Software stack to build and run a SaaS startup in India

Store code with CI/CD and run the app on scalable cloud infrastructure.

Engineering velocity depends on clean source control, automated deploys, and reliable hosting, so this is the base the product runs on.

GitHub is the default place to keep code, with a free tier and Actions for CI, and it is where your future hires have already worked. GitLab is the alternative that bundles repositories, CI/CD and issue tracking in one product with a free tier, worth it if you want fewer tools. DigitalOcean is the cheap, predictable place to run the app early, with flat per-droplet pricing you can forecast. AWS has the depth to grow into and runs India regions for data residency, but its bill is usage-shaped, so move there when you need the services, not on day one. All four are USD-billed, so add forex plus 18% GST and set billing alerts early.

Manage tasks and projects and keep structured internal data and lightweight tools in one place.

A small team needs to see who is doing what and hold data like a pipeline or feature list without a spreadsheet sprawl, so a work tracker plus a flexible database covers it before you need heavier tools.

Asana has a free tier for tasks, projects, and multiple views, which is enough for a startup team's roadmap and sprints. Airtable is a database-spreadsheet hybrid with a free tier that doubles as a lightweight CRM or internal tool before you buy a dedicated one. Both are USD-billed, so add forex and GST as seats grow, though the free tiers carry a small team a long way.

Build target lists, run outbound outreach, nurture leads over email, and track every deal.

Early SaaS lives or dies on pipeline, and doing outbound and nurture by hand does not scale, so you want data, an outreach motion, and email working together.

Apollo.io has a free tier, a large B2B contact database, and built-in engagement, so you control the data and the sending. AiSDR automates the SDR motion, finding leads and sending personalised outreach, for teams that want pipeline without hiring an SDR yet. Brevo is INR-billed with a free tier for onboarding and newsletter email, so it is the affordable India-friendly nurture layer. Zoho CRM is India-built, INR-billed, and free to start, so every reply and demo lands in a real pipeline instead of a spreadsheet. Use Apollo to build and reach lists, AiSDR to automate it, Brevo for lifecycle email, and Zoho CRM to track deals.

Charge Indian and global customers and keep filing-ready accounts.

SaaS revenue is recurring across INR and USD customers, and India GST plus cross-border invoicing has real rules, so getting billing and books right early avoids reconciliation and tax pain later.

Razorpay is India-built, INR-billed, and strong on UPI and subscriptions, so it is the default for Indian customers. Stripe is the developer-first choice for global customers; it charges no monthly fee and takes a percentage of each successful transaction, with a higher rate on international cards and currency conversion, so compare it on MDR rather than on a plan price. Zoho Books is India-built, INR-billed, cloud, and GST-ready to keep the accounts filing-clean. Use Razorpay for India, Stripe for global, and reconcile both into Zoho Books.

Answer users in-app and measure how they use the product and the business.

Retention comes from fast support and from knowing where users get stuck, so a messaging layer plus product and business analytics tell you what to fix.

Intercom is the product-led choice for in-app live chat and bots, though it is USD-billed and gets pricey, so watch seat and volume costs. Mixpanel has a free tier for product analytics like funnels, retention, and feature adoption. Metabase is open-source BI you can self-host for free to query your own database and build business dashboards. Use Intercom to talk to users, Mixpanel for behaviour, and Metabase for your own data.

Store and share team passwords and secrets safely instead of over chat.

A startup accumulates dozens of shared logins and API keys, and sharing them over Slack or email is how breaches start, so a password manager is cheap insurance from day one.

Bitwarden is open-source with a genuinely free tier and cheap paid seats, which makes it the sensible default for a startup that just needs shared credentials out of chat threads. 1Password costs more per seat but is the smoother product for non-technical teammates and has stronger admin tooling as you grow. Both are USD-billed. Start on Bitwarden; move to 1Password when onboarding friction, not price, becomes the problem.