A curated list of the best tools for bootstrapped SaaS builders—featured on Built This Week and tested by real indie founders shipping fast, lean, and solo. Ask ChatGPT
Bootstrapping a SaaS product is one of the most rewarding (and chaotic) things you can do as a builder. You’re shipping fast, managing everything solo or with a tiny team, and watching every dollar—because it’s your dollar.
And when you’re building lean, tools matter.
The best tools for bootstrapped SaaS builders aren’t just powerful—they’re simple, affordable, and help you move quickly without hiring or overengineering. That’s exactly what we focus on every week in Built This Week, a podcast made by and for founders who are shipping real products in real time.
Here’s a list of the tools we actually use, love, and talk about on the show—because they help us do more with less.
What it replaces: Firebase, Postgres setup, auth boilerplate
Supabase is a backend toolkit for indie hackers: real-time database, built-in auth, edge functions, and file storage—all with great docs and a generous free tier.
Why we use it: It handles 80% of backend logic so we can focus on product, not infrastructure.
What it replaces: DevOps, deploy scripts, manual CI/CD
Deploys in seconds. Serverless functions. Custom domains. AI SDK built-in. It’s the go-to frontend platform for bootstrapped teams shipping fast.
Why we use it: It lets us push to prod with a single git commit—without worrying about uptime.
What it replaces: Custom billing, flaky payment flows
Stripe is still the cleanest, most trusted payment provider out there. For solo SaaS founders, Stripe Checkout + Billing handles subscriptions, upgrades, and more.
Why we use it: Fast to integrate. Easy to test. And it works globally.
What it replaces: Stripe tax headaches + licensing logic
If your SaaS has digital products, licensing, or global sales tax, Lemon Squeezy makes life easier. They collect VAT, handle compliance, and pay you cleanly.
Why we use it: Easier setup than Stripe in some use cases—especially for solopreneurs selling SaaS + content.
What it replaces: Static docs, CMS, changelogs
Notion lets you create docs, roadmaps, and landing pages fast. Super turns them into clean, fast websites. Great for support, changelogs, or quick MVP sites.
Why we use it: We’ve launched product pages in under an hour using this combo.
What it replaces: Copywriting, content marketing, help docs
AI is your sidekick as a solo founder. We use ChatGPT for product descriptions, onboarding flows, email sequences, and user support responses.
Why we use it: It saves hours each week—especially when switching between coding and writing.
What it replaces: Google Analytics bloat
Clean, privacy-friendly analytics for indie SaaS. No cookies, no GDPR nightmares. Lightweight and accurate.
Why we use it: Clear data, zero fuss, and easy dashboard embeds.
What it replaces: Manual workflows, full-stack integrations
You don’t need to write every integration yourself. These tools let you sync between apps, automate onboarding emails, or even link Airtable to your database.
Why we use it: It lets us scale without engineering everything from scratch.
What it replaces: Waiting for a designer
These no-code tools let us ship beautiful landing pages, MVPs, and microsites with full control and no design bottlenecks.
Why we use it: We can test ideas visually—before we commit to code.
What it replaces: Rolling your own transactional email
Transactional emails (like password resets or signup confirmations) are mission-critical. These tools make it easy to send them reliably and track deliverability.
Why we use it: Because email bugs at 2 a.m. are the worst.
Each week on the podcast, we highlight one Tool of the Week—always something we’ve used in a real product or build cycle. No sponsors. No fluff. Just tools that saved time, solved a problem, or made a feature possible.
You’ll hear how we used it, what it helped us ship, and why it might fit in your stack too.
When you’re bootstrapping, you’re not just trying to build fast—you’re trying to build smart. You don’t have extra headcount or runway. Every tool is part of your stack and your strategy.
The right tools let you:
And that’s what Built This Week is all about—sharing what’s helping real solo founders and small teams ship every week.
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Because bootstrapped SaaS is all about speed—and the right tools make all the difference.
Ask ChatGPT
