As of January 2025, it is estimated that there are close to 200,000 SaaS companies worldwide. This number is based on several databases, articles and platforms like Google trends, as no correct number can possibly be made.
Based on sources such as Exploding Topics, Crunchbase, Google Trends, Vainu, and others, it is estimated that as of January 2025, there are close to 200,000 SaaS companies worldwide. This figure is an approximation, as pinpointing an exact number is impossible.
Finding a Correct Number is Impossible
Counting the exact number of SaaS companies is challenging due to several factors. New startups are constantly emerging, and many smaller ones aren't captured in mainstream databases, making tracking difficult.
The diverse definitions of SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS further complicate categorization, making it nearly impossible to compile a comprehensive list of all SaaS companies worldwide.
Well known data sources like Crunchbase and PitchBook often focus on funded or public firms, excluding many small or niche companies where a significant number of SaaS businesses likely exist. Regional differences also play a role; while the U.S. leads in SaaS startups, rapid growth is occurring in Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. However, this information is often based on trends rather than precise numbers, making it difficult to generalize globally.
High growth rates in the SaaS sector, often in double digits, along with frequent mergers and new launches, keep the numbers fluid. The relative ease of creating a SaaS company today contributes to the rapid increase in their numbers, making every estimate highly date-specific.
The Top 10 SaaS Companies
What we can define very accurately, is what the largest SaaS companies are, ranked by marketcap:
1. Microsoft
Microsoft is a leading SaaS company, primarily due to its cloud-based services like Microsoft 365 and Azure, which provide software solutions over the internet.
- Market Cap: $3.073 trillion
- Founded: 1975
- Employees: 221,000
- CEO: Satya Nadella
- Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, USA
2. Apple
While Apple is renowned for its hardware, it also offers SaaS through services like iCloud and Apple Music, which deliver software solutions via the cloud.
- Market Cap: $2.786 trillion
- Founded: 1976
- Employees: 161,000
- CEO: Tim Cook
- Headquarters: Cupertino, California, USA
3. Alphabet (Google)
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is a major player in SaaS with services like Google Workspace and Google Cloud, providing a suite of productivity tools and cloud computing services.
- Market Cap: $2.086 trillion
- Founded: 1998
- Employees: 182,000
- CEO: Sundar Pichai
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA
4. Oracle
Oracle is a significant SaaS provider, known for its comprehensive cloud applications and services that help businesses manage their operations efficiently.
- Market Cap: $325.26 billion
- Founded: 1977
- Employees: 143,000
- CEO: Safra Catz
- Headquarters: Austin, Texas, USA
5. Salesforce
Salesforce is a pioneer in SaaS, offering cloud-based CRM solutions that help businesses manage customer relationships effectively.
- Market Cap: $267.36 billion
- Founded: 1999
- Employees: 79,000
- CEO: Marc Benioff
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA
6. Adobe
Adobe is a key SaaS provider with its Creative Cloud suite, offering a range of software for design, photography, and video editing through cloud-based subscriptions.
- Market Cap: $221.13 billion
- Founded: 1982
- Employees: 29,000
- CEO: Shantanu Narayen
- Headquarters: San Jose, California, USA
7. Intuit
Intuit provides SaaS solutions like QuickBooks and TurboTax, which offer cloud-based financial and business management tools.
- Market Cap: $177.69 billion
- Founded: 1983
- Employees: 17,300
- CEO: Sasan Goodarzi
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA
8. IBM
IBM offers a range of SaaS solutions, particularly through its cloud computing services and AI-driven software, helping businesses innovate and transform digitally.
- Market Cap: $154.89 billion
- Founded: 1911
- Employees: 288,300
- CEO: Arvind Krishna
- Headquarters: Armonk, New York, USA
9. ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a prominent SaaS company, known for its cloud-based platform that automates enterprise IT operations and workflows.
- Market Cap: $149.22 billion
- Founded: 2004
- Employees: 20,500
- CEO: Bill McDermott
- Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA
10. Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
ADP is a leading provider of cloud-based human capital management solutions, offering SaaS services for payroll, HR, and tax administration.
- Market Cap: $99.35 billion
- Founded: 1949
- Employees: 60,000
- CEO: Carlos Rodriguez
- Headquarters: Roseland, New Jersey, USA
SaaS Market Statistics
Here are the top SaaS market statistics you should know.
Most SaaS Companies by Segment
The majority of SaaS companies are concentrated in the Customer Service Solutions segment, which accounts for approximately 28% of the total. This is followed by Marketing Software at 25%, eCommerce at 23%, Data and Analytics at 20%, and Sales at 18%. These percentages illustrate where most SaaS innovation and business activity are focused.
Growth of Global SaaS Revenue
Over the past decade, the cloud application market has seen consistent growth. In 2013, it was valued at $30.4 billion, and by 2017, it had nearly tripled to $86.3 billion. By 2022, the market reached approximately $146.6 billion and is projected to hit $168.6 billion by 2025. This steady increase shows how important cloud applications have become in the tech industry.
SaaS Market Value Over Time
The SaaS market itself has grown significantly. In 2008, it was worth just over $5 billion. By 2020, it had expanded more than 28 times to $157 billion. This rapid growth reflects the increasing reliance on SaaS solutions across various industries.
Future Projections for the SaaS Market
Looking ahead, the global SaaS market is expected to continue its impressive growth. It was valued at $151.31 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.45% from 2023 to 2030.
According to Statista, the market is expected to be worth around $197 billion in 2023 and reach $232 billion by 2025. By 2030, the market could be approaching $900 billion, highlighting its potential for future expansion.
User Spending for Cloud Services
Here is a table for the spending on these services, actual 2022 numbers and projected 2025 numbers for each service category:
The 2022 numbers were researched by Gartner.
The 10 Most Growing SaaS Companies Founded After 2010
To show some of the SaaS companies that were founded a bit later, to exclude the giants, here are 10 fastest growing SaaS companies founded from 2011 and onwards (Source: Exploding Topics):
1. QRFY
QRFY is a tool that helps businesses make personalized QR codes. You can create QR codes for websites, PDFs, videos, and more, and even customize them with logos and different designs. They also offer a collection of ready-made designs to boost your marketing.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 9,900%
- Year founded: 2021
- Founders: Marc Porcar
- Location: Sant Cugat Del Vallès, Spain
With more people using contactless options like digital menus, QRFY makes it easy to create QR codes that match your brand.
2. NitroPack
NitroPack helps websites load faster. It includes features like caching and image optimization, and works with platforms like WordPress and Magento. Over 219,000 websites use NitroPack to improve their speed and Google rankings.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 9,200%
- Year founded: 2018
- Founders: Georgi, Mihail, Ivailo and Simeon
- Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
As website speed becomes more important for SEO, NitroPack’s easy optimization is a big help for online businesses.
3. Miro
Miro is an online whiteboard for teams to brainstorm and plan projects. It’s used by over 60 million people, including big companies, for remote collaboration.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 8,231%
- Year founded: 2011
- Founders: Andrey Khusid (CEO) and Oleg Shardin
- Location: San Francisco, California
As remote work grows, Miro helps teams work together as if they were in the same room.
4. Userpilot
Userpilot is a tool for improving user experience and onboarding. It offers in-app guides, analytics, and user behavior tracking to help SaaS teams keep users engaged.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 5,800%
- Year founded: 2017
- Founder: Yazan Sehwail (CEO)
- Location: Middletown, Delaware
Many SaaS companies struggle with keeping users. Userpilot’s no-code approach lets product managers easily create in-app guides.
5. InVideo
InVideo is an online platform for creating and editing videos. It has over 7 million users and offers templates, a stock media library, and collaboration tools for making marketing and training videos.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 4,900%
- Year founded: 2017
- Co-founders: Sanket Shah (CEO), Harsh Vakharia (CTO), and others
- Location: Singapore, Singapore
InVideo’s easy-to-use interface makes video production accessible, matching the demand for short videos on social media.
6. Adalo
Adalo is a no-code platform for building mobile and web apps. It features a drag-and-drop interface and integrates with popular services, making it easy for entrepreneurs and small businesses to create apps without coding.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 4,150%
- Year founded: 2018
- Co-founders: David Adkin (CEO), Jeremy Blalock (CTO)
- Location: St. Louis, Missouri
With businesses needing faster development, Adalo allows non-developers to quickly create and test new app ideas.
7. Printify
Printify is a print-on-demand platform connecting sellers with printing providers worldwide. It offers a freemium model for small sellers and premium plans for larger businesses.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 1,380%
- Year founded: 2015
- Founder/CEO: James Berdigans
- Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
Printify became profitable in 2023 and plans to expand into on-demand consumer goods beyond apparel.
8. ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness helps small, internet-based companies with business formation and operations. It offers services like LLC formation, a website builder, invoicing, and compliance tools.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 1,380%
- Year founded: 2015
- Founder/CEO: Ross Buhrdorf (former CTO of HomeAway)
- Location: Austin, Texas
ZenBusiness simplifies starting and running a business by providing everything from registration to compliance.
9. ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is a secure VPN service focused on privacy and speed. It offers a free, ad-free tier and is based in Switzerland, covering over 60 countries.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 667%
- Year founded: 2016
- Founders: Dr. Andy Yen (CEO), Jason Stockman, and Wei Sun
- Location: Geneva, Switzerland
ProtonVPN is part of the Proton ecosystem, which includes ProtonMail and Proton Drive, all designed for privacy.
10. Notion
Notion is an all-in-one workspace for note-taking, task management, and collaboration. It offers flexible databases, templates, and real-time collaboration, with a strong user community.
Details:
- 5-year search growth: 582%
- Year founded: 2013
- Co-founders: Ivan Zhao and Simon Last
- Location: San Francisco, California
Notion is popular for its community-driven growth, appealing to both personal users and large teams managing complex projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions about SaaS companies and their offerings.
What is a SaaS company?
A SaaS (Software as a Service) company provides software solutions that are accessed online, typically through a subscription model, allowing users to access applications without needing to install them on local devices.
How do SaaS companies make money?
SaaS companies primarily earn revenue through subscription fees, offering different pricing tiers based on features, usage, or the number of users.
Why are SaaS companies popular?
SaaS companies are popular because they offer flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, allowing businesses to access powerful software without the need for extensive IT infrastructure.
What are some examples of SaaS companies?
Examples of SaaS companies include QRFY, NitroPack, Miro, Userpilot, InVideo, Adalo, Printify, ZenBusiness, ProtonVPN, and Notion, each offering unique software solutions for various needs.
How do SaaS companies ensure data security?
SaaS companies implement robust security measures, including encryption, secure data centers, and regular security audits, to protect user data and ensure privacy.
Can small businesses benefit from SaaS solutions?
Yes, small businesses can greatly benefit from SaaS solutions as they provide access to advanced tools and technologies without the high upfront costs associated with traditional software.
What trends are shaping the future of SaaS companies?
Trends such as increased remote work, demand for no-code solutions, and a focus on user experience and data security are shaping the future of SaaS companies, driving innovation and growth in the industry.
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