SaaS quickly became a big part of our lives. There are now more and more SaaS applications which are built in recent years. It makes the IT-world more simple and hence can be an advantage due to it’s quick updates and easier data storing. And these statistics prove our statement. 

1.png

The graph above shows the growth of the SaaS market value from 2008 up to today. There is even a SaaS business model out there, which is commonly used among companies around the world! 

The list of most famous SaaS companies includes Adobe, Microsoft, Google, and other corporate giants. But this distribution model is not for big companies only. You too can be one of those who use SaaS successfully

In this article, we’ll talk more about the best SaaS applications of the latest years in the middle market. They may seem as disruptive innovations and one of the best solutions on the market - those whom we all can follow. So you can use their example to become inspired! 

What is a SaaS application?

SaaS stands for “software as a service”. To put it in technical language, it is a distribution model of cloud computing services that provides subscribers with software products. The app, built on SaaS is fully controlled by the providers, but users can have a piece of it in the form of access to the needed features from their devices.

How does it work? Let’s take the simplest example - you sell marketing tools. In the case of SaaS usage you’ll already sell a configured solution which will work for your clients from the moment of installation. It is convenient for your business because it’s one way to make working on the Internet easier and more flexible. Aside from this, it is generally a great tool for remote workers  as track instruments are useful for work tracking and are easy to control. 

Another important thing is that a SaaS application provides you only with a subscription on the software if you subscribe to videos, music, surprise boxes - it would not be SaaS. 

2.png SaaS application: first example - Lately

Multitask application for work process organization. This startup provides complex solutions for content management, communication, and analytics, as well as other similar processes. SaaS application allows users to generate posts in social networks, set a schedule for marketing events, and view activity on various social channels.

This SaaS startup has constantly been growing since it was founded in 2014. They had gone through over 10 rounds of funding and had financing of approximately $2.5 million US. It is attracting investors’ attention even today. 

This is a great example to see the obvious thing SaaS solutions are moving towards the “all-inclusive” applications for companies of all kinds. It is understandable since the number of SaaS solutions for marketing has been rapidly growing over the  recent years. According to DevSquad forecast, more than 84% of companies around the world are going to use SaaS applications for their workflow and business processes by the end of 2020.

3.png SaaS application: second example - Shopify 

Shopify is one of the most famous SaaS startups in the world. Yes, today it is a leading platform on the market, and millions of people in business from various market segments are using it. Even though it was founded back in 2004, it is still relevant in 2020, and according to statistics, Shopify has no plans to slow down in that department.

This application is designed for creating eCommerce platforms and marketplaces for online shopping. This SaaS platform has achieved incredible results thanks to being available anywhere, easy to use, and multifunctional. Big and small companies around the world using it as an alternative for their own custom software marketplaces. 

In 2018 this platform was used by approximately a billion subscribers and gave the startup an equal sum of profits in dollars. It is an excellent example of a SaaS solution for a startup that is ready to work in the eCommerce industry. It shows what a winning strategy of a SaaS startup in the sales industry should be - bold and multifunctional.

4.png SaaS application: third example - ActivTrak 

This free internal workflow control solution is designed for businesses of all sizes to analyze company performance, improve workflows, effectively manage remote workflows teams, and offer options for optimal workflow operation. We consider it one of the most promising SaaS startups in 2020, despite the fact it was founded back in 2012. 

Today, ActivTrak has a turnover of 4 million dollars a year and in a recent round, raised about 20 million dollars of funding. This example shows perfectly how vital a reliable tracking tool is to monitor the work of enterprises and companies of different directions and sizes in today's reality. That's why such a niche can be advantageous to start your own SaaS startup. 

 5.pngSaaS application: forth example - CoSchedule 

CoSchedule is an American startup with more than 9,000 customers in more than 100 countries. It was founded in 2014 and has had big success since then. CoSchedule is a platform designed for marketing specialists where they can create project roadmaps, plan, and promote products. This SaaS startup has been deemed one of the best for marketing. During its existence, the startup has attracted investors' attention and received about $2.5 million in financing. Thanks to CoSchedule, a user can speed up production, keep up with deadlines, improve the efficiency of the company’s staff, and evaluate the real team performance on each project. According to Gartner's 2019 Magic Quadrant for Content Marketing Platforms Gartner's 2019 Magic Quadrant for Content Marketing Platforms, CoSchedule is recognized as the fastest-growing startup for mid-market marketing. 

This shows that SaaS marketing applications remain one of the most comfortable tools for workflow organization. Using this technology for a variety of planners, trackers, and products of such kind is extremely useful when it comes to winning the popularity and investors’ attention. 

SaaS application: fifth example - Sket.io

SaaS platform for lawyers and companies to automate the creation of legal documents, thus reducing or eliminating altogether the need for email correspondence. Functional features of the application are: 

- INTAKE feature which allows the user to fill in a form and highlight the most important part; lawyers can create contracts using this form; 
- unique features for notaries;
- possibility to insert one part of the contract in one language, in another contract in the desired language;
- the ability to import contract types and create forms. 

The user-friendly interface and thought-through architecture will continue to attract the attention of users.

Concluding everything that is written above, SaaS is a prospective industry for both startups and companies that have been in the business for a while now.

The most important thing here is to understand your target audience’s needs, choose the right industry to work in and… Find a reliable IT-partner!

Maybe being at the top of the next “The Best SaaS application of all times” article is your SaaS startup destiny?