Building a SaaS with Cursor: Complete Guide (2025)

You have a SaaS idea. You don't have a technical co-founder or a $50k budget for developers. But you have Cursor and determination.

Can you actually build a real SaaS with Cursor?

Yes. Thousands of people are doing it right now. This guide shows you exactly how.

What You're Actually Building #

Let's be clear about what "building a SaaS" means:

Minimum viable SaaS:

• User signup and login
• Payment processing (Stripe)
• Your core feature
• User dashboard
• Basic settings
• Database to store data

You do NOT need:

• Perfect UI (you can improve later)
• Every feature you imagined
• Mobile app (web works fine)
• Custom domain (can add later)
• Complex infrastructure

Start simple. Launch fast. Improve based on real user feedback.

The Complete Tech Stack (With Cursor) #

Here's what works for most Cursor-built SaaS projects:

Frontend:

• Next.js (React framework)
• Tailwind CSS (styling)
• shadcn/ui (pre-built components)

Backend:

• Next.js API routes (built-in backend)
• Supabase (database + auth)

Payments:

• Stripe (standard for SaaS)

Hosting:

• Vercel (deploys in 2 minutes)

Why this stack?

• Cursor knows these tools extremely well
• Everything works together smoothly
• Minimal configuration needed
• Free tiers for starting out

Phase 1: Setup (Day 1) #

Step 1: Install Cursor #

Download from cursor.sh

It's VS Code but with AI built in. Your VS Code extensions will work.

Step 2: Create Next.js Project #

Open Cursor and use the terminal:

npx create-next-app@latest my-saas
cd my-saas
npm install
npm run dev

Visit localhost:3000 - you have a working app.

Step 3: Add Tailwind and Components #

Already included if you selected Tailwind during setup.

Add shadcn/ui:

npx shadcn-ui@latest init

Now you can add pre-built components instead of building from scratch.

Step 4: Set Up Supabase #

1. Create account at supabase.com
2. Create new project
3. Copy API keys

In your project, create .env.local:

NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=your-project-url
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your-anon-key

Install Supabase:

npm install @supabase/supabase-js

Time to complete Phase 1: 2-4 hours if new, 30 minutes if experienced.

Phase 2: Authentication (Days 2-3) #

Ask Cursor: #

Create authentication using Supabase:
- Email/password signup
- Login page
- Logout functionality
- Protected routes (only logged-in users can access)
Use Next.js 14 app router and Tailwind

Cursor will create:

• Sign up page
• Login page
• Auth context/provider
• Protected route logic

Test Your Auth: #

1. Run app (npm run dev)
2. Go to signup page
3. Create account
4. Try logging in
5. Try accessing protected pages

Common Issues: #

"Authentication failed"

• Check Supabase keys in .env.local
• Verify project URL is correct
• Make sure you restarted dev server after adding keys

"Redirect not working"

• Cursor might need help with Next.js 14 app router
• Show Cursor the error, it will fix routing

Time to complete Phase 2: 1-2 days including testing.

Phase 3: Your Core Feature (Days 4-10) #

This is your unique SaaS feature. Could be:

• Project management tool
• Analytics dashboard
• Content generator
• Booking system
• CRM
• Whatever solves your target problem

The Cursor Approach: #

Break your feature into small pieces. Don't ask Cursor to "build my entire SaaS."

Example: Building a project management tool

Request 1:

Create a projects table in Supabase with:
- id (uuid)
- user_id (uuid, foreign key to users)
- name (text)
- description (text)
- created_at (timestamp)

Then create a projects page that shows all user's projects.

Request 2:

Add a "New Project" button that opens a modal form.
The form should create a new project in Supabase.

Request 3:

Make each project card clickable.
Clicking should go to /project/[id] page showing project details.

Request 4:

Add ability to edit and delete projects from the detail page.

Each request = one specific feature. Test after each request before moving to next.

The Mistake Most People Make: #

Wrong approach:

Build me a complete project management SaaS with projects,
tasks, teams, permissions, comments, file uploads, and dashboard.

This overwhelms Cursor. You get messy code that barely works.

Right approach: Build one feature at a time. Test. Then next feature.

Time to complete Phase 3: 1-2 weeks depending on feature complexity.

Phase 4: Database Design (Overlaps with Phase 3) #

As you build features, you're creating database tables.

Standard SaaS Tables: #

Users (Supabase creates this):

• id, email, password, created_at

Profiles (you create):

• user_id, full_name, avatar_url, plan_type

Your feature tables (examples):

• projects, tasks, notes, bookings, etc.

Asking Cursor to Create Tables: #

Create a Supabase table called "tasks" with:
- id (uuid, primary key)
- user_id (uuid, references auth.users)
- project_id (uuid, references projects)
- title (text)
- status (text: todo, in_progress, done)
- created_at (timestamp)

Set up Row Level Security so users can only see their own tasks.

Cursor will give you SQL to run in Supabase SQL editor.

Important: Row Level Security #

ALWAYS add RLS (Row Level Security) so users can't see other users' data.

Cursor knows how to do this. Just ask:

Add Row Level Security policies so users can only access their own data

Time to complete Phase 4: Ongoing as you add features.

Phase 5: Add Stripe Payments (Days 11-14) #

Your SaaS needs revenue. Stripe is standard.

Step 1: Create Stripe Account #

Sign up at stripe.com

Get your API keys (test mode first).

Add to .env.local:

STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_your_key
NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_your_key

Step 2: Ask Cursor: #

Integrate Stripe checkout:
- Create a pricing page with 2 plans (Basic $10/mo, Pro $20/mo)
- When user clicks "Subscribe", redirect to Stripe Checkout
- After successful payment, update user's plan_type in profiles table
- Create webhook endpoint to handle subscription changes

Use Stripe Checkout hosted pages (easiest approach).

Cursor will create:

• Pricing page
• Stripe Checkout integration
• Webhook to handle payments
• Database updates for user plans

Step 3: Test Payments #

Stripe provides test card numbers:

• Success: 4242 4242 4242 4242
• Decline: 4000 0000 0000 0002

Test the full flow:

1. Click subscribe
2. Complete Stripe checkout
3. Verify user's plan updates in database
4. Verify user can access pro features

Common Issues: #

"Webhook not working"

• Need to use Stripe CLI for local testing
• In production, add webhook URL to Stripe dashboard

"Plan not updating"

• Check webhook endpoint is receiving events
• Verify database update logic

Time to complete Phase 5: 3-5 days including testing.

Phase 6: User Dashboard (Days 15-17) #

Users need to manage their account:

Ask Cursor: #

Create a user dashboard with:
- Profile information (name, email)
- Current plan and billing date
- Button to manage subscription (Stripe portal)
- Usage stats for our SaaS (e.g., "5 projects created")
- Settings page for profile updates

Cursor builds a standard dashboard layout.

Stripe Customer Portal: #

For subscription management (cancel, update card, invoices):

Add Stripe Customer Portal integration:
- Button on dashboard: "Manage Subscription"
- Redirects to Stripe-hosted portal
- Users can cancel, update card, see invoices

You don't build subscription management UI. Stripe does it.

Time to complete Phase 6: 2-3 days.

Phase 7: Polish and Testing (Days 18-20) #

Ask Cursor to Improve: #

Better error handling:

Add error handling throughout the app:
- Show user-friendly error messages
- Add loading states for async operations
- Handle network failures gracefully

Improve UI:

Review the entire app and suggest UI improvements.
Make it look more professional and polished.

Add loading states:

Add skeleton loaders and loading indicators
for all data fetching operations.

Mobile responsive:

Make sure the entire app works well on mobile devices.
Fix any responsive design issues.

Manual Testing Checklist: #

• Sign up works
• Login works
• Logout works
• Core feature works
• Payment flow works
• Dashboard shows correct info
• Settings updates work
• Mobile view works
• Error messages show appropriately
• Loading states appear

Test on real phone, not just browser dev tools.

Time to complete Phase 7: 2-3 days.

Phase 8: Deploy to Production (Day 21) #

Step 1: Push to GitHub #

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin your-repo-url
git push -u origin main

Step 2: Deploy to Vercel #

1. Sign up at vercel.com
2. Click "New Project"
3. Import your GitHub repo
4. Add environment variables (all your .env.local values)
5. Click "Deploy"

In 2-3 minutes, your SaaS is live.

Step 3: Set Up Production Stripe #

1. Switch Stripe to live mode
2. Update production environment variables in Vercel
3. Add production webhook URL to Stripe
4. Test one real payment (you can refund it)

Step 4: Custom Domain (Optional) #

Buy domain from Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.

In Vercel:

• Project Settings → Domains
• Add your domain
• Update DNS records as instructed

Time to complete Phase 8: 2-4 hours.

The Cursor Workflow That Works #

Throughout all phases, follow this pattern:

1. Small, specific requests

Add a delete button to the project card component.
When clicked, show confirmation modal.
If confirmed, delete project from Supabase.

2. Test immediately After every Cursor change, test it works.

3. Fix issues before moving on If something breaks, fix it immediately. Don't accumulate problems.

4. Commit working code

git add .
git commit -m "Added project deletion"

This creates save points you can return to.

When Cursor Starts Struggling #

Around week 3-4, Cursor will start making mistakes:

• Breaking working features
• Suggesting rebuilding things that exist
• Making changes to wrong files

This is normal. Your SaaS crossed the complexity threshold.

See when Cursor starts making mistakes for details.

Solution: Set up context management (like Giga) so Cursor can track your growing SaaS.

Do this EARLY (around day 10-14) before confusion builds up.

Timeline Summary #

Total: 3-4 weeks from zero to launched SaaS.

Common Mistakes to Avoid #

Mistake 1: Building Too Many Features First #

Your first version should do ONE thing well. Add features after you have paying users.

Mistake 2: Perfect UI Before Launch #

Launch with "good enough" UI. Improve based on user feedback.

Mistake 3: Not Testing Payments Thoroughly #

Test every edge case:

• Successful payment
• Failed payment
• Subscription cancellation
• Payment method update

Mistake 4: Skipping Context Management #

Set up project tracking when you hit 10-15 files. Don't wait until Cursor is breaking everything.

Mistake 5: Building Alone Without Validation #

Talk to potential users BEFORE building. Make sure people actually want this.

After Launch: Getting Users #

Your SaaS is live. Now what?

Week 1-2 post-launch:

• Share on Twitter, LinkedIn, relevant communities
• Post to Product Hunt, Indie Hackers, Reddit (carefully)
• Email friends, potential users
• Goal: 10-20 users

Week 3-4 post-launch:

• Talk to early users, get feedback
• Fix obvious issues
• Add most-requested features
• Goal: 50 users

Month 2-3 post-launch:

• Content marketing (blog posts, tutorials)
• SEO (like this guide you're reading)
• Paid ads (if budget allows)
• Goal: First paying customer

This is a whole separate topic, but your technical foundation (built with Cursor) is ready to support growth.

Real Examples of Cursor-Built SaaS #

People are actually doing this:

Example 1: Project management tool

• Solo founder, no coding background
• Built with Cursor in 5 weeks
• Launched to 15 paying customers in month 1

Example 2: Content generator

• Used Cursor + OpenAI API
• 3 weeks from idea to launch
• Hit $1k MRR in month 2

Example 3: Booking platform

• Non-technical founder
• Cursor + Supabase + Stripe
• Now at $3k MRR

These aren't exceptions. This is becoming normal.

Advanced: Scaling Your SaaS #

Once you have users and revenue:

Add Team Features #

Add ability for users to invite team members:
- Team table in database
- Invitation system
- Shared access to projects
- Team billing

Add Analytics #

Integrate Posthog or Mixpanel:
- Track user actions
- Understand feature usage
- Identify drop-off points

Add Email Notifications #

Use Resend or SendGrid:
- Welcome emails
- Payment receipts
- Feature updates
- Password reset

Cursor can add all of these. Still using the same small-request approach.

Common Questions #

Do I need to know how to code? #

Basic understanding helps, but not required. You need to:

• Understand what you're asking Cursor to build
• Test if code works
• Describe bugs clearly

How much does it cost to build? #

Development: $0 (free tiers of everything)

Once launched:

• Domain: ~$15/year
• Vercel: Free tier works initially
• Supabase: Free tier works initially
• Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• Cursor Pro: $20/month (optional but recommended)

Total to start: ~$20-35/month.

What if Cursor writes buggy code? #

It will. Tell Cursor about the bug:

When I click the delete button, I get error [paste error].
The button should delete the project. Fix this.

Cursor fixes its own bugs easily.

How do I know what to build? #

Talk to people in your target market. What problems do they have? What are they currently paying for? What do they wish existed?

Build that.

Should I build a mobile app? #

No. Start with web app. If users demand mobile, build it later or use a wrapper like Capacitor.

The Bottom Line #

You CAN build a real SaaS with Cursor in 3-4 weeks.

The tech stack (Next.js + Supabase + Stripe) is proven.

The approach (small requests, test everything, commit progress) works.

The timeline (21 days to launch) is realistic.

The only requirements:

• Cursor account
• Clarity on what you're building
• Willingness to test and iterate
• Context management as project grows

Thousands of non-technical founders are doing this right now. You can too.

Build your SaaS with confidence → Try Giga