In many ways, it is a strange time to be building a SaaS. Between the doomsayers warning of an impending SaaSpocalypse and social media teeming with people launching startups on their lunch breaks, aspiring entrepreneurs could easily feel dispirited – and confused.
Yet here I am, working on PixelWatcher. So why now? Let me try and address some common concerns below, and further explain my approach.
What is PixelWatcher?PixelWatcher is a website monitoring service. Give it a URL, describe the change you want to know about, and PixelWatcher notifies you when it happens. Register for early access here. As a beta user, you’ll get a free account with generous limits.
The SaaS Model is Dead
Companies are building their own CRMs. Individuals are vibe-coding project management tools. Crustacean-themed bots are ordering people’s shopping and answering their emails. Why would anyone pay for a SaaS when all digital needs can supposedly be fulfilled with the right prompt?
One word: Convenience.
Companies already have their own core business to run, and building internal solutions means someone has to maintain them, whether AI is part of the process or not. It’s a distraction.
As for individuals, coming up with a setup that actually works still requires some technical know-how that only a few will bother acquiring. That part will get better, but it will take time. And my bet is that most people will still prefer using off-the-shelf products anyway – for the right price. I’ll come back to that.
Everyone is Launching a SaaS
Spend more than five minutes on X or LinkedIn and you will come across a product launch announcement or some aspirational post followed by the #buildInPublic hashtag, leaving you with the strong impression that everyone and their uncle are starting companies these days.
But of course, they’re not. Well, at least not their uncle. While it’s true that building software is easier than ever, and that more and more people are doing it, there is also a lot of daylight between toying with an idea and launching a full-fledged product. Very few will actually get there, and building is only a small part of the story.
Distribution is the Final Boss
This is going to be the real challenge for me when it comes to PixelWatcher. I’ve got the technical background, but marketing is still a mystery to me. I’m currently trying to get more people to sign up for early access, and this is already proving tricky.
While I’m convinced that people who are serious about building products still represent a tiny fraction of the population, the SaaS landscape is a competitive one nonetheless – and when it comes to distribution, incumbents have a significant advantage.
Which brings me to the next point.
Many Companies Already do this
Website monitoring is a crowded space. Well-established players are already dominating the market. So why am I throwing my hat in that particular ring? Precisely because I tried the competition.
PixelWatcher is an idea born out of frustration. A few months ago, I found myself needing to monitor changes on a website that did not offer any kind of newsletter. I created an account on one of those monitoring services and was able to use their free plan for a while – until I needed to monitor another page. I quickly hit the free-checks limit, so I had a look at their paid plans, only to realise that their cheapest offer started at $10 per month. And they’re far from being the most expensive option out there.
I was already feeling subscription fatigue like many others, and was absolutely not ready to spend that much every month for just a few more checks.
This got me thinking – how much would I actually pay for this? I came up with a number, and looked into whether it would be workable. PixelWatcher’s seed was planted.
I was also frustrated with the UX of most of these websites, and thought I could come up with a much simpler interface – one without all the bells and whistles. Just the essential features, for the right price.
Because in the end, that’s what it’s all about.
It’s all About Price
To be clear, I don’t believe in the SaaSpocalypse, for the reasons mentioned above (technical know-how, maintenance burden, convenience). But I do believe that many SaaS companies currently apply margins that are increasingly hard to justify, and that AI tools have opened a boulevard for leaner, cheaper competition to emerge.
In other words, while many SaaS products compete on features, I suspect the next wave will compete on efficiency.
This is PixelWatcher’s bet – that the website monitoring landscape is ripe for disruption, and that there is room for a service with a far more appealing price-to-convenience ratio.
In Closing
Let’s not ignore the potential wider implications of this paradigm shift. I honestly don’t know where this AI-powered Fourth Industrial Revolution ends. But for my part, I’m choosing to see it as an opportunity.
As already mentioned in Another Hat in the Ring, if we’re about to enter an extended period of creative destruction on an unprecedented scale, I’d much rather be on the creative side.