Laravel Starter Kits 2026: React vs Vue vs Livewire vs Svelte

There are four official Laravel starter kits in 2026: React, Vue, Livewire, and Svelte. Choose Livewire if you want to stay with PHP and Blade, React or Vue if your team already knows JavaScript, and Svelte if you want a lighter frontend. All four are free, include login and registration, and can be installed with one command: laravel new my-app.

If you searched for Breeze or Jetstream, you're looking at the previous generation. Since Laravel 12, the new starter kits have replaced both, and Laravel says Breeze and Jetstream "will no longer receive additional updates." Our Breeze vs Jetstream vs Fortify comparison covers the older options.

This guide compares the four official Laravel starter kits, explains the latest Vite+ update, covers authentication options, and introduces popular community and SaaS starter kits, including Nuno Maduro's.

Key Takeaways

• Four official Laravel starter kits: React 19, Vue 3, and Svelte 5 use TypeScript and Inertia 3, while Livewire 4 uses Flux UI.

• Choose based on your team's skills: Livewire for PHP-first teams, React or Vue for JavaScript teams, and Svelte for a lighter frontend.

• Every kit now uses Vite+: Since August 2026, the React, Vue, and Svelte kits no longer include ESLint and Prettier. They use Vite+'s built-in vp check instead.

• Authentication is built in: Use Laravel Fortify for built-in authentication, including two-factor authentication and passkeys, or choose WorkOS AuthKit for social login and SSO.

• For billing and multi-tenancy: Consider SaaS kits such as Wave (free) and SaaSykit (paid), or use Laravel Spark for billing.

Laravel Starter Kits Compared: React vs Vue vs Livewire vs Svelte

All four official Laravel starter kits share the same backend foundation: Laravel, Fortify authentication, and Tailwind CSS 4. The main difference is the frontend.

Source: Laravel 13 starter kit documentation, the official starter kits page, and each kit's package.json, checked October 22, 2026.

What does Inertia mean here? The React, Vue, and Svelte kits use Inertia.js to connect Laravel routes and controllers to JavaScript pages. You get a single-page application experience without building a separate API. The Livewire kit skips JavaScript frontend frameworks and renders its interfaces using PHP. Our Livewire vs Inertia comparison explains the differences in more detail.

Which Laravel Starter Kit Should I Pick?

Here's a simple rule of thumb:

• Livewire: Choose it if you want to work with PHP and Blade without learning a JavaScript framework. Your team can build the application primarily in one language.

• React: Choose it if your team already knows React or you want access to one of the largest pools of frontend developers.

• Vue: Choose it if your team knows Vue. It's been popular in the Laravel community for years, making it a natural fit.

• Svelte: Choose it if you want a lighter frontend with less boilerplate and are comfortable using a newer option.

Still unsure? Think about who will maintain the application two years from now. A PHP-focused agency may prefer Livewire, while a product team with dedicated frontend developers may be better off choosing the framework they already use.

Hannah, a solo founder in Bristol, started her booking app with the React kit because "everyone uses React." Three weeks later, she was spending more time managing component state than building her product. She restarted with the Livewire kit, kept her models and migrations, and shipped her first paying customer in 10 days.

Hannah is an illustrative composite based on common founder scenarios.

Want more than a starter kit? StackMivo generates a complete Laravel app from a plain-English description, including models, roles, and an admin panel, using the frontend stack you choose.

The New Laravel Svelte Starter Kit

Svelte is the newest official Laravel starter kit, added in 2026 alongside React, Vue, and Livewire. It uses Svelte 5, TypeScript, Inertia 3, and shadcn-svelte, a Svelte port of the shadcn/ui component library.

Why do teams choose it?

• Less code per component: Svelte compiles components, reducing the amount of framework code sent to the browser.

• The same Laravel backend: Routes, controllers, authentication, and Fortify work as they do in the React and Vue kits.

• A familiar UI approach: shadcn-svelte mirrors the components available in the React kit, making it easier to carry over design ideas.

Install it with:

laravel new my-app --svelte

The trade-off is that Svelte has a smaller community than React or Vue, so you may find fewer ready-made packages and fewer developers available to hire.

Latest Update: Vite+ Replaces ESLint and Prettier

In August 2026, the official Laravel starter kits moved to Vite+. New projects now use Vite+ commands instead of plain Vite. In the React, Vue, and Svelte kits, ESLint and Prettier are no longer included in the frontend setup.

Here's what the scripts in a new React, Vue, or Svelte kit's package.json look like. The Livewire kit has only build and dev scripts.

{
  "build": "vp build",
  "dev": "vp dev",
  "check": "vp check",
  "check:fix": "vp check --fix"
}

What does this mean for you?

• Fewer development dependencies: Linting and formatting run through vp check instead of separate ESLint and Prettier setups.

• Familiar commands: npm run dev and npm run build still work, but now call Vite+ under the hood.

• No automatic changes to older projects: If you created your app before the update, your existing ESLint and Prettier configuration remains in place until you choose to migrate.

Source: The "Migrate all starter kits to Vite+" commit dated August 28, 2026, in the official Laravel React starter kit repository. The same change appears in the Vue, Svelte, and Livewire kits.

Authentication Options: Laravel Auth or WorkOS AuthKit

When you run laravel new, the installer asks you to choose an authentication provider.

Built-in Laravel Authentication

Every Laravel starter kit uses Laravel Fortify by default. It provides:

• Login and registration

• Password reset

• Email verification

• Two-factor authentication, enabled by default

• Passkeys, enabled in the kit's Fortify configuration

• Optional team support when generating the app

Everything runs within your application and database, without requiring an external authentication service.

WorkOS AuthKit

Choose WorkOS during setup if you want to use WorkOS AuthKit instead. It adds:

• Social login with Google, Microsoft, GitHub, and Apple

• Passkeys

• Email-based Magic Auth

• Single sign-on (SSO) for business customers

According to the Laravel documentation, WorkOS is free for applications with up to 1 million monthly active users. You'll need a WorkOS account and three environment variables: WORKOS_CLIENT_ID, WORKOS_API_KEY, and WORKOS_REDIRECT_URL.

Which should you choose? Fortify is a good default for most applications. Choose WorkOS if you're selling to companies that expect SSO or want social login and Magic Auth without building those features yourself.

How to Install a Laravel Starter Kit

You'll need PHP, Composer, Node.js, and the Laravel installer. On macOS or Windows, Laravel Herd can help set up PHP, Composer, and the installer. Otherwise, install the Laravel installer globally:

composer global require laravel/installer

Then create your application:

laravel new my-app

The installer prompts you to choose a starter kit, an authentication provider, and a testing framework. To skip the starter-kit prompt, pass a flag: --react, --vue, --livewire, or --svelte.

Finally, install the frontend dependencies, build the frontend, and start the development server:

cd my-app
npm install && npm run build
composer run dev

Your application should now be available at http://localhost:8000. New projects use the current Laravel release, so this setup also creates a Laravel 13 starter kit application. See our Laravel 13 guide for more information about that release.

Community Laravel Starter Kits

The installer also supports community starter kits published on Packagist:

laravel new my-app --using=vendor/starter-kit

Nuno Maduro's Laravel Starter Kit

Nuno Maduro's starter kit is a popular community option. Nuno is a Laravel core team member, and the kit describes itself as "an ultra-strict, type-safe Laravel skeleton."

According to its README, it includes:

• PHPStan at its maximum level and Rector configured for maximum strictness

• 100% type coverage and Pest tests with a 100% code coverage requirement

• Pint for PHP formatting and Oxfmt for JavaScript and TypeScript formatting

• A Vite+ development server, queue worker, and log monitoring started with composer dev

It targets Laravel 13 and requires PHP 8.5, Bun, and a code coverage driver such as Xdebug. Its composer.json requires PHP ^8.5.0, while the README still says PHP 8.4 or later.

Install it with:

composer create-project nunomaduro/laravel-starter-kit --prefer-dist example-app

This kit is a foundation for teams that want strict code quality from day one, rather than a feature-rich SaaS kit. The README also links to Inertia React and Inertia Vue versions.

Laravel SaaS Starter Kits

If you need billing, teams, and an admin panel from day one, a SaaS starter kit can save considerable time.

Prices as listed on each website on October 22, 2026.

Spark handles billing rather than providing a complete SaaS application, so pair it with a starter kit. If you'd rather build billing yourself, our Laravel Cashier and Stripe guide explains how. Our multi-tenancy guide covers teams and tenants.

Starter Kit or AI App Builder?

A Laravel starter kit gives you a clean foundation with authentication, layouts, and settings pages. You still need to build the rest of the application, including its data models, roles, dashboards, and business rules.

That's the gap StackMivo fills, as we explain in Laravel starter kit vs AI builder. Describe your product, and StackMivo generates a complete Laravel app with models, migrations, policies, an admin panel, and your preferred frontend stack. The result is standard Laravel code that you own and can take anywhere.

Joost, who runs a two-person agency in Rotterdam, used to start every client project with the Laravel Livewire starter kit and spend the first week building CRUD screens. Now, he generates the first version in StackMivo, reviews the code, and starts the client conversation with a working app.

Joost is an illustrative composite based on common agency scenarios.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the official Laravel starter kits?

Laravel has four official starter kits: React, Vue, Livewire, and Svelte. They replaced Breeze and Jetstream starting with Laravel 12.

Which Laravel starter kit is best?

It depends on your team's skills. Choose Livewire for PHP-focused teams, React or Vue if your team already knows JavaScript, and Svelte if you want a lighter frontend.

Are Laravel Breeze and Jetstream still supported?

Laravel says Breeze and Jetstream will no longer receive additional updates. For new projects, consider the newer official Laravel starter kits.

Do Laravel starter kits still use ESLint and Prettier?

Since the August 2026 Vite+ update, the React, Vue, and Svelte kits no longer include ESLint and Prettier by default. They use vp check for linting and formatting instead.

Is there a Laravel 13 starter kit?

Yes. Laravel 13 is the current release, so running laravel new my-app creates a Laravel 13 application with the official starter kit you choose.

What is Nuno Maduro's starter kit?

It's a strict community starter kit created by Laravel core team member Nuno Maduro. It includes PHPStan, Rector, type coverage requirements, Pest tests, and Pint. It targets Laravel 13 and requires PHP 8.5 and Bun, according to the project configuration.

The Bottom Line

The best Laravel starter kit is the one that fits your team. Choose Livewire for PHP-focused development, React or Vue if your team already uses JavaScript, and Svelte if you want a lighter frontend.

All four official kits are free and can be installed with one command:

laravel new my-app

Choose your kit and start building. If you want to go from a starter kit to a working product faster, StackMivo can generate the rest.

Generate your Laravel app with StackMivo, free to start →