15+ Micro SaaS Ideas with Real Revenue Numbers (2026)

Note: All revenue numbers mentioned are based on public statements from the founders (e.g., on Twitter/X, in podcasts, or on their websites) at the time of my research. These numbers may have changed.

Why This Post Is Different

The internet is full of "50 SaaS Ideas for 2026" lists. The problem? Most are theoretical. Nobody built them. Nobody made money with them.

This post is different.

Here you'll find real Micro SaaS products from real founders. With verified revenue numbers. With links to the products. With the stories behind them.

No fantasy ideas. Only things that actually work.

What Is Micro SaaS Anyway?

Micro SaaS is Software-as-a-Service on a small scale:

Small: 1-3 person team (often solo)
Focused: Solves ONE specific problem
Bootstrapped: No VC money needed
Profitable: $5K-$250K MRR is the sweet spot

The advantage? You don't need millions in funding. You don't need 50 employees. You just need a problem you solve better than the competition.

And the numbers speak for themselves:

According to a MicroConf survey:

39% of all Independent SaaS founders are solo
42% of companies with $1M+ revenue are run by solo founders
The "sweet spot" is $5K-$50K MRR

The Most Successful Micro SaaS Examples

1. Nomad List – $1.5M+ ARR

Founder: Pieter Levels (@levelsio) Link: nomadlist.com What it does: City rankings for remote workers and digital nomads

Pieter Levels is widely regarded in the community as one of the most well-known Micro SaaS founders. He started Nomad List in 2014 as part of his "12 Startups in 12 Months" challenge – as a spreadsheet.

Today the platform makes over $1.5M ARR. Solo. No employees. With a tech stack of vanilla PHP, jQuery, and SQLite.

The learning: You don't need fancy technology. You need a problem you understand because you have it yourself.

2. Photo AI – $132K MRR

Founder: Pieter Levels Link: photoai.com What it does: AI-generated photos of yourself

Yes, Pieter again. But this shows his system: Start many projects, see what works, then scale.

He launched Photo AI in 2023. 18 months later: $132K MRR. The first version was "so bad," as he himself says. But he launched anyway and iterated.

The learning: Launch at 70%, not 100%. You learn more from real users than from months in isolation.

3. Remote OK – $42K MRR

Founder: Pieter Levels Link: remoteok.com What it does: Job board for remote jobs

The world's largest remote job board. Started in 2015, grown through SEO and the Nomad List community.

The learning: If you already have an audience, build products for that audience.

4. Carrd – $1.5M+ ARR

Founder: AJ (@ajlkn) Link: carrd.co What it does: One-page website builder

AJ originally wanted to build a Squarespace competitor. Then he realized: He couldn't. So he reduced the scope – to simple one-page websites.

This limitation became his biggest differentiator.

Today Carrd hosts over 4 million websites. The price? $19 per year. Still: $1.5M+ ARR.

The learning: Sometimes less is more. Find a niche within a niche.

5. Testimonial.to – $840K+ ARR

Founder: Damon Chen (@damengchen) Link: testimonial.to What it does: Collect and embed video testimonials

Damon reportedly had four failed startups before Testimonial.to worked. He launched it on Product Hunt at the end of 2020 and reached $200K ARR within a year.

Today Fortune 500 companies use his tool. All bootstrapped. All solo.

The learning: Failure is part of the process. Damon needed five attempts.

6. Senja – $1M ARR

Founders: Wilson Wilson & Olly Meakings Link: senja.io What it does: Collect and display testimonials

Two people. Remote. Met online. 3 years and 9 months to $1M ARR.

Their secret? Build in public. Every embedded testimonial widget became free marketing.

The learning: Build features that market themselves.

7. Bannerbear – $10K+ MRR

Founder: Jon Yongfook (@yongfook) Link: bannerbear.com What it does: API for automatic image generation

Jon also did the "12 Startups in 12 Months" challenge. Bannerbear wasn't his first attempt – but the one that worked.

He documented how he went from $0 to $10K MRR. Transparent. Honest. With all the mistakes.

The learning: The path to product-market fit is rarely linear. Iterate based on real feedback.

8. ConvertKit – $3.6M MRR

Founder: Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) Link: convertkit.com What it does: Email marketing for creators

Nathan started ConvertKit in 2013 as part of a public challenge: "$5K MRR in 6 months." He documented everything.

12 years later: $3.6M MRR. Completely bootstrapped.

The learning: Set public goals. The accountability helps.

9. Prerender.io – $2.5M ARR

Founder: Todd Hooper Link: prerender.io What it does: SEO for JavaScript websites

Todd built Prerender because his own projects weren't ranking on Google. A classic "scratch your own itch" case.

He built it on the side until the profit was big enough to quit his job.

The learning: Build on the side first. Only quit when it's working.

10. Tweet Hunter / Taplio – $60K+ MRR

Founder: Tibo (@taborovak) Link: tweethunter.io / taplio.com What it does: Twitter/LinkedIn growth tools

Tibo understood that creators need tools for their own platforms. Tweet Hunter helps with Twitter growth, Taplio with LinkedIn.

Both tools combined: $60K+ MRR.

The learning: Creator economy is a growing market. Tools for creators sell.

11. Newoldstamp / MySignature – $700K ARR

Founder: Vol Link: newoldstamp.com / mysignature.io What it does: Email signature generator

Vol worked at a TV manufacturer and was annoyed by manually creating email signatures for every employee.

With $10K in savings, he reportedly quit and built Newoldstamp. Today: over 500K users and $700K ARR.

The learning: The best ideas come from real problems in your everyday life.

12. Revid.ai

Founder: Tibo Link: revid.ai What it does: AI-generated short videos

Users input an idea, the AI generates script and video. Perfect for TikTok, Reels, Shorts.

The learning: AI wrappers for specific use cases work – if the use case is clear enough.

Micro SaaS Categories That Work

Based on the successful examples, here are the categories that have proven themselves:

1. Creator Tools

Social media schedulers
Analytics for creators
Testimonial collection
Email signature tools

2. Developer Tools

API services (image generation, SEO, etc.)
No-code/low-code extensions
Monitoring & analytics

3. Niche Solutions

Tools for specific industries
Vertical SaaS (e.g., only for wedding planners)
Local compliance tools (GDPR, etc.)

4. AI Wrappers

AI for one specific use case
Not "another ChatGPT," but focused
Video, image, text – for one target audience

5. Productivity & Automation

Workflow automation
Niche project management
Integration tools

The Patterns That Repeat

After analyzing these success stories, patterns emerge:

1. Scratch Your Own Itch

Almost every successful Micro SaaS solves a problem the founder had themselves:

Pieter was a digital nomad → Nomad List
Todd's sites weren't ranking → Prerender
Vol hated manual signatures → Newoldstamp

Takeaway: Build something you would use yourself.

2. Start Small, Really Small

Carrd: "Only" one-page websites
Testimonial.to: "Only" video testimonials
Bannerbear: "Only" automatic image generation

Takeaway: The narrower the focus, the clearer the value proposition.

3. Build in Public

Senja, ConvertKit, Bannerbear – all built publicly. This creates:

Accountability
Early feedback
Free marketing

Takeaway: Share your progress. The community helps.

4. Multiple Attempts

Damon Chen: 4 fails before Testimonial.to
Pieter Levels: Has reportedly started 70+ projects"
Jon Yongfook: 12 Startups in 12 Months

Takeaway: The first attempt rarely works. Keep going.

5. Simple Tech Stack

Pieter uses PHP and jQuery. AJ built Carrd solo. No React, no Kubernetes, no microservices.

Takeaway: Your productivity > "best" technology.

How to Find Your Micro SaaS Idea

1. Document Your Frustrations

For one week: Write down every time you think "There should be a tool for this" or "This process is annoying."

2. Check for Competition

No competition = probably no market
Competition exists = validation that people pay
Your differentiator: niche, price, or UX

3. Validate Before Building

Find 10 people with the problem
Ask if they would pay
If "maybe" → Red flag
If "how much?" → Green light

4. Start with MVP

4-8 weeks build time max
One core feature that works really well
Launch at 70%, not 100%

Resources for Further Reading

Communities

Indie Hackers – The largest community for bootstrappers
MicroConf – Conference and community
r/SaaS – Reddit community

Podcasts

Books

"MAKE" by Pieter Levels
"The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick
"Company of One" by Paul Jarvis

Tools to Get Started

Stripe – Payments
Crisp – Customer support
Plausible – Analytics (GDPR-compliant)

Conclusion: Micro SaaS Is Real

These aren't fantasy ideas. These are real products from real people making real money.

The patterns are clear:

Solve a problem you have yourself
Start small and focused
Launch early, iterate fast
Build in public for accountability
Expect multiple attempts

You don't need millions in funding. You don't need a perfect idea. You just need the courage to start.

Which of these examples inspires you most? And what problem would you like to solve?