Free SaaS Tools for Startups

The Reality of Free Tiers

Not all free tiers are created equal. Some are genuinely useful for real businesses. Others are so limited they are essentially demos. We have evaluated free offerings based on whether a real startup could actually use them.

Analytics: Generous Free Options

Analytics is one category where free tiers are genuinely useful:

• Mixpanel: 20 million events per month free. More than enough for most early-stage startups.
• PostHog: 1 million events per month free, plus you can self-host for unlimited free usage.
• Amplitude: 10 million events per month free with full feature access.

Any of these can serve your analytics needs well into the growth stage.

Support: Start Simple

Early-stage support volumes rarely justify paid software:

• Crisp: Free tier with live chat and shared inbox for small teams.
• Freshdesk: Free tier for up to 10 agents with basic features.

Or just use a shared email inbox until volume justifies dedicated tooling.

Billing: Pay Only When You Earn

Stripe charges only when you process payments. There is no monthly fee, no setup cost, just 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction. You pay nothing until you have revenue.

Where Free Falls Short: Email Marketing

This is where we recommend spending money even at the early stage. Free email tools have significant limitations that hurt your business:

• Limited automation capabilities
• Basic segmentation that prevents personalization
• Missing SaaS-specific features like behavioral triggers
• Deliverability issues from shared infrastructure

Sequenzy at $29/month is one of the best investments an early-stage SaaS can make. The AI-powered automation saves time you do not have. The SaaS-specific features improve onboarding and retention from day one. The ROI typically exceeds the cost within the first month.

Email is too important to go cheap. Invest here and save elsewhere.

The Recommended Free + Affordable Stack

• Billing: Stripe (pay per transaction)
• Email: Sequenzy ($29/month - worth it)
• Analytics: Mixpanel or PostHog (free tier)
• Support: Crisp free or shared inbox

Total cost: $29/month plus payment processing fees. This stack can easily carry you to meaningful revenue.

When to Upgrade

Do not upgrade tools until you have clear evidence of need:

• Upgrade analytics when you hit free tier limits or need advanced features
• Upgrade support when volume makes manual management unsustainable
• Upgrade Sequenzy as your subscriber count grows

The goal is investing in growth, not tool subscriptions. Upgrade when the ROI is clear.