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Ask HN: Non-SaaS enterprise software business?

by pickle-wizard on 8/31/23, 3:49 PM with 7 comments

I've been researching an idea I've had for a software product. I am still early in the process, but I would like to only offer an on-prem version. As I'm not really interested in running a SaaS business. Also a couple of target customers I have in mind would only want an on-prem solution.

My idea for how to generate income would be by selling licenses. Recurring revenue would come via support contracts and consulting services.

I do know that not having an SaaS product will likely limit the investment I could get. I am ok with this.

Is a Non-SaaS software business still a viable model, or has the world moved on?

  • by meiraleal on 8/31/23, 10:38 PM

    > Is a Non-SaaS software business still a viable model, or has the world moved on?

    Yes. SaaS is losing its advantage as the browser is becoming a better environment with better processing, soon it will not make sense to pay for many things hosted because of open source alternatives that are very easy to run nowadays - meanwhile saas/subscriptions fatigue is only growing.

  • by ezekg on 9/1/23, 3:00 AM

    I offer an on-prem version of my SaaS product (https://keygen.sh), both a community edition and an enterprise edition. It is absolutely a viable (and a popular!) business model. I know because that's what a large portion of my customers do. :)

  • by piterrro on 8/31/23, 10:12 PM

    There is no single viability model here, it entirely depends on what kind of software are you building, selling and who are your customers. SaaS vs on-prem has its pros and cons, you should always listen to your customer and carefully analyze which model fits best. Many models offer both SaaS and on-prem as well.