We live in times when you can launch your business from your couch, and things are only getting better with the rise in accessible Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.
Now, more than ever, it’s easier to start your own micro SaaS business and make a fortune without actually needing a physical base, lengthy studies, or a lot of experience.
If you want to reap the benefits of the growing demand for AI tools, we’ve collected 12 AI SaaS business ideas you can start today to launch a profitable online business.
What is an AI SaaS Business?
SaaS generally refers to cloud-based software subscription services. Individuals and businesses of all sizes use SaaS to run their day-to-day tasks and operations.
Businesses using this model build systems to help other companies and individuals solve specific problems. SaaS solutions usually allow clients to use, rent, or integrate the software into their own digital infrastructure. Some common examples are personnel management systems, trip booking systems, time planning software, and many more.
And then there are micro SaaS businesses, which are tiny SaaS businesses targeting a very niche market, run by one person or a very small team, with small costs, a narrow focus, a small but dedicated user base, and no outside funding.
SaaS or micro SaaS, an AI SaaS business offers AI-powered software through subscription models. These cloud-based solutions use artificial intelligence for tasks like generative AI, data analysis, automation, and personalization. They cater to various industries, rely on data, offer customization, and continuously enhance their algorithms to provide valuable services to customers.
Transforming an AI SaaS idea into a viable product involves several critical steps. It starts with concept development, followed by incorporating user feedback to ensure the product remains relevant and competitive in a fast-evolving market.
Once you have a software solution ready, you can start selling licenses to your customers and earn money from it. Usually, SaaS businesses use several pricing types:
- Subscription-based pricing: Customers subscribe to and pay for services on a recurring basis, typically monthly, quarterly, or yearly.
- Flat rate: Customers make a single payment that covers a certain period.
- Functionality-based rate: Customers are charged based on the specific functionalities or features they use.
- Tiered pricing: Customers pay for different service packages.
- Per-user pricing: It’s based on the number of users or seats, commonly used for businesses.
Why Does AI Make a Great SaaS Business Idea?
In the first two years of 2020s, investments in AI tools and businesses reached 92 billion U.S. dollars. And with technologies like ChatGPT, investments and interest in the industry will only increase. AI opens the door for countless services. This technology is a revolutionary development that can make creating digital products much more accessible and affordable.
The Rise of Generative AI
Generative AI, powered by natural language processing, computer vision, and deep learning, will continue to advance in 2024. This technology has transformative applications across various industries, such as creative industries and healthcare.
What makes it even better is that you can use pre-programmed no-code tools that allow you to create sophisticated AI SaaS solutions without the need to code or have a deeper understanding of the technology itself. If you are thinking design is your achilles heel then check this article by Eleken for practical tips to outsource this aspect.
Some of the most popular no-code programs for creating AI SaaS solutions:
Below, you’ll find 12 AI SaaS ideas for your new business, from chatbots to podcast creators – your only limit is your imagination.
12 AI SaaS Ideas That You Can Easily Start This Year
1. AI Logo Maker
The Idea: Creating an AI logo maker for businesses and entrepreneurs. Every successful and prominent company needs a logo and visual representation. AI technologies enable visual content creation, such as logos, brochures, business cards, and more, based on the information provided about the company or person.
The Need: A professional logo can cost up to a few thousand dollars. An automated logo maker can help people cut costs while still receiving unique and authentic business visuals.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Business, marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Price per logo, flat rate
- Successful Examples: Logomakerr, Logomaster.ai, Freepik Logo Maker
Where to Start?
Identify your solution. Some similar SaaS businesses offer only logo creation, while others do everything from logo design to product packaging ideas based on individual business identities.
2. AI Based Photo Editor
The Idea: Creating a tool that can enhance photo quality and alter the image. It can go two ways. One example is to create an AI photo-optimizing tool that can automatically improve image quality. The second one is to generate non-existing images from a piece of information or a photo you already have. Some popular examples are professional photoshoot pictures, where you only need a portrait picture to create several photos ready for a resume or LinkedIn.
The Need: Taking professional pictures of your team to upload to your website or LinkedIn page takes a lot of planning and management. In the end, someone can't come to a photoshoot, doesn't like the results, etc. If only there were a tool that could replace a professional photoshoot and enhance photo quality to help you create professional photos without leaving your desk.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Business, content creation
- Possible Business Model/s: Price per image, price per batch
- Successful Examples: HeadshotPro, Upscale.media
Where to Start?
To build your SaaS solution, first, you must pick a suitable AI technology. The most popular AI technologies for image processing are Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Deep Learning Frameworks, Super-Resolution Models, etc.
3. AI Video Summarizer
The Idea: Creating an AI tool to convert video material into readable summaries.
The Need: Many people spend hours transcribing online courses, lectures, and other video content to extract and summarize only the key points. An AI-based video information converter could help them save time. Some similar solutions even offer a chat functionality that answers questions about the information presented in a video.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Research, content creation
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based, price per video
- Successful Examples: ChatDox
Where to Start?
First, decide how complex your SaaS solution will be and what features you want to offer. Then, you need to pick AI technology that allows you to achieve these features, such as machine learning and speech recognition technology.
4. AI Colleague or Digital Colleague
The Idea: Creating an AI SaaS business that can employ different AI technologies to create digital workers. Instead of just using separate tools to write content, improve code, or collect information, you can have them all in one system as digital colleagues.
The Need: It's an excellent tool for growing businesses, allowing your future customers to reduce hiring costs that can be hindering in the beginning. With everything in one system, you can allocate tasks and perform actions instantaneously, eliminating the need for multiple tools.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Business and marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based, tier-pricing, functionality-based pricing
- Successful Examples: StaffUp.ai
Where to Start?
Decide what type of "professions" you want to include in your SaaS solution. You can start with only one or two to see how they interact in a real business scenario and add more based on your client's demands.
Music creation is an area seeing innovative transformation with AI-driven tools. An exciting opportunity lies in providing your clients access to music powered by AI generator, solving the need for efficient background music creation without a musical staff.
5. AI Web Scraper
The Idea: Creating an AI SaaS solution that allows clients to collect data from websites and document them in eye-catching bullet points, graphs, and charts.
The Need: People engaged in research, including students and teachers, often need to browse multiple websites, search for relevant information, and document their findings. Your SaaS solution could change that by scanning websites within seconds and collecting relevant data.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Research, data analysis
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based, per-search pricing
- Successful Examples: Scrap.so
Where to Start?
To build your AI SaaS tool, you must pick the right AI technology. Mainly, for such SaaS solutions, you can use Web Scraping, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning, and similar technologies.
6. AI Content Moderator
The Idea: Creating a system that allows users to detect and flag certain information. Your AI SaaS business might offer an AI spam, fake news, or click-bait content detector.
The Need: Fake news and spam websites are becoming more advanced, making it difficult to spot them even for a trained eye. Your AI detector could help individuals and companies avoid spammy websites and the risk of compromising their safety online.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Cybersecurity
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based, flat rate
- Successful Examples: UserWay Content Moderator
Where to Start?
Decide what type of AI detector tool you want to create. It can be a versatile solution that includes detecting various issues such as fake news, spam, malware, etc., or a tool that solves one particular issue.
7. AI SEO Tool
The Idea: Creating an AI SaaS solution that helps companies and individuals research keywords and optimize their content in an instant.
The Need: SEO is a crucial part of online success, but it's an ongoing task that requires a lot of time and resources, not to mention the costs associated with optimizing your website and content for higher rankings in the beginning. An automated SEO tool could help people save money and reduce the time spent on keyword search and other aspects of content optimization.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based, flat rate, tier pricing
- Successful Examples: SEO.ai, Byword
Where to Start?
First and foremost, decide the type of AI SaaS you need. Will your solution focus solely on keyword searches, or will it also create content clusters and enhance technical SEO, among other functionalities?
8. AI Writer
The Idea: Creating a business model that allows your customers to generate quality content quickly. The tool could let users customize their tone of voice, style, and other specifics to write original and authentic content.
The Need: If you hear people say that no one reads anymore, stop them right there. Content remains and will be important not only for the sake of ranking online but also for engaging your audience and helping them understand your products better. For that, companies spend thousands on writing content. Wouldn’t it be easier to have an AI tool that could save all that money by generating content automatically?
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based, flat rate, tier pricing
- Successful Examples: Reword, Machined.ai
Where to Start?
To build a smart writing tool, you will need to use different AI technologies such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) (GPT-3 or GPT-4), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), Transformer-Based Models, etc.
9. AI Language Coach
The Idea: Creating an AI SaaS solution for improving language and public speaking skills.
The Need: Preparing for an important presentation or speaking in public is challenging for many people. Fear of public speaking can be paralyzing, and not everyone has perfect elocution. However, going to a professional speech specialist can be pricey. Your SaaS could help people improve their speech by analyzing their speeches, giving feedback on potential improvement areas, and tracking their progress.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Business
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat rate
- Successful Examples: Yoodli
Where to Start?
Start by defining your core business idea. Brainstorm how your tool could help people improve their pronunciation, intonation, and articulation. Then, select the right AI technology to help you build a smart SaaS solution.
10. AI Personal Finance Tracker
The Idea: Creating a SaaS solution that helps people manage their personal finances. It gives options to optimize your budget and make better financial decisions based on your individual spending and saving habits.
The Need: Most of us are guilty of excessive spending, eating out too often, or ordering coffee on the go instead of brewing a cup at home. A personal finance tracker can help your customers get ahead of their financial gaps and create better strategies for saving based on their financial situation.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Finance
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription, feature-based pricing, flat rate
- Successful Examples: Cleo, Fina
Where to Start?
Set your niche, whether it’s a simple budgeting app or a personal finance manager. It will clarify the features your AI SaaS will have and how you’ll target your audience.
11. AI Podcast Generator
The Idea: An AI SaaS solution to help people repurpose their content and turn it into podcasts.
The Need: Podcasts are a growing content niche with over 400 million regular listeners. However, not everyone has the time, equipment, and skills to launch their own podcast. For people who prefer writing, a podcast creation tool could give an opportunity to spread their word to a larger audience without actually needing to talk.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat rate, rate per service
- Successful Examples: Wondercraft
Where to Start?
This SaaS idea is very niche, not only will you need to find the right AI technologies, but you’ll also need to learn how to market your solution to the right audience. However, once you refine your solution, it can be revolutionary for many individuals and businesses.
To make these podcasts even more engaging, you could add an audio visualiser feature that syncs visuals with the music, creating an immersive experience for audiences, perfect for presentations, social media, or interactive projects
12. App search engine
The Idea: Creating an AI SaaS business that solves the never-ending problem of having too many programs and the difficulty of juggling them all.
The Need: A team in a company might use several platforms to manage tasks, communicate with each other, track time, and more. Each time you log into work, you have to connect to all of them and search for information across numerous channels. An AI program optimization tool gathers information from all the platforms and allows you to access it within one system.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: Business
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat rate, subscription model
- Successful Examples: Klu
Where to Start?
Creating a synergetic ecosystem of apps and software is a challenging project. You must understand and use various AI technologies to enable your future clients to get the best service possible.
Final Words
The AI SaaS ideas for your potential business don’t end here.
New technologies emerge each day, allowing you to build a profitable company more easily.
And the best thing is that you don’t need to secure huge investments or spend years learning.
You can start from the comfort of your home and see where this new venture takes you.
Happy building!
This article is written by Egle. She is a freelance copywriter and strategist living in the sunny Canary Islands. For years, her agency Written Away has partnered with SaaS and healthcare brands, helping them create their brand identity and craft irresistible content for their readers.
