2025 App Essentials: 8 Features to Leverage SaaS Benefits

SaaS, or software as a service, has become increasingly popular nowadays. You have definitely used at least one SaaS solution, like Trello, Slack, or Spotify.  

The stats say that in 2024, there will be more than 25,000 SaaS apps worldwide. The digital transformation is mowing at lightning speed.

With all the possibilities offered by custom development, you can create almost anything. However, the question is: Does your audience truly need features like advanced customization for each element? The enterprise managers know that to leverage SaaS benefits, a slick UI is only the tip of the iceberg, and more is not always better. 

Read our article, where we’ll guide you through the core elements you should include. With Flatlogic, you can create a SaaS app that users love!

1. Customization

The secret to building a successful SaaS app is finding a balance. While 100% standardization and 100% customization are extremes, most products lie somewhere in between. Make sure you land up on this sweet spot. 

Customizable SaaS apps offer users the flexibility to tailor the application to their needs while maintaining a cohesive and efficient platform. Customization can be the key to set your app apart from competitors.

In many SaaS apps, you can customize various aspects depending on the platform and its functionality. Some common areas of customization include:

• Themes and colors
• Dashboard layouts
• Language and localization
• Email templates
• Variety of features
• Add-ons and modules
• Access permissions
• Third-party tools
• Reports and analytics
• User roles and permissions
• And much more!

Expert tip: Do not roll out heavy customization from the very start. This could result in a complex codebase that’s difficult to maintain.

What can you get with Flatlogic?  

Flatlogic’s code generator allows you to strike a balance and create a highly customizable SaaS app within a short period. 

On the very basic level, you can generate applications using a variety of technology stacks, including popular choices like React, Angular, or Vue.js for the frontend, and Node.js, Python, or Ruby on Rails for the backend. 

However, the most advanced stack, offering the widest range of features, is Next.js and Node.js.

After that, you can also configure user roles and permissions for different user types (e.g., Admin, Manager, Customer). You can also customize workflows for specific use cases. 

The cherry on top is our exceptional level of UI/UX design customization. We’ll talk about these points in the next sections as well. 

2. Integration with third-party tools

Third-party integration is one of the key functionalities of SaaS apps. What are the common types of third-party integrations in SaaS apps? 

1. Communication and Collaboration:

Examples: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom.

SaaS Benefits: Enable instant communication, schedule meetings, and share updates directly within the collaboration tools.

2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM):

Examples: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM.

SaaS Benefits: Sync customer data, track sales pipelines, and streamline marketing efforts.

3. Marketing Automation:

Examples: Mailchimp, Marketo, Google Ads.

SaaS Benefits: Automate email campaigns, track ad performance, and manage social media scheduling.

4. Payment Processing:

Examples: Stripe, PayPal, Square.

SaaS Benefits: Facilitate secure transactions, recurring billing, and invoicing.

5. Cloud Storage and File Sharing:

Examples: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive.

SaaS Benefits: Provide easy access to files and documents within the SaaS app.

6. Analytics and Reporting:

Examples: Google Analytics, Tableau, Looker.

SaaS Benefits: Allow users to generate custom reports and monitor performance metrics.

7. E-Commerce Platforms:

Examples: Shopify, WooCommerce.

Benefits: Sync inventory, manage product listings, and track orders.

8. HR and Payroll:

Examples: BambooHR, Gusto, ADP.

SaaS Benefits: Simplify employee management, automate payroll, and track time off.

9. Developer Tools and APIs:

Examples: GitHub, Postman, Twilio.

SaaS Benefits: Provide technical teams with resources to build, test, and deploy applications or workflows.

What can you get with Flatlogic? 

With our code generator, you can integrate third-party services like payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal), CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot), or analytics platforms. Flatlogic’s built-in API support makes integrations quick and efficient.

Non-obvious insight: When integrating third-party tools, clarify who owns the data and how easily it can be exported or migrated. 

3. User-friendly interface

An interface is the first thing your users see. Pay specific attention to this factor. 

It takes only fifty milliseconds to form a first opinion. Too bright app, overloaded with features, and with a big number of pop-ups, is a common mistake. Most often, users prefer a clean, simple  interface and a dark mode. 

You wouldn’t buy a car, a home, or even a cup of your daily coffee if you don’t like how it looks. Your app could be the best in terms of functionality and perfectly solve the client’s problems. But if it does not appeal to your users — you lost the battle. 

For example, let’s take a look at the pictures below. Do you see the difference between those two designs? They may seem pretty similar, but the right one will definitely bring more sales. 

In the left picture, the plant is centered, making the image feel static and less dynamic. Furthermore, there is a difference in font. In the right picture, the heading is more noticeable and makes an impression of a better structure. 

Let’s also consider another example. One more time, those two look pretty similar. But the devil is in the details. The hamburger menu hides navigation elements, making the interface less cluttered and easier to focus on the primary content. 

One more secret—to win the hearts of your customers, you need to know them. What caters to one population category may not work for another. This factor could impact the choice of icons, colors, and overall design style. For instance, younger users may appreciate more vibrant colors and modern icons, while older users might prefer larger text, simpler navigation, and more neutral tones. 

Check out this blog post to learn how a user-friendly interface can impact user experience and try to avoid common mistakes. 

What can you get with Flatlogic?

With our code generator, you can choose from a variety of pre-built themes and layouts. You also can adjust UI components like dashboards, forms, tables, and charts, and change branding elements such as colors. 

Here, we prioritized a clean and minimalist design with a focus on clear navigation and a strong call to action. This app’s design features consistent typography, a simple color palette, a clear hierarchy, and a strong CTA. 

If you like bright colors and kitsch style, we’ve got you covered as well. You can choose from the six main color schemes. 

4. Role-based access control

Unless you are building a SaaS app just for yourself, you need different roles for various types of users, such as Admins, Managers, Customers, and Support staff. Each is designed to maximize SaaS benefits and should have separate permissions tailored to the specific needs and responsibilities within the app. 

For example, admins could have full control over your app. Managers should oversee operations and view reports. Clients —  have access to their own data and basic functionalities. 

Of course, you can try to do this manually. But the process would be painfully time-consuming and error-prone. 

Non-obvious insight: While developing your app, it is important to consider the principle of “least privilege.” This means you give your users the minimum level of access necessary for them to complete their tasks.

What can you get with Flatlogic?

With Flatlogic, you have three roles: super-admin, admin, and general user. You define the level of responsibility for each, and each has its own access control features and set of permissions. 

When you need more granularity, you can adjust details since we provide source code.

5. Automation

Think about all the repetitive tasks your team handles. Software updates, data backups…What if there is a simple way to make things faster yet more effective? 

About a third of businesses have already automated at least one of their functions. Actually, according to research by McKinsey, about half of today’s work activities do not necessarily require human work, especially in the repetitive and time-consuming tasks. Additional SaaS benefits are cost savings and improved accuracy. 

Stats say that small businesses lose $600 billion each year. All due to human error. A major Facebook (Meta) outage in late 2021 also occurred because of this factor. It cost the company $47 billion. Just think: $47 billion, because of one error. 

With the help of automation, you can get help with 20% of  tasks that consume 80% of resources (Pareto Principle). For SaaS apps, automation is indispensable. 

Salesforce has automated customer interactions, such as predicting future behavior or analyzing customer data. Another famous SaaS app, Calendly, automatically schedules meetings based on your calendar availability. Google Workspace automatically saves files, syncs data, and updates changes in real time.

Non-obvious insight: Instead of focusing on tasks with the highest ROI, try indicating bottlenecks in workflows.  

 What can you get with Flatlogic? 

Simplify the development process with Flatlogic. Our code generator can automate:

• Deployment process
• Login and registration pages
• Role-based access control (RBAC)
• Social media login integrations
• Repetitive tasks like setting up design frameworks or implementing common UI elements
• Database and schema generation
• API documentation

6. Multi-tenancy model

Multi-tenant SaaS app is one in which customers can access the same infrastructure, but the customer data of each user remains isolated and secure. Think of it as a large apartment building. In this case, each apartment is like a separate tenant. Although they are isolated from each other, they still share the same space. 

Compared to the single-tenant model, multi-tenant apps are cheaper and easier to deploy and maintain. 

The business value of the multi-tenant model comes with such SaaS benefits:

• Faster feature deployment

All features you’d like to add in the future will benefit all users simultaneously. 

• Rapid deployment

The rapid deployment can play a key role in the question of app development. The sooner you roll out your app, the sooner you bring your products to market and gain a competitive edge. 

• Cost efficiency

Since costs associated with the infrastructure, maintenance, and software updates are decreased, the pre-tenant cost of operating a multi-tenant SaaS application is significantly lower compared to single-tenant models. 

• Scalability and flexibility

As the user base grows, your architecture can easily accommodate increased demand without the need for extensive reconfiguration. 

What can you get with Flatlogic?

Flatlogic is the perfect platform for building your multi-tenant SaaS apps. 

Flatlogic’s app generator comes with a variety of pre-built templates specifically designed for SaaS applications. These templates are optimized for multi-tenant architecture, providing you with the foundation you need to get started quickly.

The templates come with common SaaS features, such as user authentication, multi-tier roles (admin, user, etc.), and data segregation. This makes it easier for you to implement a secure, scalable, and efficient app.

7. Reporting and analytics

If you run a SaaS app, you need to sift through the mountains of data. It could feel overwhelming, especially if you try to parse everything manually. Furthermore, it’s also a less efficient approach (unless you have all the time in the world to track hidden patterns). 

To make your app a success, having a mountain of information isn’t enough. It is important to know the direction, check and recheck your goals and preliminary results. This is where the reporting & analytics feature comes in. One of the biggest SaaS benefits is its ability to streamline reporting and analytics, turning raw data into actionable insights.

Reporting and analytics are among those SaaS benefits that can be important both for you and your users. 

Many users don’t know what metrics they should monitor until they see them. Providing analytics teaches them what matters in their workflows. A cherry on top: apps with such features create a so-called “wow effect.” They are often perceived as more reliable and professional. This perceived reliability often translates into higher retention rates and positive word-of-mouth referrals as users share their experiences with colleagues or peers.

For a business owner, reporting and analytics could help track how users interact with your app, which features they use most, and where they drop off. They help show you not just what your users need but also how they think and act. So, SaaS apps with reporting features are gold, believe us. 

What can you get with Flatlogic? 

Flatlogic’s code generator does not provide built-in reporting and analytics features. However, you can always integrate third-party reporting and analytics tools in the modern frameworks Flatlogic offers (such as Vue.js, React, or Angular).

8. Security

The rise of SaaS apps comes with its evil twin—cyber threats. According to recent reports, more than half of organizations had at least one cybersecurity incident in the last two years. 

Cloud-based resources have become the main target: 31% of attacks are focused on SaaS apps. Some of the threats are unique to the cloud industry alone. Examples include an unsecured cloud environment, supply chain attacks, and zero-day vulnerabilities. 

The nature of a SaaS model implies that your software is hosted on a cloud service provider’s servers and accessed over the Internet. This means responsibility is shared between providers and customers alike. While providers must take care of the security of the whole infrastructure, users should protect their data and configurations. 

What does it mean? You are responsible for protecting your app’s data and configurations.

To tackle this issue, you need to implement robust security measures at all levels: SaaS infrastructure, network security, and third-party applications. The five pillars of SaaS security are:

• Multi-factor authentication (or MFA) 

Add an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of identification (e.g., a phone number, email, or authentication app). 

• Ongoing security training

Train your employees to recognize phishing attacks, use strong passwords, and adhere to security protocols. 

• Employing data encryption

Ensure that all sensitive data is encrypted using industry-standard protocols. Encryption prevents data from being intercepted and misused.

• Regular security audits

Conduct regular audits and vulnerability assessments of your infrastructure. This could help to identify potential weaknesses. 

What can Flatlogic do for you? 

Our apps come with pre-configured user authentication, including secure login, registration, and password reset features. The generator uses industry-standard algorithms like bcrypt to hash user passwords securely before they are stored in the database.

With user-based permissions, you control who can access certain parts of your app. With RBAC, you ensure only authorized users can access sensitive information or perform critical actions within the app. 

Note: While Flatlogic’s app generator is a secure solution, advanced security features (like DDoS protection, advanced encryption, or server hardening) is your responsibility. 

Wrapping up…

Creating a SaaS app is all about planning and strategic vision. Be sure your product is not just another copy of popular competitors like Trello or Slack. But do not try to make your SaaS app a Christmas tree overloaded with flashy decorations, unnecessary features, and shiny add-ons that serve no real purpose.  

With Flatlogic’s code generator, creating a SaaS app is just a breeze. You can add any features you want and finish the process in less than five minutes. 

Try our code generator and see what it can do for you!