The average UK small business pays for 8–15 software subscriptions. Add them up and a 1–5 person business is often spending £500–£1,500 per month on tools — most of which are built for enterprise customers and packed with features the small business will never use.
In 2026, a growing number of UK SMBs are doing something about it. Using vibe coding tools like Lovable, Claude and Make, they are building their own lightweight replacements — apps that do exactly what they need, nothing more, and cost a fraction of the SaaS alternative to run.
Here are the five most common SaaS tools being replaced, how the replacements are being built, and what the savings look like.
The 5 tools UK SMBs are building themselves
The custom CRM — replacing HubSpot Free, Pipedrive or Monday CRM
The number one build request we see from small business owners is a simple CRM. Not because good CRMs do not exist — HubSpot, Pipedrive and Monday are all capable tools — but because small businesses often need something simpler, more opinionated, and built around their specific sales process rather than a generic one.
A vibe-coded CRM built in Lovable typically includes: a contacts database, a pipeline view with custom stages, a notes field per contact, an activity log, and email notifications when a lead moves stage. It takes two to three hours to build and costs roughly £5–£10 per month to host.
How it's built: Lovable for the app itself; Make to send email notifications when a new lead is added or a deal closes.
What's being replaced: Pipedrive Starter (£14/user/month), HubSpot Starter CRM (£15+/month), or Monday CRM (£20+/user/month).
💰 Typical saving: £120–£300/month for a 3–5 person sales teamThe client portal — replacing Notion, Basecamp or Client Portal apps
A client portal is a simple web page (or set of pages) where your clients can log in to see project status, access documents, submit requests, or track their work. Dedicated tools exist — Basecamp, Notion, Clinked, SuiteDash — but they are either over-engineered for a small business or surprisingly expensive once you add client seats.
A vibe-coded client portal can be built in an afternoon. It includes a login page, a project dashboard showing current status, a document library, and a simple feedback or request form. Clients get their own login and see only their project.
How it's built: Lovable for the portal; Replit if the team wants more control over the authentication logic; Claude to design the user experience and write the brief.
What's being replaced: Basecamp (£99/month flat), SuiteDash (£19–£49/month), or similar.
💰 Typical saving: £80–£180/monthThe internal dashboard — replacing Power BI, Tableau or Looker Studio integrations
Many small businesses have data scattered across Google Sheets, their CRM, and their accounting software — and no clear way to see it all in one place. Enterprise tools like Power BI and Tableau solve this, but they are complex to configure and expensive to license properly.
A vibe-coded dashboard connected to a Google Sheet or Airtable base gives the same overview — revenue this month vs last month, leads in pipeline, outstanding invoices, team workload — without any of the enterprise complexity. It updates in real time and can be accessed from any device.
How it's built: Claude to design the metrics and layout; Lovable to build the dashboard; Make to pull data from Google Sheets or Airtable on a schedule.
What's being replaced: Power BI Premium (£16+/user/month), Looker Studio add-ons, or consultant-built Tableau dashboards (£500–£2,000 one-off plus maintenance).
💰 Typical saving: £50–£200/month or £1,000+ in one-off costsThe booking tool — replacing Calendly Pro or Acuity Scheduling
Calendly and Acuity Scheduling are polished products. But at £12–£25 per user per month for the features small businesses actually need — custom intake questions, team round-robin booking, buffer times, confirmation emails — the cost adds up.
A vibe-coded booking page includes all of these features and connects directly to the owner's Google Calendar. It is fully branded, asks exactly the questions the business wants to ask, and sends a confirmation email via Make. No white-labelling limitations, no per-user fees.
How it's built: Lovable for the booking interface; Google Calendar API connection via Make; confirmation and reminder emails via Make.
What's being replaced: Calendly Standard (£10/user/month) or Calendly Teams (£16+/user/month), Acuity Scheduling (£16–£41/month).
💰 Typical saving: £60–£150/month for a team of 4The automated follow-up system — replacing ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp or Klaviyo
Email marketing platforms are useful — but for small businesses with modest list sizes and simple follow-up sequences, the cost-to-complexity ratio often does not make sense. A business with 500 contacts and a 3-step follow-up sequence does not need a £100/month marketing automation platform.
Using Make or n8n, small businesses are building automated follow-up sequences that trigger based on specific actions: a lead enquires via the contact form → they receive a personal-feeling follow-up email 24 hours later → if no reply after 48 hours, a reminder goes out → the CRM is automatically updated. No email platform required — just Gmail and Make.
How it's built: Make for the automation logic; Gmail as the sending tool; the business's vibe-coded CRM (from example 1) as the data source; Claude to write the email copy.
What's being replaced: ActiveCampaign Lite (£25/month), Mailchimp Essentials (£13–£45/month), or Klaviyo (£25+/month).
💰 Typical saving: £25–£120/monthWhat to consider before replacing SaaS with a vibe-coded alternative
Replacing SaaS is not right for every situation. Before you start building, ask yourself three questions:
- Is the tool I am replacing genuinely too complex for my needs? If you are using 20% of a platform's features and paying full price, it is a good candidate for replacement. If you are actually using the platform's advanced features, a basic vibe-coded replacement will disappoint.
- Do I have the time to build and maintain it? The build itself is quick. Maintaining and updating an app over time requires periodic re-engagement. If you have no bandwidth for this, a SaaS subscription with support may still be the right call.
- What happens if it breaks? A CRM that stores critical client data needs to be backed up and reliable. Build in basic safeguards — regular data exports, a secondary contact method for clients — before going live with anything business-critical.
The businesses getting the most value from vibe coding are not trying to replace everything. They are picking one or two tools where the fit is poor and the cost is unjustifiable, building lean replacements, and reinvesting the savings.
Frequently asked questions
Can small businesses really replace SaaS tools with AI-built apps?
Yes — for simple, internal tools. A custom CRM, client portal, dashboard, booking page or automated follow-up system built with Lovable and Make can replace equivalent SaaS tools at a fraction of the cost. Complex regulated or high-traffic tools still need professional development.
How much can a small business save by replacing SaaS with AI-built tools?
Savings depend on the tools being replaced. Replacing two or three moderate-cost SaaS subscriptions typically saves £200–£500 per month. The tools to build them (Lovable, Claude, Make) cost £30–£60 per month combined. Net savings are often £150–£450 per month — or £1,800–£5,400 per year.
How long does it take to build a replacement for a SaaS tool?
A working prototype of a simple tool like a CRM or booking page can be built in 2–4 hours. A polished version ready for daily use typically takes one to three sessions of iteration. Most of the time is spent refining — not rebuilding.
What is the best tool for connecting a vibe-coded app to other systems?
Make is the easiest option for most small business owners — it has a visual drag-and-drop interface and connects to thousands of popular tools. n8n is more powerful and can be self-hosted for near-zero cost, but has a steeper learning curve. Both have generous free tiers.
Want help identifying which tools to replace first?
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