SaaS

Software as a Service is a delivery model where users access software over the internet through a browser instead of installing it locally. Think Gmail, Slack, or Notion. The provider hosts the infrastructure, handles updates, and typically charges a monthly subscription. It is the dominant business model in modern software.

You already run your business on SaaS whether you use the term or not: your accounting package, your email marketing tool, your calendar booking link. You never install updates, you pay monthly, and it works on any device. Compare that with the old model — buy a license, install it on one machine, pay again for the next version — and it is obvious why the industry moved.

Why it matters for your project: if you are thinking about building software, SaaS is usually the model worth building toward, because recurring revenue compounds and one codebase serves every customer. But understand what you are signing up for — a SaaS product is a service, not a one-off artifact. It needs hosting, monitoring, support, and ongoing development. Budget for the product after launch, not just the build.

A typical SaaS build has recognizable parts: user accounts and secure login, a subscription billing integration, and the core workflows your customers pay for — which is CRUD at heart, backed by an API. The sensible way in is to start with an MVP: one plan, one core workflow, real paying users, then expand from evidence rather than assumptions.