SaaS
Software as a Service
Software delivered as an ongoing online service that customers access rather than operate entirely themselves.
Plain English
Customers use hosted software while the provider runs and updates it.
In context
SaaS businesses combine a delivery model with recurring service operations such as onboarding support reliability security billing and product updates.
Example
“The company sells its payroll platform as a subscription SaaS product.”
When you'll hear this
- business strategy
- product planning
- investor communication
Common misunderstanding
SaaS describes a delivery model rather than every subscription and it should not be written SASS when referring to Software as a Service.
Also known as
software as a serviceSASS
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-27
