SaaS
4 synonyms and 3 antonyms for SaaS, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Software that you use over the internet through a browser or app and pay for by subscription, with the provider running and maintaining it rather than you installing it on your own machines.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
software as a service
cloud software
hosted software
subscription software
Antonyms
on-premise software
self-hosted software
shrink-wrapped software
How to use SaaS
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
SaaS product
SaaS company
B2B SaaS
SaaS subscription
SaaS platform
Pronounced as one syllable, rhyming with "pass" in many accents. Written with a lower-case second a by convention. Used both uncountably ("we sell SaaS") and countably ("a SaaS").
Etymology
An acronym of software as a service.
Full origin of SaaS →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SaaS and cloud computing?
Cloud computing is the broad idea of using computing resources over the internet rather than owning the hardware. SaaS is one layer of it, where what you use is a finished application. Renting bare servers or a development platform is cloud computing too, but not SaaS.
What is the difference between SaaS and installed software?
Installed software runs on your own device or servers, and you usually buy a version outright and update it yourself. SaaS runs on the provider's infrastructure, is reached through a browser or app, and is charged as an ongoing subscription with updates applied for everyone at once.
What is the difference between SaaS, PaaS and IaaS?
They describe how much of the stack the provider manages. With IaaS you rent servers, storage and networking and build everything above them. With PaaS you get a managed environment to deploy your own application into. With SaaS you get a completed application and manage nothing but your own data and settings.
