We built 35+ browser tools instead of another single-purpose SaaS — here’s what we learned
Over time, we kept running into the same small problem while working online: simple tasks often required visiting a different website for every little thing.
Need to format some text? One website.
Need a developer utility? Another.
Need a security or encryption tool? Another.
Need to work with a PDF or image? Usually another service again.
That eventually led us to build Toolscase.
The idea was to create one ecosystem where useful browser tools and larger productivity apps could live together instead of building completely disconnected products.
Today, the main Toolscase hub includes 35+ browser-based tools across areas such as:
• Developer tools
• Security & encryption
• SEO utilities
• Text & content tools
• Business tools
• Generators
• Everyday web utilities
As we kept building, some problems were simply too large to fit into a small browser utility. That led us to expand Toolscase into dedicated products for PDFs, images, resumes, static websites, time tracking, and team communication.
One thing we’ve learned is that there’s a big difference between building a collection of tools and building an ecosystem.
Adding more tools is relatively straightforward. The harder part is deciding which problems deserve a quick utility and which deserve a complete standalone product.
We’ve also tried to keep the barrier to using the main browser tools low. Someone should be able to arrive with a small task, use the tool they need, and get on with their work without turning every interaction into a complicated onboarding process.
There’s still a lot we want to improve, particularly around making it easier to discover the right tool as the ecosystem grows.
You can explore what we’ve built here:
I’d be interested to hear from other founders: when a product starts expanding, do you prefer keeping everything under one platform or turning major features into separate focused products?
Distribution is the moat. We spent €150 on Google Ads and got 0 installs. Pivot to organic: reply to growing conversations on Threads, build in public, cold DMs. Personal > paid every time.