Micro-SaaS Tools

Micro-SaaS are small, focused software products built and operated by solo founders or tiny teams.

Unlike venture-backed SaaS requiring massive growth, micro-SaaS targets smaller markets with simple, well-executed solutions.

Examples include Twitter analytics tools, Shopify apps, WordPress plugins, browser extensions for specific use cases, or niche productivity tools.

Success requires identifying underserved niches, technical skills to build and maintain software, product focus (resist feature bloat), and ability to acquire customers efficiently.

Pricing typically ranges from $9-49 monthly for simple tools, with annual discounts.

Lower prices require volume; higher prices require more value.

Projects involve identifying a specific pain point, building MVP in weeks not months, launching quickly to test demand, iterating based on user feedback, and focusing on one or two acquisition channels.

Startup costs are minimal if you can code—hosting $20-100 monthly, domain and tools $100-300, potentially marketing budget $500-2,000 totaling $1,000-5,000.

Non-technical founders need to outsource development or use no-code tools.

Building customer base involves product directories (Product Hunt, BetaList), SEO for specific problem searches, content marketing about the problem you solve, integrations with larger platforms (Zapier, platform marketplaces), and word-of-mouth from satisfied users.

Revenue comes from monthly or annual subscriptions, potentially freemium model with paid tiers, or one-time lifetime deals to generate initial capital and testimonials.

Operating costs include hosting and infrastructure, payment processing fees (Stripe ~3%), customer support, ongoing development, and modest marketing.

Challenges include market size limits (you're targeting small niches), competitive pressure if you prove market demand, customer support consuming time, and technical maintenance and updates.

Success requires solving one problem extremely well rather than many problems adequately, keeping the product simple and focused, efficient customer acquisition (CAC must be much lower than enterprise SaaS), potentially building multiple micro-SaaS products for portfolio income, and automating operations to maintain lifestyle business advantages.

Many micro-SaaS founders run profitable $5,000-20,000 monthly revenue businesses solo or with one partner.