SaaS companies are increasingly replacing static third-party tools with custom-built solutions powered by AI to save time and improve efficiency, according to saastr.com. Jason Lemkin, founder of SaaStr, shared his experience of replacing a $4,000-per-year newsletter tool with a custom-coded version in just two hours. The switch was motivated not by cost but by the need to save over 90 minutes weekly for a team member.
Lemkin emphasized that most SaaS firms should buy software if it meets 90% of their needs, as building and maintaining software is time-consuming. However, when vendors stop shipping updates and the product freezes in time, building in-house or using AI-assisted coding tools becomes more attractive. Lemkin’s example highlights how AI can enable rapid development of tailored solutions that better serve specific business needs.
This trend underscores a shift in the SaaS market where maintenance costs and lack of innovation from vendors push customers to seek alternatives. It challenges the traditional buy-versus-build debate by showing that AI tools can reduce development time and maintenance burdens. SaaS vendors who fail to continuously improve risk losing clients to companies that leverage AI to build more agile, customized products.
Lemkin’s case involved creating an agentic newsletter builder with audience segmentation in just a few hours, demonstrating AI’s potential to accelerate software development. His experience serves as a concrete example of how AI-driven coding can help SaaS users reclaim time and control over their tools, according to saastr.com.