Hey fellow founders,
I recently launched Apicat, a micro SaaS tool for developers: an offline-first API client for designing, testing, and documenting APIs.
It started from a simple frustration every time cloud tools like Postman went down or my network was spotty, I couldn’t work efficiently. So I built something local, lightweight, and still modern.
Some lessons I’ve learned so far:
Niche tools can find real adoption if they solve a painful problem.
You don’t need massive marketing to get beta testers; early users often come from communities that already feel your pain.
Transparency and open communication build trust showing that you’re iterating can actually attract users.
Would love to hear from other founders building dev tools or niche SaaS products: how did you get early traction, and what would you do differently if you could go back?
Launching a small SaaS dev tool lessons from Apicat
byu/Living-Dependent3670 inEntrepreneur
Posted by Living-Dependent3670
1 Comment
This is really cool. Building an offline-first API client hits a real gap that a lot of devs don’t realize they have until something like Postman goes down. You’re right about niche tools finding traction through pain points rather than broad marketing.
When I built my first dev tool, most early traction came from being active where my users already hung out. I didn’t try to “promote” it, I just started sharing progress updates and problems I was solving in dev communities. People who related to those problems naturally became early adopters.
If I could go back, I’d focus earlier on building small integrations or plugins that fit into other tools developers already use. It makes adoption easier because users can try your product without changing their workflow completely.
Really solid approach so far. Keep sharing updates and your iteration process. That transparency will keep pulling in the right kind of users.