Building a micro-SaaS

Differences worth understanding:

• ICP — micro-SaaS targets a narrow vertical (e.g. yoga studios, dental practices) where a full SaaS company won't be efficient.
• Price — $9-99/mo typically; full SaaS often $200+.
• Acquisition — self-serve via content/SEO; no sales calls.
• Support — low-touch; chatbot or async email is enough.
• Team — one person can run it indefinitely.

The trade-off: lower ceiling on revenue, much lower operational complexity, much higher solo-founder fit.

The best micro-SaaS niches share three traits:

1. Big-name SaaS is too expensive or too complex for the segment.
2. The buyer is reachable — they're in one community / read one publication / attend one conference.
3. Recurring need — software gets used every week, not every year.

Bad niches: "marketing for small businesses" (too broad, big-name competition). Good niches: "appointment booking for solo personal trainers" (narrow, specific, reachable).

Micro-SaaS pricing:

• Single low tier is fine when starting. $19/mo or $29/mo.
• Annual prepay with 20% discount improves cash and retention.
• Don't try to upsell if the product only does one thing. Just charge a fair price for it.

The temptation to add tiers and upsells before product-market-fit is the most common micro-SaaS mistake.

Self-serve channels that work for micro-SaaS:

• SEO for specific tool searches ("best X tool for Y").
• Niche communities where your ICP gathers.
• Marketplace listings if your category has them (Shopify app store, Notion templates, etc.).
• Comparison content ("Tool X vs Tool Y") for buyers researching alternatives.

Notably absent: cold outreach (price too low to justify), paid ads (CAC payback too long), influencer marketing (audience too broad).