The SaaS Takeover

Some days I imagined the time when I could actually buy software. Pay once, install it, use it for years, done. It looks like every tool wants to live in my credit card, and even the simplest app insists on a monthly relationship. That didn’t happen by accident. I mean, the world didn’t wake up one day and decide SaaS was more elegant. It took shape as a practical solution, and over time it became the model users were expected to accept.

From a developer’s perspective, SaaS is almost obvious as predictable revenue keeps the lights on, and helps paying for servers, support, cloud bills, and the never-ending work of keeping software secure. Security alone is a full-time job now, actually.

But then comes the uncomfortable side. Once revenue depends on retention, features become a tool, not always a solution. I’ve seen products ship updates no one asked for, just to justify another email saying "we’re evolving...". I've seen softwares growing heavier, more complex, and somehow less useful, all in service of looking busy enough to deserve its monthly fee.

I have a particular example: My wife is a psychologist, and she used to make heavily use of pens and papers to jot down key informations during sessions. The transition to an iPad was game changer to her. She bought a license for GoodNotes 5. It'd been simple and solid for a long time. Then came version 6, wrapped in a subscription model, bundled with features most users never asked for, and paired with increasingly aggressive nudges to upgrade. Longtime users like her who had already paid for a perfectly functional tool were suddenly treated like they were outdated, even though nothing was broken.

A subscription model most of the times lowers the entry barrier for people. You can start cheap, cancel anytime, and avoid big upfront costs. That’s great. But over time, the math changes. Ten dollars here, twenty there, and suddenly you’re renting your entire workflow. Stop paying, and access - or even data - disappears. In other words, ownership has been replaced by permission.

This is where my frustration lives. SaaS isn’t evil, but it’s not neutral either. It asks users to trust that the company will stay honest, stable, and aligned with their needs. Sometimes prices creep up, features get locked, or the company is acquiresd by another one, and you realize switching is harder than staying.

The SaaS takeover makes sense. I get why it happened. I just wish we talked more honestly about its trade-offs, instead of pretending subscriptions are always progress.