Free tool

Tech stack selector

Not sure what to build your software on? Answer four quick questions about your app type, scale, realtime needs and team, and this tech stack selector recommends a mainstream, defensible stack, frontend, backend, database, realtime and hosting, with a one-line reason for each.

How it works

A tech stack is the set of technologies your software runs on: the frontend users see, the backend that holds your logic, the database that stores data, an optional realtime layer for live features, and the hosting it all runs on. Picking well early saves expensive rewrites later, and for most B2B products, the right answer is a boring, proven default rather than the newest framework.

This selector is rule-based. It maps four inputs, app type, stage, realtime needs and team size, to mainstream choices. Web apps default to Next.js on Node and PostgreSQL, deployed on Vercel; mobile apps to React Native or Flutter over a typed Node API; enterprise workloads add Kubernetes on a major cloud; and live features route to WebSockets or a managed service like Ably or Pusher.

Two forces drive the logic: hiring and horizon. JavaScript and TypeScript have by far the largest talent pool, so JS-centric stacks are easiest for small teams to build and maintain; larger or enterprise teams can justify specialist choices (Go, .NET, Java, Flutter) where throughput, typing or UI polish pays off.

Stack = frontend + backend + database + (realtime?) + hosting → matched to team skills

Once you know the stack, price the build with the software development cost calculator, or weigh building against off-the-shelf tools with the build vs buy calculator. Browse every tool at free tools.

FAQs

How do I choose a tech stack for custom software?
Start from your app type, scale, realtime needs and team skills, not from what is trendy. For most B2B web apps a mainstream stack (Next.js, Node, PostgreSQL, Vercel) is the safe default because it is proven, easy to hire for and scales without rewrites. The single most important rule is to match the stack to what your engineers can actually build and maintain.
What is a good default tech stack in 2026?
For a web app: Next.js and React on the frontend, Node.js with TypeScript on the backend, PostgreSQL for data, and Vercel plus a managed database for hosting. For mobile, React Native or Flutter over a typed Node API. Enterprise workloads add Kubernetes on AWS, GCP or Azure. These are deliberately mainstream, low-risk choices.
Does the tech stack change if I need realtime features?
Yes. For chat, presence or live updates you add a realtime layer, WebSockets via Socket.IO if you want to keep it in-house, or a managed service like Ably or Pusher if you would rather not operate socket infrastructure. If you have no live features, plain request/response over HTTPS is simpler and cheaper, so skip realtime until a feature truly needs it.
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