from Hacker News

Ask HN: SaaS Covers Too Much?

by james-revisoai on 10/24/23, 8:06 AM with 6 comments

I see and think traditionally of SaaS as business services delivered as software; recurring, sometimes yearly, and part of processes, or process automation; focused on QoL for higher ups, or solving direct on the line problems.

However since about 2019 and especially 2022, I notice more times than not SaaS is actually being used in reference to a Subscription model B2C startup - GPT wrappers, for example.

What gives? Did the term change meaning? Should there be an encompassing of both these ... rather different... models under the same name? Don't business/seat pricing models have much greater compliance/finance issues?

  • by codingdave on 10/24/23, 11:24 AM

    "Software as a service".

    That is all it has ever meant. No more, no less. If you provide software via a model where they access it online (as a service), it is a SaaS.

    You seem to be thinking of it the opposite way: "Services as Software". That simply isn't what the term means.

  • by ad404b8a372f2b9 on 10/24/23, 9:11 AM

    The SaaS term has included B2C companies since the very beginning. There are talks on Youtube as early as 2013 about B2C SaaS companies.

  • by joshxyz on 10/24/23, 10:17 AM

    i think it qualifies.

    as long as it's a software and a service, regardless if it's b2c b2b b2e, regardless if it's intended for end-users or developers, regardless if it's intended for individuals, teams, smbs, and enterprises.