next, Postgres, Drizzle, Stripe, auth, dashboard. A free, trustworthy skeleton to fork for your next product.

Next.js for the Vue world: file routing, SSR, auto-imports and a huge module ecosystem. If you like Vue, this is the obvious full-stack home.

Resumability instead of hydration means near-zero JS on load. Genuinely novel and fast; the ecosystem is smaller, so weigh that against the performance win.

Since v7 it's quietly a full-stack framework, not just routing — loaders, actions, SSR and all. The pragmatic home for what used to be Remix.

Server-first React built for Cloudflare — Workers, D1, R2. Interesting if you're all-in on that platform; note the brand pivot away from the old GraphQL Redwood.

A headless React framework that eats CRUD apps alive — admin panels, dashboards, B2B back-office UI. If that's what you're building, it saves weeks.

Web-standards-first and a joy to learn — but in 2026 its v2 lives on inside React Router 7, so start there unless you're chasing the React-less Remix 3 preview.

A paid Next.js boilerplate built for solo founders to launch in a weekend. Pure speed — you're buying time, not magic.

Solid's meta-framework — React-like ergonomics with fine-grained reactivity and tiny JS. Worth it when bundle size and runtime speed really matter.

The official Svelte framework, and the most pleasant DX of the bunch — it compiles the framework away for tiny bundles. My pick when I want less ceremony than React.

Type-safe, client-first React on Vite from the TanStack folks, now at 1.0. A strong choice if you already love TanStack Router and Query.

Build a desktop app with your web stack, but tiny and fast thanks to a Rust core and the OS webview — the lightweight Electron alternative. Reach for it when size and memory matter.

Un-opinionated SSR/SSG on Vite that works with React, Vue or Solid. Reach for it when you want to assemble your own stack rather than adopt conventions.

Describe your app's auth, routes and data in a short config and Wasp generates the full-stack React/Node plumbing. A genuinely fast way to start a real app.