12 Micro-SaaS Ideas You Can Build and Charge For in 2026

I spent the last month analyzing what people are actually searching for, complaining about, and paying for online. Not hypothetical ideas - real gaps where money is changing hands and the existing solutions are terrible.

Here are 12 micro-SaaS ideas you could start building today. Each one has real demand signals and a viable path to $5-20K MRR as a solo founder.

1. Client portal for freelancers

The problem: Freelancers email files back and forth, chase feedback in Slack, and lose track of project status. Clients hate it too.

Why now: The freelance economy hit $1.3T globally. Tools like HoneyBook exist but cost $400/yr and are designed for wedding photographers, not developers or designers.

The play: Dead-simple portal where freelancers share deliverables, collect feedback, and track milestones. Charge $19/mo. Integrate with Stripe for invoicing.

Competition weakness: HoneyBook, Dubsado, and 17hats are all bloated and designed for event-based businesses. Nobody's built the "Linear for freelancers."

2. Review response generator for local businesses

The problem: Local businesses (restaurants, dentists, salons) get Google reviews and don't know how to respond. Or they ignore them, which tanks their local SEO.

Why now: Google's algorithm heavily weights review responses. Most local business owners know this but don't have time to write thoughtful responses to every review.

The play: AI-powered tool that drafts personalized responses to Google/Yelp reviews. One-click publish. $29/mo for unlimited reviews.

Competition weakness: Existing tools (Birdeye, Podium) cost $300+/mo and are built for chains. Solo restaurant owners need something at 1/10th the price.

3. Tenant communication tool for small landlords

The problem: Landlords with 5-20 units manage maintenance requests via text message. They lose track of what's been fixed, what's pending, and who reported what.

Why now: 48% of rental units in the US are owned by individual landlords, not property companies. Almost none of them use property management software because it's designed for 100+ units.

The play: Simple app where tenants submit requests, landlords track and respond. Built-in photo uploads and status tracking. $5/unit/month.

Competition weakness: Buildium, AppFolio, and Rent Manager start at $50-100/mo and require setup calls. Overkill for someone managing a duplex.

4. Proposal builder for agencies

The problem: Agencies spend 3-5 hours building proposals in Google Docs. Each one looks different. Win rates are terrible because proposals don't look professional.

Why now: The agency model is booming (AI agencies, marketing agencies, dev shops). Everyone needs proposals but nobody wants to build them from scratch.

The play: Template-based proposal builder with e-signatures, pricing tables, and analytics (did they open it? how long did they read?). $39/mo.

5. Inventory tracker for resellers

The problem: People who flip items on eBay/Poshmark/Mercari track inventory in spreadsheets. They lose track of purchase price, listing status, and profit margins across platforms.

Why now: The resale market is $200B+ and growing 25% YoY. Millions of people do this as a side hustle or full-time business.

The play: Simple inventory management that syncs with eBay/Poshmark. Auto-calculates profit after fees and shipping. $15/mo.

6. AI meeting notes for specific industries

The problem: Generic meeting note tools (Otter, Fireflies) transcribe everything but don't understand domain-specific terminology. A therapy session, a real estate showing, or a legal consultation needs specialized processing.

Why now: AI transcription is commodity tech now. The value is in understanding WHAT was said in context, not just the words.

The play: Pick ONE industry (therapists, real estate agents, lawyers). Build meeting notes that extract action items, follow-ups, and industry-specific data points. $29/mo.

7. Cancellation flow builder for SaaS

The problem: SaaS companies lose customers at the cancel button. Most just let them click "cancel" and leave. The ones that add a retention flow see 10-30% saves.

Why now: Churn is the #1 problem in SaaS and everyone knows it. But building a custom cancellation flow takes engineering time most startups don't have.

The play: Drop-in widget that adds a smart cancellation flow to any SaaS. Offers discounts, collects reasons, suggests alternatives. Charge based on recovered revenue.

8. Content calendar for niche creators

The problem: Creators posting on 3+ platforms need to plan content, track what performed, and repurpose top performers. Existing tools (Buffer, Hootsuite) are designed for brands, not individual creators.

Why now: 50M+ creators worldwide. Most use a combination of Google Sheets and sticky notes to plan content.

The play: Visual calendar with AI-powered repurposing suggestions. "Your LinkedIn post about X did 3x average - here's a Twitter thread version." $12/mo.

9. Client intake forms for professional services

The problem: Accountants, lawyers, and consultants send new clients a Google Form or worse, ask them to fill out a PDF. Then they manually enter that data into their systems.

Why now: Professional services are finally digitizing, but most firms are small (2-10 people) and can't afford enterprise solutions.

The play: Beautiful intake forms that auto-map to common accounting/legal software. Smart conditional logic. $25/mo per firm.

10. Equipment rental management

The problem: Small equipment rental businesses (party supplies, construction tools, camera gear) track rentals in notebooks. They double-book, lose track of late returns, and don't know what's profitable.

Why now: The equipment rental market is $60B and highly fragmented. Most players are local businesses with 0-1 employees.

The play: Simple rental tracking with calendar view, late-fee automation, and damage documentation. $35/mo.

11. SOC 2 evidence collector

The problem: Startups pursuing SOC 2 compliance need to collect and organize evidence across 100+ controls. Most do this in Google Drive folders. It's a nightmare.

Why now: Every B2B startup needs SOC 2 to sell to enterprises. The existing tools (Vanta, Drata) cost $10K+/year. Startups under 20 employees can't justify that.

The play: Lightweight evidence collection tool that organizes screenshots, policies, and logs against SOC 2 controls. $99/mo - still 90% cheaper than Vanta.

12. Waitlist + launch page builder

The problem: Founders launching new products need a waitlist page. They either use a $0 solution (Carrd + Google Sheets) that looks basic, or pay for LaunchRock which hasn't been updated since 2019.

Why now: The launch-fast culture means people are creating landing pages weekly. The current tools are either too simple or too complex.

The play: Beautiful, opinionated launch pages with built-in waitlist, referral tracking, and email sequences. One-click deploy. $15/mo.

How to pick which one to build

Don't pick the one that sounds coolest. Pick the one where:

1. You understand the customer. If you've never managed rental property, idea #3 will be hard. If you freelance, #1 is obvious.
2. You can reach the customer. Can you find these people in Reddit communities, Facebook groups, or industry forums? If you can't find them, you can't sell to them.
3. The existing solutions are embarrassingly bad. Go sign up for the current market leader. If you cringe within 5 minutes, you've found your opportunity.

Every one of these ideas has real people spending real money on bad alternatives right now. The bar isn't perfection - it's "better than a spreadsheet."