SaaS Application Development Services in Eastern Europe

SaaS stands for software as a service business model. It is relatively young but it is already very popular worldwide. This article covers what SaaS apps are, what are the benefits of building one, and how they are different from web applications. It also gives tips on finding a suitable SaaS application development company for your project, including how to hire dedicated front end developers to enhance your team’s capabilities.

SaaS is a software distribution model where a cloud provider hosts the application while users can access it via the internet. SaaS applications are those you usually use on a subscription basis, like Netflix or Microsoft 365.

It often comes as an alternative to classic software licensing. For example, Adobe Photoshop has already switched to this model with Adobe Creative Cloud. Previously, one would need to buy a lifetime license for a version of this software to install on a personal computer. Now, the software is available online for a monthly fee. There is no need to install anything, you can access it from any device, and updates are regular, so you do not need to buy every new version.

How popular is SaaS cloud application development globally? Here are some crucial statistics:

• According to Gartner, the SaaS market grows at an 18% rate every year;
• The usage of SaaS software has increased by 7 times since 2017 among businesses and organizations;
• Statista’s report forecasts that the SaaS market worth will reach $208 billion by 2023;
• The revenue for Azure cloud services grew by over 20% in just 2021.

A huge majority of people use such software solutions on a daily basis, both in the workplace and at home. That’s why building SaaS applications becomes a promising growth strategy for many companies.

SaaS application development services refer to the creation of such software solutions for B2B or B2C use. Some of the most well-known SaaS apps are:

• Netflix;
• Salesforce;
• HubSpot;
• Trello;
• Shopify;
• Mailchimp;
• Zoom;
• Slack;
• Microsoft 365;
• Adobe Creative Cloud.

If you are interested in building SaaS applications, it is important to dive deeper into what such projects entail.

Typical Features of a SaaS Application

No matter whether it is a B2B or B2C solution, there are common features for all SaaS apps. They are hosted in a cloud, which makes them available online from any device or location. And they are extremely convenient for end-users and providers.

SaaS application development solutions offer access to software without any need to download or install anything.

Other most typical features of such apps are:

• Registration, log-in, and log-out functionality. To access the solution, one needs to log into the account from any device with an internet connection;
• Subscription payment model. There are typically three ways to monetize such applications – freemium, subscription, and pay-as-you-go. Users can use it for a specific period they’ve paid for or based on the features they use;
• Flexibility and scalability. Such software is easy to scale up or down, they offer various billing models, and ease of use;
• Data protection. One of the crucial parts of SaaS web application development is data security and protection of all sensitive information;
• Great UI/UX design. These solutions offer user-friendly interfaces and a comfortable user experience. Overall, they are human-centric, which allows for attracting a wider audience;
• Regular updates. Another important feature of SaaS apps is that are constant updates that solve issues and/or offer new functionality;
• Notification function. In the majority of cases, they provide the freedom to subscribe to notifications via email.

SaaS based app development ensures the opportunity to create scalable, flexible, and powerful software.

Pros and Cons of SaaS App Development

Working on such a product offers a wide range of opportunities to a business. The main benefits, in this case, are:

Entering a growing market

There is a great demand for comfortable, affordable, and flexible apps of all sorts, from streaming to ERP software. By creating SaaS products, a company can grow its audience, target new customers, and go global.

Growing the number of customers

Coming back to Adobe as an example, the switch to SaaS allowed for even bigger growth in the number of clients. As of today, Adobe is one of the largest SaaS companies globally. The traditional lifetime license used to cost around $700 and now one can subscribe to a creative cloud for about $10 per month.

This alone makes the software accessible for large groups of people, for example, students. The fast SaaS application development framework provides an opportunity to make your product more affordable for end customers.

Stable revenue

Another major advantage of SaaS applications is that they ensure steady and relatively stable revenue for a business. It helps to work on it further, develop the business, and create constant updates.

Shorter time to market

From the development standpoint, such applications are easy to deploy. They also offer cost and time reductions when it comes to delivery.

It is also important to mention that SaaS apps are hugely beneficial to end customers. And this contributes to the market growth and popularity of such products.

But it is worth mentioning that there are some challenges when it comes to SaaS cloud application development one needs to keep in mind. These are:

• If a company decides to switch cloud vendors, it will be a difficult and long process as one needs to migrate all the data to a new environment. So when planning a project, research which cloud provider suits your goals best;
• Issues might appear on the side of the cloud hosting partner. It is a rare occurrence, but there is always such a risk;
• Third-party integrations (like a payment system) might take some time and more effort. It is a complex process that requires a highly-experienced development team.

Overall, the challenges can be overcome with in-depth market research and an excellent team of developers.

Difference Between Web and SaaS Applications

Some people might confuse these two as they share some common features. To put it simply, every SaaS application is a web one (it is accessed online). But not every web application uses software as a service model. SaaS solutions can be also used via desktop, while web apps can be only used via a browser.

Also, SaaS products are hosted in the cloud while web ones are running on a server. So there is a need for specific hardware to build them.

SaaS App Development Team

Such a project requires not only a reliable SaaS application development platform but also an experienced team of professionals. Besides a professional SaaS software developer, other important members contribute to the development.

Usually, the team consists of:

• Project Manager. Professional that is responsible for the project as a whole, progress, and timely delivery. They plan development, assign tasks, and make sure everything aligns with requirements.
• Business Analyst This expert explores the role of the product on the market to ensure the value proposition and successful business model.
• UX/UI Designer. Such a specialist is responsible for the design and implementation of the user interface and user experience. Designers make sure that the product is usable, aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable.
• Backend Developer. This professional works on the backend of the app – the server side of it.
• Frontend or Mobile Developer. These programmers work on the client-side of an app, the one user interacts with.
• QA Engineer. This expert tests the product and makes sure there are no errors, bugs, or defects of any sort.

How to build a SaaS application successfully? The best idea is to hire an experienced and highly-skilled team of professionals that can deliver a complex solution. A lot of businesses opt for outsourcing as it is more cost-efficient and fast. It also offers access to a significantly bigger talent pool.

Monthly Salary Rates for SaaS Developers

Here are the monthly salary rates of SaaS application developers in different countries:

• USA – $8,904
• Germany – $5,100
• Switzerland – $8,760
• Netherlands – $5,800
• Denmark – $5,565
• Ukraine – $4,100*

*Ukrainian salaries are provided based on Mobilunity’s Recruitment Team research on the local job markets. All salaries are net and do not include the service fee (in case of hiring on a dedicated team model). The salaries are provided for comparison purposes and could be not entirely accurate. Contact us to know the exact cost of hiring a developer corresponding to the required parameters.

Mobilunity – Your Dedicated Dev Team Partner in Eastern Europe

Mobilunity is a Ukrainian IT staff augmentation company with more than 10 years of experience. We’ve already completed a multitude of various projects for international companies of different sizes.

We provide access to highly skilled and experienced freelance data analyst and IT developers Eastern Europe. Mobilunity offers SaaS services and hires dedicated developers for clients all over the world.

For example, we helped InsurTech (Switzerland) with their SaaS Esurance product by providing them with a remote team of talented developers. Together they continuously work on a neutral online insurance solution.

We’ve also partnered with XPLG (Israel) on its data management SaaS solution – a log analysis platform for IT apps. Mobilunity hired an excellent team that contributes to the acceleration of the development of the product.

Another client of ours is ICUC (Canada). Mobilunity has found suitable professionals that work on the SaaS social media management application together with the company’s in-house team.

These are just three success stories among many others. Mobilunity is happy to help you grow your business by creating, optimizing, or accelerating a SaaS application. 

Interested in SaaS application development solutions for your business? Contact our team today!

Written by:

Anastasia Stefanuk

Market Researcher

Disclaimer: All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate NET numbers based on the research done by our in-house Recruitment Team. Please use these numbers as a guide for comparison purposes only and feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.