SaaS development: build your subscription platform
SaaS development means designing software that your customers use online on a subscription, with nothing to install. We support startups and established businesses, in Corsica and elsewhere, from the initial idea to a platform run day to day: first version, payments, security, hosting and improvements.
What is SaaS, or subscription software?
SaaS stands for software as a service: instead of selling a program to install, you give access to software that runs online on your servers, in return for a subscription or pay-per-use fee. Your customers sign in from a browser or an app and get new versions automatically.
For the publisher, meaning the business that operates the software, this model brings recurring revenue and an ongoing relationship with users. It also brings responsibilities: keeping the service available, securing each customer's data, invoicing, support and continuous improvement.
A SaaS product can serve professionals or the general public. It can also stay within a network: a tool you provide to your franchisees, members or partners.
SaaS platform ideas by sector
- 01
Tourism and leisure
A booking and availability tool for outdoor activity providers, offered by subscription to other operators in Corsica or elsewhere.
- 02
Trades and construction
Quoting or site-tracking software dreamt up by a tradesperson who knows what peers need and decides to market it.
- 03
Health and wellbeing
Appointment booking, reminders and admin tracking for practitioners, with extra safeguards for health data.
- 04
Associations and networks
Membership, fees and event management, offered to several organisations from a single platform.
- 05
Local authorities
A shared portal for applications or reports used by several municipalities, each keeping its own data and settings.
- 06
Your expertise as a product
A method, a calculation or an in-house tool that works well for you can become a service sold to other businesses.
How to build a SaaS: start with an MVP
An MVP, or minimum viable product, is the first version of a piece of software, limited to the essential features and put in the hands of real users to check that it meets a genuine need. Rather than building everything you can imagine, you test the core, observe, then invest in what people actually use.
We help you draw that line: which problem the MVP must solve, for whom, and which signals will tell you to carry on, adjust or change course. An MVP is not a rough draft, though: it must be secure, reliable and built on foundations that can take what comes next.
How your SaaS development project unfolds with us
We know the demands of a service that runs around the clock. Hameau Vivant, one of our own projects, is a persistent online simulation built with TypeScript, Node.js, SQLite and Three.js, whose events are broadcast in real time. It involves what every SaaS needs: state that is stored reliably, a service that is always on and live updates kept under control.
- 01
Understand
Your target users, the problem you solve, the business model you have in mind, competing solutions, your budget and your timeline.
- 02
Design
User journeys, mock-ups approved before development, technical architecture and a precise MVP scope.
- 03
Build
Development and testing in stages, on a demo version you can follow and show to your first users.
- 04
Launch and support
Go-live, hosting, monitoring and technical support, then improvements guided by feedback and real-world use.
Security, data and scalability of a SaaS platform
- 01
Keeping customers apart
Several businesses share the same platform, and none must ever see another's data. That separation is designed into the architecture and verified by tests.
- 02
Account security
Protected passwords, two-factor authentication, roles and permissions, a log of sensitive actions.
- 03
GDPR
As the publisher, you process data on behalf of your customers. Contracts, a record of processing, hosting choices and an incident procedure are all part of the project.
- 04
Ownership
Source code, domain name, hosting and payment accounts: everything should be in your name. The quote states what is transferred to you.
- 05
Scalability
The platform must be able to take on more customers without a rewrite: Docker containers, which package the software so it runs identically everywhere, a properly sized database and performance monitoring.
Subscriptions, pay-per-use and the cost of a SaaS project
Your billing model should be decided early, because it shapes the design: monthly or annual subscriptions, plans based on the number of users, pay-per-use, a free trial, or a licence, meaning permission to use the software under set terms. We build in subscription management and online payment through a specialist provider, along with invoices and reminders.
The cost of building a SaaS depends mainly on the following factors, which your quote sets out without jargon.
- 01
MVP scope
The number of essential features and how complex the business rules are.
- 02
User profiles
Platform administrator, customer company, end user: each profile has its own screens and permissions.
- 03
Integrations
Payments, email delivery, connections to your customers' tools, a mobile app.
- 04
Security requirements
How sensitive the data is, regulatory constraints in your sector, the level of traceability expected.
- 05
Running costs
A SaaS has recurring costs: hosting, monitoring, support, maintenance and improvements.
After launch: running and growing your SaaS
A SaaS is steered by indicators: sign-ups, features actually used, cancellations, support requests. We put them in place from launch, handle hosting, backups, security updates and fixes, then develop improvements based on what your customers really use. You keep the same point of contact in Bastia, who has known your product since its first mock-up.
Technologies and methods
- TypeScript
- Node.js
- React / Next.js
- Online payments
- Docker
- Real time (SSE)
- GDPR
Frequently asked questions
I have no technical skills. Can I still launch a SaaS?
Yes. Your role is to understand your customers' problem and drive the project; ours is to turn it into software, explain the technical choices in plain terms and keep the platform running.
Do I need to build everything before I start selling?
No. An MVP limited to the essentials lets you present the service to your first customers, gather their feedback and sometimes their first payments before investing further.
How are payments and subscriptions handled?
Through a specialist payment provider built into the platform: it processes cards and direct debits, while your SaaS manages plans, access rights and invoices.
Will my idea stay confidential?
Your information is treated confidentially, and a non-disclosure agreement can be signed before going into detail. Ownership of the code and everything developed is set out in the quote.
Can my SaaS also be a mobile app?
Yes. The web app can be installable on a phone, and a dedicated mobile app can rely on the same API as the web version, an interface for exchanging data that saves building the logic twice.