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How AI Agents Are Replacing $50K SaaS Subscriptions

AI agents replacing expensive SaaS subscriptions

The average company now spends over $5,000 per employee annually on SaaS subscriptions. For a 50-person company, that's $250,000 per year on software that often does 80% more than you need—or 20% less.

What if instead of subscribing to one-size-fits-all software, you could have custom solutions built for your exact needs—in days, not months, and for a fraction of the cost?

That's exactly what AI agents enable. And it's not theoretical—it's happening right now.

The SaaS Subscription Problem

SaaS was revolutionary. Instead of expensive on-premise software, you could subscribe monthly and get instant access. But the model has problems:

1. Feature Bloat

You pay for hundreds of features you'll never use. Salesforce has over 1,000 features. Most companies use less than 10%. You're subsidizing features for other customers.

2. Integration Hell

Every SaaS tool is a silo. Want them to talk to each other? Buy Zapier, Make, or hire developers to build custom integrations. Now you're paying for middleware too.

3. Missing Features

Ironically, despite feature bloat, SaaS tools often lack the one specific thing you need. You end up with workarounds, spreadsheets, or paying for another tool.

4. Pricing Scales Painfully

Per-seat pricing means your costs scale linearly with growth. Growing from 10 to 100 people? Your software costs just 10x'd.

The AI Agent Alternative

AI agents flip the script. Instead of subscribing to pre-built software, you describe what you need, and agents build it. Custom software, production-ready, in days.

Here's what makes it powerful:

Built for Your Exact Needs

No feature bloat. No missing features. The software does exactly what you need because it was built specifically for you. Need changes? Just describe them.

Integration Built-In

Agents can connect your tools as part of the build process. Need data from your CRM in your dashboard? Done. Want automations triggered by customer actions? Built-in.

Economics That Scale Differently

With SaaS, you pay per user, forever. With agent-built software, you pay to build it, then just hosting costs. Growing from 10 to 100 people? Your software costs stay nearly flat.

Real Examples from Our Beta

Replacing Salesforce: $50K → $50/month

An enterprise customer was paying $50K+ annually for Salesforce. They used it for lead tracking, pipeline management, and custom workflows.

Using Altan, they built a custom CRM with:

  • Exactly their sales process (no generic pipelines)
  • Custom automations for their unique workflows
  • Integrations with their existing tools
  • An AI agent to handle lead qualification

Result: Built in 2 weeks. Costs $50/month in hosting. $50K saved annually.

Replacing Airtable + Zapier + Tools: $500/month → $20/month

A startup was using Airtable for databases, Zapier for automations, and three other tools for customer management. Total: $500/month and lots of manual work.

They built a unified system with Altan that:

  • Combined all their databases in one place
  • Automated their entire customer onboarding flow
  • Added custom dashboards for their team
  • Generated agents to handle customer support

Result: Built in 3 days. Costs $20/month. 96% cost reduction.

When Does This Make Sense?

Agent-built software isn't always the answer. Here's when it makes sense:

✅ Great Fit

  • Internal tools — Custom dashboards, admin panels, workflow tools
  • Business automation — CRMs, inventory systems, booking platforms
  • Customer-facing apps — Portals, dashboards, self-service tools
  • Unique workflows — Processes specific to your business that SaaS can't handle

❌ Not Yet Ideal

  • Commodity tools — If you need exactly what the SaaS offers (like Slack), just use it
  • Highly specialized — Deep industry tools with decades of domain expertise

The Shift Is Already Happening

During our closed beta, we saw companies across industries start to shift:

  • Enterprises empowering non-technical teams to build their own tools
  • Startups building products instead of duct-taping SaaS tools
  • Agencies delivering custom solutions 10x faster
  • Solopreneurs automating operations without hiring

The SaaS model isn't going away—but it's being unbundled. For many use cases, custom agent-built software is simply better: faster to get, cheaper to run, and perfectly fitted to your needs.

What This Means for Your Business

Take a look at your SaaS subscriptions. Chances are you're paying for:

  • Features you don't need
  • Multiple tools that should be one system
  • Middleware to connect your tools
  • Workarounds for missing features

Now imagine: what if you could replace them with custom software, built in days, that does exactly what you need?

That's not a future vision. It's available today at altan.ai.

The age of one-size-fits-all software is ending. The age of custom, agent-built solutions is here.