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Successful side project owners, what tools do you actually pay for?
r/SideProject
7/1/2025
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Engineering | Hosting and deployment ($20/month) | |
| Supabase | Engineering | Database ($30/month) | |
| Windsurf | Engineering | Write code faster with AI agent connected to Claude ($15/month) | |
| OpenAI API | Engineering | API to power apps (~$100/month) | |
| Brevo | Marketing | Email marketing and transactional emails ($20/month) | |
| Frizerly | Marketing | SEO, Content Writing and Keywords ($50/month) | |
| Google Workspace | Misc | Email, Drive etc ($10/month) | |
| Openphone | Misc | Virtual phone ($20/month) | |
| Cursor | Engineering | AI-powered code editor | |
| Coolify | Engineering | Self-hostable cloud alternative | |
| MongoDB | Engineering | Database ($60/month) | |
| Render.com | Engineering | Cloud hosting ($50/month) | |
| DMARC | Misc | Email security ($15/month) | |
| Postmark | Misc | Transactional email service ($15/month) | |
| s3 bucket | Engineering | Cloud storage ($1.50/month) | |
| replit | Engineering | Online IDE for coding | |
| loom | Marketing | Video sharing for product demos | |
| similarweb | Marketing | Competition analysis | |
| Cleanshot X | Productivity | Screen capture and quick edits | |
| RentPrompts | Misc | Subscription for multiple tools | |
| invoicely | Finance | Invoicing for service businesses | |
| GitHub | Engineering | Code hosting | |
| Claude | Engineering | AI assistant | |
| v0.dev | Engineering | AI-powered UI generation | |
| Zeabur | Engineering | Deployment platform | |
| Lemon Squeezy | Finance | Payment processing (5% + 50 cents per sale) |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Time constraints due to balancing full-time work and side projects
- High costs of tools impacting profitability
- Difficulty scaling infrastructure when projects grow
- Managing multiple tools and subscriptions
- Need for efficient coding and development processes
- Challenges in marketing and customer acquisition
Problems to Solve:
- Saving time on development and deployment
- Reducing operational costs
- Scaling hosting infrastructure for growing projects
- Automating repetitive tasks (e.g., coding, content creation)
- Handling email marketing and transactional emails
- Performing SEO and keyword research
- Managing invoicing and financial operations
- Ensuring email security
- Analyzing competition
Potential Solutions:
- Using AI-powered tools (e.g., Cursor, Windsurf, v0.dev) to accelerate coding
- Opting for cost-effective hosting solutions (e.g., Coolify, shared hosting) initially
- Migrating to scalable platforms (e.g., Vercel, Render.com) when traffic increases
- Consolidating tools through subscriptions (e.g., RentPrompts, Setapp)
- Implementing all-in-one solutions (e.g., Supabase for auth and database)
- Using specialized services for specific needs (e.g., Brevo for emails, Frizerly for SEO)
- Building internal systems (e.g., ERP) to replace paid tools
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Prioritizing tools that save time and increase efficiency
- Starting with free tiers and upgrading as revenue grows
- Investing in tools only after achieving profitability (e.g., $2k MRR)
- Using lifetime licenses as a monetization model
- Focusing on high-margin businesses to afford tool investments
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Email marketing (e.g., Brevo) for customer engagement
- SEO and content creation tools (e.g., Frizerly) for organic growth
- Video demos (e.g., Loom) for product showcasing
- Competition analysis (e.g., Similarweb) for market positioning
Monetization & Product:
- Usage-based pricing (e.g., OpenAI API costs scale with usage)
- Annual subscriptions for discounts
- Tiered pricing models (e.g., Vercel, Supabase)
- Payment processing fees (e.g., Lemon Squeezy takes 5% + $0.50 per sale)
- Offering lifetime deals to attract early users
- Ensuring product scalability to handle growth
User Engagement:
- Community-driven discussions (e.g., Reddit threads) for knowledge sharing
- Sharing tool recommendations among peers
- Using transactional emails (e.g., Postmark) for reliable communication
- Creating video content to demonstrate product value