What Will Work (and Won't) in SaaS in 2026:- Lessons from Building 100 Tools

I’ve been building, launching, and documenting a bunch of SaaS tools over the last few years. After 100+ experiments, the vast majority were good but optional- meaning people tried them once, then moved on.

In reading back over what did stick and what quietly faded, I noticed a pattern:

The winners don’t just automate tasks - they automate decisions, embed into workflows, reduce cognitive load, and earn trust over time.

In my latest article, I share what I think will work in SaaS in 2026, and what I think won’t - not theory, but patterns based on real product outcomes.

Key themes you might find interesting: - Products that decide what to do next, not just show data. - Tools that run in the background and plug into existing workflows. - AI used as infrastructure, not as a hype label. - Why many standalone dashboards and single-interface outputs will struggle.

I would love to hear what HN thinks: - Do you agree with these predictions? - What SaaS trends do you think will matter most by 2026? - Am I missing anything?

Looking forward to the discussion!