SaaS development and subscription platforms
SaaS development means designing online software your customers use on a subscription, with nothing to install. We work with startups and established businesses, in Corsica and elsewhere, from the idea to a platform that runs every day. A first version, payments, security. Then hosting and improvements.
SaaS, software on subscription
SaaS stands for software as a service. You no longer sell a program to install. You give access to software online, hosted on your servers, in return for a subscription or a pay-per-use fee. Customers sign in from a browser or an app and get new versions without lifting a finger.
For the publisher (the business running the software), this model brings recurring revenue and an ongoing relationship with users. It also brings obligations. The service has to stay available and each customer's data protected; invoicing must be right, support requests answered, and the product must keep improving.
A SaaS product can be aimed at professionals or at the general public. It can also stay inside a network, as a tool you make available to your franchisees, your members or your partners.
SaaS ideas, sector by sector
- 01
Tourism and leisure
A kayak hire business manages its time slots with a booking tool. Offered on subscription, that same tool can serve other operators, in Corsica or elsewhere.
- 02
Trades and construction
A tradesperson knows what the quoting software in their trade is missing. They can turn that into a product and sell it to others in the trade.
- 03
Health and wellbeing
Appointment booking, reminders, admin tracking for practitioners. Health data calls for stronger precautions than usual.
- 04
Associations and networks
Managing members and fees, events too, on one platform shared by several organisations.
- 05
Local authorities
A portal for applications or reports pooled between several municipalities. Each keeps its own data and settings.
- 06
Your expertise as a product
An in-house calculation method, or the spreadsheet you have been refining for years, can become a paid service for other businesses.
Building a SaaS platform, starting with an MVP
An MVP, or minimum viable product, is a first version stripped down to the features you cannot do without. It goes to real users to check that it meets a real need. Instead of building everything you can imagine, you test the core. You watch how people use it, and only then invest in what proves useful.
We help you draw that line. That means agreeing which problem the MVP has to solve and for whom, then deciding in advance which signals will tell you to carry on, adjust or change course. The first version still has to be secure and reliable. It sits on foundations that can take whatever comes next.
How we run SaaS development
We know what a service that never switches off demands. Hameau Vivant, one of our projects, is a persistent online simulation written in TypeScript (Node.js, SQLite, Three.js), with events broadcast in real time. It has the same requirements as any SaaS. State that does not get lost, a service that is always up, live updates that stay under control.
- 01
Understand
Who you are building for and the problem you solve. The business model you have in mind, and the competition. Your budget, your calendar.
- 02
Design
User flows first, then mock-ups approved before development. The architecture is decided here, and the MVP scope is written down.
- 03
Build
Development and testing in steps, on a demo version you follow closely. You can already show it to your first users.
- 04
Launch and support
Go-live, hosting, monitoring, technical support. After that, improvements follow how the product is really used.
Security and scaling for a SaaS
- 01
Keeping customers apart
Several businesses share one platform, and none of them must be able to read another's data. Ever. That separation is planned into the architecture, then checked by tests.
- 02
Account security
Protected passwords, two-factor authentication, roles with their permissions. Sensitive actions go into a log.
- 03
GDPR
As the publisher, you process data on behalf of your customers. Contracts, a record of processing, where it is hosted, what to do after an incident; all of that belongs to the project from day one.
- 04
Ownership
Source code, domain name, hosting and payment accounts. Everything should be in your name, and the quote spells out what is transferred to you.
- 05
Scaling up
The platform must be able to take on more customers without a rewrite. That means Docker containers (they package the software so it deploys identically anywhere), a properly sized database, performance monitoring.
Billing model and the cost of a SaaS project
The billing model is chosen early, because it weighs on the design. A monthly or annual subscription, plans by number of users, pay-per-use, a free trial. Or a licence, meaning permission to use the software under conditions. We build in subscription management and online payment through a specialist provider, invoices and reminders included.
On the budget side, some factors weigh more than others. Your quote lists them one by one, in plain words.
- 01
MVP scope
How many features are truly essential, and how tangled the business rules are.
- 02
User profiles
The platform administrator does not get the same screens as the customer company, nor as the end user. Each profile has its own rights.
- 03
Integrations
Payments, sending email, connecting to your customers' tools. A mobile app, if there is one.
- 04
Security requirements
How sensitive the data is and what the rules in your sector require. The level of traceability expected, too.
- 05
Running it
A SaaS keeps costing money after launch. Hosting, monitoring, support, maintenance, improvements.
After launch, growing the platform
A SaaS is steered with a handful of simple numbers, such as sign-ups, which features get used, cancellations or support requests. We set these up from launch. We take care of hosting and backups, security updates, fixes. Improvements follow what your customers really use, not what we imagined. And here in Bastia, the person looking after your product is the one who drew its first mock-up.
Technologies and methods
- TypeScript
- Node.js
- React / Next.js
- Online payments
- Docker
- Real time (SSE)
- GDPR
Frequently asked questions
Can I launch a SaaS without technical skills?
Yes. Your job is to know your customers' problem and carry the project. Ours is to turn it into software and keep the platform running, explaining every technical choice in simple words.
Do I need to build everything before I start selling?
No. An MVP limited to the essentials is enough to show the service to your first customers. You collect their feedback, sometimes their first payments, before investing more.
How are payments and subscriptions handled?
Through a specialist payment provider built into the platform. It deals with cards and direct debits. Your SaaS, for its part, manages the plans, the access rights and the invoices.
Will my idea stay confidential?
Yes. We treat your information as confidential, and a non-disclosure agreement can be signed before we go into detail. The quote sets out who owns the code and everything else developed for you.
Can my SaaS also be a mobile app?
Yes. The web app can already install on a phone. A dedicated mobile app can also rely on the same API as the web version, meaning the same data interface, so the logic is not built twice.