I went down a rabbit hole of how to save on SaaS costs. I ended up finding so many software providers that offer free self-hosting (i.e. you install the software on your own servers), are completely open sourced or ways where you pay once and have access forever.
Despite the opens you may still decide on the ‘premium’ options due to better functionality or ease of access. (not all of us want to install and manage our own services)
⚠️ Disclaimer: I am unaffiliated with all of the tools below and many of these tools are unused by me so explore at your own risk.
Communication / Messaging
Slack Pro Subscription Plan costs $7.25 USD per person/month (yearly), or $8.75 USD per person/month (monthly)
Campfire is a one time fee of $299 but self-hosted. Discord is free, monetizing less integral features like server boosting.
Signing Documents
Docusign Standard plan: $25/month or $300/yr.
SignHouse Lifetime Basic deal: $199 for 5 users, unlimited contracts.
No Code Website Builder
Webflow subscription: $14/month for more than 2 pages and a custom domain.
Webstudio Pro Lifetime T2: $499/lifetime. Also a hobby self-hosted version: $0 with custom domain.
If you’re small, Beehiiv or Brevo makes sense. Sendy is good as you scale big. Still need Amazon SES (paid per email).
Brevo
Free: 300 emails/day. Paid: $28/m for 20k emails/m.
Beehiiv
Launch Tier: $0 for 2500 subs, unlimited sends. Scale: $39/m.
Sendy
One-time $69. Self-host + Amazon SES = $0.10/1000 emails.
Email Marketing Automation
If you’re sending SMS then you might still use Klaviyo!
Klaviyo free: 500 monthly sends. Paid from $45/m.
Dittofeed can be free if self-hosted.
Accounting
Xero from $16 AUD/m.
Akaunting free on-prem for 1 user/1 accountant. Lifetime licenses available.
Design Software
Figma free for 3 collaborative designs. Pro starts at $12/m.
Penpot is a free Figma alternative (online or self-hosted).
Nice Looking Forms
Typeform free: 10 responses/form. Paid: $29/m for 100 responses.
Youform free: unlimited responses. Pro: $29/m or $399 once-off.
Screen Recording on Mac
Loom is easy but Screen Studio is cheaper (lifetime). Loom might be worth it for ease of sharing.
Ecamm Live from $16/m.
Screen Studio Lifetime: $89 for 1 device, $189 for 3 devices.
Customer Support
Intercom from $39/seat/m.
Papercups is open-source & self-hostable for no cost.
Personal & Company Notes / Documentation
Notion free for individuals. Great free plan.
AppFlowy is free, open-source, and self-hosted.
Anytype has self-hosted options with fewer restrictions.
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Trigger → Effect Automations
Zapier free for 100 zaps. More requires payment.
n8n self-hosted is free. Automatisch also open-source & self-hosted.
Link Shortener
Bitly Free: 10 links/month, unlimited clicks.
Dub free plan: 25 new links/mo, 1K tracked clicks/mo, custom domains.
Search Engine Position Tracking & Keyword Research
Ahrefs & Semrush are paid SEO tools.
SerpBear self-hosted for free, pay only for scraping.
Data Pipeline
Segment free for 1000 visitors/m. Paid from $120/m.
Jitsu free self-hosted version with a generous free plan.
🧠 Ajay’s Resource Bank
A few tools and collections I’ve built (or obsessively curated) over the years:
100+ Mental Models
Mental shortcuts and thinking tools I’ve refined over the past decade. These have evolved as I’ve gained experience — pruned, updated, and battle-tested.100+ Questions
If you want better answers, ask better questions. These are the ones I keep returning to — for strategy, reflection, and unlocking stuck conversations.Startup OS
A lightweight operating system I built for running startups. I’m currently adapting it for growth teams as I scale Superpower — thinking about publishing it soon.Remote Games & Activities
Fun team-building exercises and games (many made in Canva) that actually work. Good for offsites, Zoom fatigue, or breaking the ice with distributed teams.
✅ Ajay’s “would recommend” List
These are tools and services I use personally and professionally — and recommend without hesitation:
Athyna – Offshore Hiring Done Right
I personally have worked with assistants overseas and built offshore teams. Most people get this wrong by assuming you have to go the lowest cost for automated work. Try hiring high quality, strategic people for a fraction of the cost instead.Superpower – It starts with a 100+ lab tests
I joined Superpower as Head of Growth, but I originally came on to fix my health. In return, I got a full diagnostic panel, a tailored action plan, and ongoing support that finally gave me clarity after years of flying blind.
