8+ Best SaaS Tools for Your Startup in 2024

Every entrepreneur wants to keep startup costs as low as possible. While some expenses are unavoidable for an online business, you can reduce operational costs with the right tools. A great starting point is using SaaS tools, which operate on a subscription basis, typically leading to lower upfront costs.

What are SaaS Tools?

SaaS means “software as a service“ and refers to the way you use software. Instead of buying the tool and using it whenever you want, you pay a monthly subscription, which gives you access to the tool as long as you have paid for that month.

What is specific to these tools is that they are usually cloud-based, so you can access them from any computer. Additionally, they do not require any installation.

SaaS tools are usually flexible, secure, and user-friendly, making them perfect for startups and growing businesses looking to get ahead without the usual tech hassles.

Why SaaS tools are popular in 2024:

• Lower Upfront Costs: you don’t need to invest heavily in purchasing software. Thanks to the subscription, you will have predictability towards monthly or annual expenses.
• Scalability: If your business is growing or getting smaller, you can add or reduce the number of features, add-ons, users, etc.
• Real-Time Collaboration: SaaS tools are usually designed with collaboration in mind, allowing multiple coworkers (users) to work on the same project simultaneously.
• Integrations: SaaS tools usually allow integrations with other tools and platforms, creating an interconnected work environment.
• Anywhere Access: Users can access SaaS applications from any device with an internet connection, making remote work sustainable.

What are the best SaaS tools?

I’ve prepared a list of the most popular business solutions for various needs, focusing on the most essential ones. All of them operate on a subscription basis. Let’s take a look at them below.

1. For Authentification - Supabase

Does your startup need a tool for building and deploying your app? If so, Supabase is your go-to resource. It's an open-source alternative to Google’s Firebase. It is very easy to set up, and as an open-source tool, it gives developers the flexibility to customize the codebase to fit their project needs.

Top 3 Supabase features:

• real-time PostgreSQL database (changes will be reflected in the app instantly as they happen)
• instant RESTful APIs (no need for manual API creation)
• built-in authentication (no need to create the user management system from scratch)

Supabase Pricing:

Supabase offers 4 pricing plans to suit different needs:

• Free: Perfect for small projects, this plan costs nothing and includes unlimited API requests, up to 50,000 users each month, 500 MB of database space, 5 GB of bandwidth, 1 GB of file storage, and community support. Note that inactive projects are paused after a week, with a limit of 2 active projects.
• Pro: At $25/month, this plan is great for growing applications. It includes everything from the Free plan, plus up to 100,000 users, 8 GB of database space, 250 GB of bandwidth, 100 GB of file storage, email support, daily backups for a week, and 7-day log retention.
• Team: For $599/month, this plan is designed for teams needing more control and security. It includes everything from the Pro plan, plus features like SOC2 compliance, HIPAA support, read-only and billing roles, single sign-on (SSO) for the dashboard, priority email support, and 14-day log retention.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing is available for large-scale needs, offering a designated support manager, uptime guarantees, on-premise support, 24/7 premium support, a private Slack channel, and custom security questionnaires.

2. For Payments - Stripe

Stripe is one of the most popular tools known for payment processing. It allows startups to accept credit and debit card payments in order to sell online. Stripe supports payments in multiple currencies and countries making it very easy for startups to grow internationally.

Top 3 Stripe features:

• multiple payment methods (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc)
• complex subscription features available
• highly secure - PCI DSS Level 1 certified
• see more features

Stripe Pricing: The pricing plan offers 2 main options for businesses. The Standard Plan is ideal for small to medium-sized enterprises or startups, with costs set at 1.5% + approx. 0.5 euro per transaction for standard European Economic Area cards and 2.5% + approx. 0.5 euro for UK cards. This plan features no setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden costs, operating on a simple pay-as-you-go model. For larger businesses with high transaction volumes or unique requirements, the Custom Plan provides customized pricing options.

3. For Contact us (Support) - GaliChat

GaliChat is an AI tool designed to handle website visitor questions for your startup. Rather than building extensive help center sections and spending hours responding to contact form queries, you can train GaliChat on your website, and it will take care of the rest.

Top 3 GaliChat features:

• easy to setup - no technical expertise required; the setup process takes only 5 min
• 50+ languages supported for your international audience
• drives lead generation

GaliChat Pricing: GaliChat offers three pricing plans for different needs.

• The Pro plan at $49/month includes 1 chatbot, 50 training links, 10 million characters per chatbot, 4,000 messages, up to 100 lead generations, 20 file uploads, and multi-language support, with branding removal as an add-on.
• The Business plan at $99/month, offers 10 chatbots, 500 training links, 10 million characters per chatbot, 10,000 messages, up to 500 lead generations, 100 file uploads, and branding removal as an add-on.
• The Enterprise plan at $999/month includes unlimited chatbots, training links, messages, lead generation, file uploads, multi-language support, and branding removal.

A free demo is available, and additional add-ons include extra messages and chatbots for $9/month each, and branding removal for $49/month. Also, you can pay per year and save 20% OFF.

4. For Email Marketing - Brevo

Brevo (Sendinblue) is probably the most cost-effective tool for email marketing, making it an excellent choice for startups. It comes with a user-friendly interface and does not require a technical person, which is a significant advantage for a startup. Brevo is also known for its support team, which provides fast solutions for user queries and issues.

Top 3 Brevo features:

• easy to use drag-and-drop email editor
• awesome reporting tools
• easy to use marketing automation tools
• see more features

Brevo Pricing: Brevo offers 4 pricing tiers to suit various business needs.

• The Free plan, at $0/month, includes 300 emails per day, customizable templates, a drag-and-drop editor, transactional emails, and SMS & WhatsApp campaigns.
• The Starter plan, starting at $9/month, adds unlimited daily sending, no Brevo logo, basic analytics, and 24/7 email support.
• The Business plan, the most popular at $18/month, includes everything in Starter plus 5,000 emails/month, marketing automation, predictive sending, multi-user access, landing pages, A/B testing, advanced statistics, and phone support.
• The Enterprise plan offers custom pricing for unlimited contacts, sub-account management, advanced integrations, personalized support, and enterprise-grade security.

Additional features can be customized based on email volume and other specific needs.

5. For Affiliate Marketing (Partnerships) - ShareASale

ShareASale is a popular affiliate network for startups with a straightforward signup process, even for beginners. Using this tool, you will gain access to a large network of affiliates that can significantly increase your sales.

Top 3 ShareASale features:

• customizable - you can customize the affiliate programs to suit your startup needs.
• complex reporting - you get access to detailed analytics
• large network - makes it easier for you to find partners to promote your product/service
• see more features

ShareASale Pricing:

• ShareASale's pricing for merchants includes a one-time, non-refundable setup fee of $625, paid after all setup steps are completed.
• Additionally, a $125 minimum deposit is required, which goes into your account for affiliate payments.
• Merchants also pay a recurring monthly platform fee of $35, starting one month after their program goes live.
• Furthermore, there is a tracking fee of 20% of the commission amount for each qualified transaction.

6. For Video Marketing - Veed.io

Veed is an amazing tool for startups that want to create high-quality promotional videos. It is an all-in-one video editing tool that you can use to trim, crop, add interactivity, add subtitles, edit videos, add templates, and more. You can even optimize this process by using their AI tools.

Top 3 Veed.io features:

• cloud-based tool - you can access veed.io from anywhere anytime
• very easy to use - no technical skills needed thanks to the user-friendly interface
• speech-to-text capabilities and translation

Veed.io Pricing:

Veed.io offers four pricing plans:

1. Basic: €22 per user/month, ideal for starters. Includes watermark removal, 1 hour of subtitles per month, no upload size limit, and full HD 1080p exports.
2. Pro: €30 per user/month, recommended for professional video creators. Includes 2 hours of subtitles per month, clean audio, eye contact correction, access to a stock audio and video library, and subtitle downloads.
3. Business: €65 per user/month, suitable for teams up to 5 people. Offers 20 minutes of AI avatars per month, 10 hours of subtitles per month, translation to 50+ languages, text-to-speech for 5 hours per month, customizable video templates, and 4K export quality.
4. Enterprise: Custom pricing for large teams. Includes personalized AI avatars, brand assets and templates, multiple workspaces, custom usage limits, creator training, and an account manager.

Annual discounts are available, and a free plan is offered for trial.

7. For Hosting - DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean is one of the most popular hosting tools that takes care of your business's cloud infrastructure. Thanks to its transparent and accessible pricing model, DigitalOcean is an excellent choice for startups.

Top 3 DigitalOcean features:

• developer-friendly tools and a big community
• solutions that adapt as your startup grows
• large global network of data centers - improves your website performance
• see more features

Digital Ocean Pricing:

DigitalOcean offers a variety of cloud solutions with pricing starting at $4/month for Droplets, $12/month for Kubernetes and Load Balancers, $15/month for Databases, and $5/month for Spaces. They provide free options for Functions, App Platform, Container Registry, Support Plans, and Uptime monitoring, along with customizable backup plans at 20-30% of Droplet costs.

8. For Project Management - Trello

Trello is a popular collaboration and project management tool know for the kanban style where projects are visually represented using boards, lists, and drag & drop cards. Thanks to this approach, Trello can be used to organize a multitude of project, working perfectly for startups.

Top 3 Trello features:

• drag and drop interface that is really easy to use
• various integrations like Slack, Google Drive, Jira, and many more
• cost-effective for startups and small business
• see more features

Trello Pricing: Trello offers four pricing plans: Free ($0/month) with basic features; Standard ($5/user/month) adds unlimited boards, advanced checklists, and more; Premium ($10/user/month) includes additional views, templates, and admin features; Enterprise ($17.50/user/month) provides advanced security, multi-board management, and unlimited workspaces for larger organizations.

9. For Website Security - Cloudflare

Cloudflare is the most popular tool for website security and infrastructure. It is a must if you want your content to be seen all over the world quickly and securely. Cloudflare features DNS services, SSL encryption, and other features to protect websites from malicious activities. It will make your life easier if you want your website to be performant.

Top 3 Cloudflare features:

• it speeds up the delivery of website content to users worldwide - CDN
• it offers protection against (DDoS) attacks
• offers great Domain Name System (DNS) services

Cloudflare Pricing: Cloudflare features four types of plans based on business needs: for application security and performance, for employee applications, for on-premise and hybrid networks, and for serverless applications. Each plan comes with the possibility to use a free version.

10. For Automation - n8n

n8n is an open-source tool that lets you connect applications and services to automate your repetitive tasks. What is great about n8n is that you do not need coding skills. It comes with an interface where you can easily connect popular apps (like Google Sheets, Slack, GitHub, Twitter, and more).

Top 3 n8n features:

• relatively easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface
• you can add conditional logic to the workflows for more complex automation
• n8n can trigger workflows based on webhooks

n8n Pricing: n8n offers three pricing plans. The Starter Plan at €24/month with 2.5k workflow executions and 5 active workflows, suitable for beginners. The Pro Plan at €60/month provides 10k executions, 15 active workflows, and advanced features for teams. The Enterprise Plan has custom pricing, offering unlimited executions and workflows, plus advanced security and support features for businesses.

11. For Meeting Scheduling - Calendly

Calendly is an online tool that helps you simplify the process of booking appointments. It allows you to share your availability through a personalized link, letting others pick a time that works for them too.

Top 3 Calendly features:

• Calendly integrates with popular calendar apps like Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar
• It can send reminders to the host and invitees
• You can create different types of events depending on duration, location, and buffer times between meetings

Calendly Pricing: Calendly offers four pricing plans. The free plan comes with basic features, Standard at $10/month with more integrations, Teams at $16/month with advanced scheduling and admin controls, and Enterprise starting at $15,000/year for large teams needing improved security and support.

12. For Signatures - DocuSign

DocuSign is the most popular tool for online signatures. It works with many different apps to handle documents easier and get them signed faster. Using DocuSign helps you save paper, ease the signing process, and be more efficient.

Top 3 DocuSign features:

• it ensures that the signatures are secure and meet legal standards
• you can sign the documents electronically from any device
• it integrates with various apps like Google Drive, Salesforce, Microsoft Office, and more

DocuSign Pricing DocuSign offers three main plans: Personal at $10/month with 5 envelopes, Standard at $25/month per user with shared templates and branding, and Business Pro at $40/month per user with advanced features like bulk send and payment collection. More complex plans with custom pricing are also available for larger teams.