The exponential growth in the popularity of SaaS (software-as-a-service) development has continued over the past few years. Companies now rely on SaaS products and services to replace traditional software.
As of 2021, the SaaS market is estimated at $160 billion USD. These figures have grown over the past decade following endorsements by top companies like Facebook.
Facebook’s release of ReactJS in 2017 started a worldwide seismic shift. As a result, other tech giants like Microsoft and IBM decided to invest in their own SaaS development framework.
Since multinational tech giants are banking on SaaS Development frameworks, your startup or business would benefit from investing in this amazing technology too.
So, this article will focus on the best framework for SaaS applications. You will also discover why ReactJS is the best option for SaaS development from our point of view.
How to choose a framework for SaaS development
Choosing a SaaS framework is vital in your business because it determines critical financial and administrative decisions. While factoring in your development team’s expertise, you also need to consider the most relevant framework for SaaS.
Let’s look at the main criteria to consider when choosing a framework for SaaS application development.
- Scalability
Scalability is a key factor when choosing a framework for SaaS development. In this era of fast-paced technological advancements, you need a framework that can support your business’s future growth.
Always prioritize frameworks with increased usage and flexible infrastructure. They allow the SaaS products to adjust to your business while providing relevant solutions as time progresses.
- Preferred programming language
Your preferred framework for a SaaS app should use a programming language that your team knows. E.g., if you have expert JavaScript developers, ReactJS is the best option.
Tailoring your framework choice to your team eliminates the stress of hiring new developers for every project. This approach ensures efficient and highly-productive development cycles.
- Sustainability and reliability
Every SaaS provider harps on the sustainability tune nowadays, but only a few can deliver. So, choose only the best framework for SaaS application development based on expert reviews and proven track records.
Moreover, the best SaaS CMS offers foolproof solutions to connectivity problems. They also provide top-notch security for user data.
Don’t focus on promises and low pricing. Pay top dollar for a reliable and secure framework for your app development. Otherwise, you will spend more time on repairs and maintenance in the future.
- Business and tech requirements
Since every company’s goal is unique, streamline the framework choice to specific business objectives. Don’t implement a framework because of its popularity. Instead, confirm that the functionalities of the framework fit perfectly with your app.
Also, pay more attention to SaaS frameworks with extended libraries and databases. These additional functionalities are often crucial deciders when choosing a tech stack.
- Cost of development
Your budget should always guide your choice of SaaS development frameworks. Work within the company’s financial capabilities. Always balance cost with utility when choosing your preferred platform. This financial approach saves businesses a lot of revenue and ensures a higher quality product.
- Customer support
No matter how highly recommended a framework is, always expect malfunctions. And when these problems occur, you need fast-paced customer support to fix the problem and put your strategy back on track. Therefore, always consider the response time and reliability of the SaaS provider’s customer service.
SaaS Frameworks Overview
Currently, several SaaS frameworks are available online for developers and companies all over the world. Businesses can now fast-track growth by ditching native app development frameworks for these modern SaaS versions.
So, let’s check out some frameworks with the best components for SaaS programming.
ReactJS
ReactJS is an open-source framework that Facebook released in 2013. This framework is perfect for UI because it interacts directly with the virtual DOM. Besides, ReactJS offers fast updates, which increase overall performance significantly.
Angular
In 2010, Google released Angular as the revamped version of the old AngularJS. However, one major drawback to using Angular is the framework’s initial lack of backward compatibility with its predecessor, AngularJS. Although Google has fixed this problem, compatibility issues are still common when working with Angular.
Vue.js
Vue.js came into existence in 2014 as a web framework for creating interactive user interfaces. This easy-to-learn framework offers flexibility alongside an extensive library for different projects. Vue.js is easy to learn because it combines elements of JavaScript and HTML.
Laravel Spark
Laravel is a PHP-based SaaS framework created by Taylor Otwell. This open-source framework follows the MVC (model-view-controller) architecture. Also, Laravel Spark offers templating solutions with an extensive library and database of PHP web applications.
Here is a detailed table of characteristics for different SaaS development frameworks:
| ReactJS | Angular | Vue.js | Laravel Spark |
| Offers great user experience | Offers excellent performance | Offers great user interfaces | Offers template solutions |
| Easy to learn | Difficult to learn | Easy to learn | Difficult to learn |
| JavaScript-based | JavaScript-based | JavaScript-based (HTML too) | PHP-based |
| Large developer community | Small developer community | Small developer community | Small developer community |
| Created by Facebook | Created by Google | Created by Evan You | Created by Taylor Otwell |
Reasons to Use ReactJS Development For SaaS Products
Of all the frameworks mentioned above, ReactJS is the best framework for SaaS development at the moment. This open-source platform provides an up-to-date library for developers.
Insights from Stack Overflow show that ReactJS is a top framework for developing SaaS products among professional developers and enthusiasts.
Facebook’s ownership of the product is a massive stamp of approval. Today, companies like Netflix, Yahoo Mail, Instagram, and Reddit are some of the most commonly known ReactJS-based SaaS apps.
But before choosing ReactJS for SaaS development like other tech giants, find out why it is a popular choice. Here are the advantages of using ReactJS for your SaaS product:
- SEO-Friendly
The performance levels of ReactJS-based apps improve the overall user experience. This amazing user experience also boosts the website or application’s ranking. Besides, one can attribute the SEO-friendliness of ReactJS to its interaction with the virtual DOM.
- Easy to learn
Unlike other frameworks for building SaaS applications, ReactJS is easy to master. The syntax is similar to JavaScript. Moreover, the framework provides multiple libraries and reusable components. And most importantly, the documentation is updated regularly to simplify and beautify development processes across the board.
- One-way data flow
ReactJS has a data structure that flows in a single top-down direction. This downward structure ensures that changes in the child component do not affect the parent components. This clean and simple data structure makes it possible to control and debug the app.
- Component-based structure
ReactJS relies on independent components, which form the eventual building block of any feature or functionality.
- Code Reusability
Since every component is independent, you can reuse them in other projects without creating them from scratch. This reusability reduces the time and hassle for developers working on time-sensitive projects.
- Fast Rendering
The interaction of ReactJS with the modified Virtual DOM accounts for better performance. Every component runs independently to avoid data interference from the servers. And as a result, only targeted components will re-render whenever a client interacts with the page.
- Easy transition from web to mobile
ReactJS is the best SaaS development framework because it allows the smooth transition of apps from the web to mobile. This ease of transition is a result of the JSX syntax — a templating component for HTML quoting. And since most internet users browse on their smartphones, your development strategy needs ReactJS.
OSDB Experience
As an established SaaS solutions provider, we create user-friendly products for our clients. Our experts rely on the ReactJS framework to build SaaS applications. The framework’s flexibility and reliability reduce the overall cost of development and further maintenance.
One of our most notable SaaS projects is the Real Estate Portal, which provides realtors and clients with real estate solutions.
When creating the platform, we had to gather useful information about the real estate industry. At the same time, we had to note the time constraint on the project. Most importantly, we had to develop a platform that provides essential information and insights for users at a lightning pace.
To address these problems, we conducted surveys and extensive research on the needs of the audience. With the data from the analysis, we developed a user profile and product roadmap.
Eventually, the designers created prototypes and wireframes, which the developers used for the development process. We also included an adaptable interface for tenants and property owners alike. We developed a dashboard that featured relevant data on specific properties based on location and interior design.
Since our developers are ReactJS experts, we could complete the project within the 6-month deadline with enough time for debugging and testing.
You can go through our portfolio to discover other exciting projects that we have completed over the years, and if you’re interested in what you see, reach out to us to develop your SaaS products right away.
Final Thoughts
SaaS is the future of software solutions, with tech giants like Facebook and Microsoft adopting this approach. The versatility of this technology is also suitable for the current demand for cloud-based services.
But before deciding on how to choose a framework for SaaS development, consider your company’s objectives and budget. Ensure that the right development team is in place to handle the tasks. And make sure that the SaaS development framework is reliable.
Want to be on the safe side? We recommend using ReactJS. This framework is SEO-friendly and easy to learn. Besides, ReactJS code is reusable because of the component-based structure. And most importantly, the framework allows developers to create extremely fast SaaS products.
Reach out to us for your SaaS development solutions. Our experts will provide you with the best possible product within the specified deadline.
