Is SaaS really the worst business model to generate money fast?
Genuine question. I've been building products for a while now and I'm starting to think SaaS might be the slowest path to revenue for solo founders.
Here's my experience with two products:
PRODUCT 1 — Pregnalyze (pregnalyze.com) A pregnancy risk calculator backed by 54 peer-reviewed studies covering 500K+ pregnancies. Solid product, real science, users loved it.
We launched with a $5.99 unlock and a $14.99 premium tier. Results after months of traffic:
→ 119 ad clicks
→ 18 email signups
→ Paying customers: 0
→ Conversion rate: literally 0%
People used the free version, got value, and left. Nobody wanted to pay. We ended up removing the entire payment system and making everything free. Now we're trying to monetize through affiliates and ads instead.
PRODUCT 2 — AdPipe (adpipe.io) An AI tool that generates Meta ad copy from any product URL. $29/month subscription.
Two weeks in:
→ ~$50 on Google Ads
→ A few clicks, 0 conversions
→ Paid traffic bounces in 16 seconds
→ Organic users actually engage
→ $0 MRR
The product works. People try the free demo. But nobody has pulled out their credit card yet.
Both products solve real problems. Both have users. Both have $0 in revenue.
Meanwhile I see people making money faster with:
→ One-time digital products
→ Freelancing/consulting using their own tools
→ Lifetime deals (AppSumo model)
→ Service + tool hybrid models
So my honest question: is SaaS actually a terrible model if you need revenue in the short term? Is the "recurring revenue" dream just that — a dream that takes 12-18 months to even start?
What's your experience? Has anyone here actually generated meaningful SaaS revenue in the first
3 months?
I’ve been on the other side of this for years. built a SaaS over 7 years, invested over $1M of my own money. Learned a ton. Traction? Not much. Eventually had to shut it down. Built a few others that never really picked up either.
so I don’t think SaaS is dead. But I do think it’s slow. And crowded. And subscription fatigue is real. Every product wants $19–$49/month. After 5–6 tools, people start asking themselves: do I really need another recurring bill?
Looking at my own behavior, I sign up for lifetime deals way more often than monthly subscriptions. One-time payments feel lighter psychologically. There’s no ongoing tax on my brain.
Lately my approach has shifted:
Core product free, no signup required
Most features usable immediately
If someone creates an account, they get full access for 6–12 months
I watch usage, not just signups
If people are consistently using it without being forced, that’s signal. Then I can think about a one-time payment or something closer to a software license model. SaaS can work. But recurring revenue is not automatic. It’s earned slowly. And if you need fast money, services or hybrids are almost always quicker.
Curious how many of us are really building SaaS for revenue speed vs building it because we like the model.
Interesting question. I think the answer depends on what you mean by 'fast' money vs sustainable revenue. I've built 6 apps across different models and the patterns are pretty clear: One-time purchases (like my iOS apps Tiny Steps and NameDrill) generate immediate cash but plateau quickly. Subscription SaaS takes longer to ramp but compounds. The sweet spot I've found is freemium mobile apps with IAP - you get immediate revenue from power users while building a subscription base. My latest launch, FaunaDx (AI animal identification), went free on iOS last week and is already seeing both download volume and upgrade conversions. The key insight: don't pick the model first, pick the market. Some problems are worth paying for immediately (productivity tools), others need nurturing (lifestyle apps). What specific timeline are you optimizing for?