Open your company's credit card statement. Count the SaaS subscriptions.
$49/month for this. $99/month for that. $29/month for something nobody remembers signing up for.
It adds up. The average small business spends $3,000–$10,000 per month on SaaS subscriptions. For mid-size companies, it's often $50,000+.
Here's what most people don't realize: a surprising number of those tools do one simple thing that could be replicated with a workflow in n8n for a fraction of the cost — or free, if you self-host.
The SaaS Bloat Problem
We've all been there. You have a specific problem:
"I need to send a Slack message when a new lead comes in."
So you search for a tool. You find one that does exactly that — plus 47 other features you'll never use. You sign up for $39/month. Problem solved.
Repeat this 20 times and suddenly you're spending $800/month on tools that each solve one narrow problem.
The alternative? One automation platform that connects all your existing tools and does what those 20 SaaS products did.
Real Examples: SaaS Replaced by Workflows
1. Lead Routing Tools ($50–$200/month)
The SaaS: Tools like LeanData or Chili Piper that route incoming leads to the right sales rep based on territory, deal size, or round-robin.
The n8n workflow: When a new lead arrives (from a form, CRM, or ad platform):
- Check the lead's location, company size, or industry
- Match to the right rep based on your rules
- Assign in your CRM
- Send a Slack notification to the assigned rep
Cost comparison: SaaS: $100–$200/month. n8n workflow: $0 (self-hosted) to $24/month (cloud).
When the SaaS is still worth it: If you have a complex, 50-person sales team with constantly changing territories. For teams under 15? The workflow handles it.
2. Social Media Scheduling ($30–$100/month)
The SaaS: Tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Later that schedule posts across platforms.
The n8n workflow: Keep your content calendar in Google Sheets or Notion. Build a workflow that:
- Reads scheduled posts from your spreadsheet
- Posts to Twitter/X, LinkedIn, and other platforms via their APIs at the scheduled time
- Updates the spreadsheet with "posted" status and engagement metrics
Cost comparison: SaaS: $30–$100/month per user. n8n workflow: basically free.
When the SaaS is still worth it: If you need visual planning tools, team collaboration features, or manage 10+ social accounts. For solopreneurs and small teams posting to 2-3 platforms? The workflow works great.
3. Form-to-CRM Connectors ($20–$50/month)
The SaaS: Tools like Formstack or dedicated connectors that sync form submissions to your CRM.
The n8n workflow: Point your form's webhook at an n8n workflow that:
- Receives the submission
- Cleans and validates the data
- Creates or updates the contact in your CRM
- Sends a confirmation email
- Adds to your email marketing list
Cost comparison: SaaS: $20–$50/month. n8n workflow: free.
When the SaaS is still worth it: Almost never for this specific use case. The workflow is usually better because you control exactly how data is transformed.
4. Customer Feedback Collectors ($50–$150/month)
The SaaS: Tools like Delighted, Typeform with analytics, or dedicated NPS platforms.
The n8n workflow: Build a workflow that:
- Sends a feedback email X days after purchase/delivery
- Collects responses via a simple form or email reply
- Scores and categorizes feedback
- Alerts you to negative feedback immediately
- Stores everything in a database for trend analysis
Cost comparison: SaaS: $50–$150/month. n8n workflow: basically free (you might pay for the form tool).
5. Data Enrichment ($100–$500/month)
The SaaS: Tools like Clearbit, ZoomInfo, or Apollo that enrich contact data with company info.
The n8n workflow: When a new contact is added:
- Use free or low-cost APIs (company websites, LinkedIn public data, government business registries)
- Enrich with what you actually need (company size, industry, location)
- Store enriched data back in your CRM
Cost comparison: SaaS: $100–$500/month. n8n workflow: $0–$20/month for API calls.
Caveat: The enterprise enrichment tools have much deeper data. If you need direct phone numbers and org charts, you'll still need a dedicated tool. But if you just need basic company info? The workflow handles it.
When NOT to Replace SaaS With Workflows
Let's be honest: not everything should be a workflow.
Don't replace SaaS when:
- The tool does something genuinely complex (like full-featured project management)
- The tool requires a UI your team uses daily (like a design tool or email client)
- Maintaining the workflow would cost more time than the subscription saves
- The SaaS handles compliance or security that you can't easily replicate
- Your team is non-technical and can't troubleshoot a broken workflow
The question to ask: "Is this tool mostly moving data between other tools?" If yes, a workflow can probably replace it. If the tool provides a unique interface, algorithm, or capability — keep it.
The Hybrid Approach
The smartest companies don't go all-in on either approach. They keep the SaaS tools that provide genuine value (your CRM, your email platform, your analytics) and use n8n to eliminate the "glue" tools that just connect things.
Before: 15 SaaS subscriptions totaling $1,200/month
After: 8 core SaaS tools + n8n workflows = $600/month
That's $7,200/year saved. For a small business, that's meaningful.
How to Audit Your SaaS Stack
Here's a quick exercise:
- List every SaaS tool you're paying for
- For each one, write down the one thing you actually use it for
- Ask: "Could an automation do this same thing?"
- Rank by cost: start replacing the expensive, low-value ones first
You'll probably find 3-5 tools you can eliminate in the first pass. That alone covers the cost of learning automation many times over.
Getting Started
You don't need to cancel everything tomorrow. Start with one tool. Build the replacement workflow. Run them side-by-side for a week to make sure the workflow handles everything. Then cancel the subscription.
One subscription at a time, you'll trim your SaaS budget while gaining more control over your data and processes.
Nodox.ai teaches you to build the exact workflows that replace expensive tools. From API integrations to data transformations to conditional logic — practice the skills that save real money.