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SaaS

Building a SaaS platform: process, multi-tenant and costs

MBy M. Tufan, Co-founder · Published May 2026 · 10 min read
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Building a SaaS platform costs between €15,000 and €60,000, depending on complexity, and takes 3 to 8 months to a working first version. The core is multi-tenant architecture: multiple customers on one system with strictly separated data. NedDev builds on Laravel 12 with Filament and Next.js 16, always starts with an MVP and extends based on real usage. Ownership stays with you.

Most SaaS platforms that fail don't go down on technology but on timing: they build a perfect product for a year and a half and discover at launch that customers wanted something else. That is why every SaaS project with us starts with the same question: what is the smallest version someone is willing to pay for? That is your MVP, and that is where you should begin.

What makes something a SaaS platform?

Software as a Service means customers use your software through a subscription in the browser, without installing anything. The crucial difference with an ordinary web application is the architecture: one system serves many customers at once, each with their own data, users and settings. That is called multi-tenant.

Multi-tenant: the heart of every SaaS platform

Multi-tenant means all your customers run on the same codebase and infrastructure, but their data is fully separated. Customer A must never, under any circumstance, be able to see customer B's data. Building this well is the hardest and most important decision in a SaaS project.

There are roughly three approaches:

  • Shared database with tenant separation: all data in one database, separated by tenant ID. Efficient and highly scalable, provided you build the separation watertight
  • Separate database per customer: maximum isolation, but more expensive to manage and maintain
  • Hybrid: shared where it can be, separate where it must be, for example for large customers with their own requirements

For ClaimHandler we built a multi-tenant claims platform where each claims adjuster has their own environment: their own files, customers, deeds and invoices, strictly separated from other adjusters on the same system. For IndexNu we did the same for accounting SaaS with multiple administrations. That separation is not a feature, it is a foundation you have to lay properly from day one.

The process in phases

We always work in phases, because you don't finish building a SaaS in one go:

  • Phase 1, scope and architecture: what the MVP has to do, how we set up the multi-tenant separation, which integrations are needed
  • Phase 2, build the MVP: the core function customers want to pay for, plus login, user management and billing
  • Phase 3, live with first customers: real users, real feedback, fast adjustment
  • Phase 4, extend: add features based on what customers actually use, not what you thought they wanted

This order prevents the biggest pitfall: building for months on something nobody turns out to want.

What does a SaaS platform cost?

Realistic ranges based on our projects:

  • €15,000 to €25,000: a tightly scoped MVP with one core function, login, multi-tenant separation and basic billing
  • €25,000 to €45,000: multiple modules, user roles, external integrations, a polished frontend
  • €45,000 to €60,000 and up: a complex platform with AI features, multiple integrations (payments, accounting, telephony) and extensive reporting

On top of that, count on hosting from €495 per month and ongoing development. A SaaS is never "finished", and that is exactly its strength: it grows with your customers.

Our technical choices

We build on Laravel 12 with Filament v3.3 for the backend and admin panel, and Next.js 16 with React 19 and TypeScript for the customer-facing frontend. Hosting on Hetzner with Cloudflare in front. This stack is a deliberate choice: fast development, a maintainable codebase and proven scalability. No exotic choices no developer will want to touch two years from now.

Common mistakes

The three most common: too many features in the first version, sorting out the multi-tenant separation too late, and no plan for subscriptions and billing. We take all three on board from the start.

Subscriptions, billing and payments

A SaaS earns money through recurring payments, and that logic is deceptively complex. You deal with trial periods, different subscription types, cancellations, mid-month upgrades and failed direct debits. Bolting this on afterwards in a makeshift way is asking for trouble. We integrate with payment providers such as Mollie or Stripe and build the subscription logic into the architecture from the start, so your billing is correct and runs automatically.

Think about your pricing model in advance, because it touches the technology:

  • Per user: easy to understand, scales with the customer
  • Per usage: fair but harder to predict for the customer and more complex to build
  • Fixed plans: predictable, easy to communicate, the most commonly chosen

How do you keep a SaaS secure and reliable?

On a multi-tenant platform all customer data sits on one system. That places high demands on security and reliability. A data breach where customer A sees customer B's data is fatal to your reputation. That is why we build the tenant separation across multiple layers in the code, not in a single place where one mistake opens everything up. On top of that, automatic backups, monitoring and logging belong there from day one, so you know what is happening and spot problems early instead of only when a customer calls.

Don't forget compliance with privacy rules either. A SaaS running in Europe has to comply with the GDPR. That means considered choices about where data sits, how long you keep it, and how a customer can view or delete their data. This is not an afterthought you tack on later, but something that belongs in the architecture. We take it on board from the design, so you don't have to rebuild your entire data model afterwards because a large customer rightly asks about it.

Considering your own SaaS? Take a look at our SaaS development service. We help you sharpen the scope before a single line of code is written.

FREQUENTLY ASKED

SaaS · FAQ.

How long does it take to build a SaaS platform?

An MVP is live in 3 to 4 months. A more complex platform with multiple modules and integrations takes 6 to 8 months. We deliver in phases, so you can test early with real customers.

What is multi-tenant and why does it matter?

Multi-tenant means multiple customers run on one system with fully separated data. This is the core of SaaS: it keeps costs low and scales well, provided the data separation is built watertight.

Can I add payments and subscriptions later?

You can, but it is wise to take this on board from the start. We integrate with payment providers such as Mollie or Stripe and build subscription logic into the architecture, so billing doesn't become a loose patch.

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