In the past few years, the SaaS industry has grown from scarcity to abundance. Today in 2021, there exists a service-based digital solution for every other problem or cause. SaaS has become a prime element in every business’s architecture. To stand out in such a tough competition, the SaaS market needs to leverage strategies like verticalization, exceptional segmentation, meeting customer demands, and providing excellent features.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the perfect solution to bind it all. In a very short duration of time, AI has become the central marketable asset for the SaaS industry. The integration of AI with SaaS is a paradigm-shifting phenomenon. Recently, YourStory mentioned it as one of the topmost trends to be observed in SaaS companies in 2021, ranking up the worth of about $15.7 trillion.
Why so?
Owing to its exceptional and magnificent features, AI is all set to give a new face to the SaaS industry, including astonishing business opportunities, hyper-personalized experiences, and much more. How have SaaS businesses leveraged AI in 2021?
We have compiled the top 50 AI companies in the SaaS industry for you. Let’s find out!
HubSpot is a pioneer brand when it comes to inbound marketing, sales, and services. But with the help of AI, HubSpot not only helps the teams with clean and organized databases but also better optimization of content with respect to the customer base.
The web-based software development version control and project collaboration platform, GitHub uses the SaaS model of delivery. It uses AI for resurfacing recommendations and open issues in repositories.
Leading the AI-based language detection and enhancement technology, Grammarly incorporates deep learning and natural language processing into its SaaS model. With the AI-enabled text editor, it delivers excellent real-time language and grammar recommendations to the user.
Adobe has been one of the most successful transitions in the history of SaaS. A lot of credit goes to the usage of AI, machine learning, and deep learning for the purpose of understanding content, and recommending personalization, segmentation, etc.
Targeting the business communication segment, Slack has become one of the fastest-growing SaaS businesses globally. Interestingly, it uses AI to keep you in the loop while you are away from the platform. Thousands of messages are sorted regularly and AI does this work in a jiffy!
Google can easily claim to have SaaS built into its DNA. With the influence of AI, it not only makes all its services more beneficial for the user but also generates huge productivity profits from them. Be it Google Docs or Google Assistant, AI is hard-wired in Google’s services.
Not just in its e-commerce business, Amazon uses AI for its entire SaaS model. In fact, one of the most prominent uses of AI at Amazon caters to the understanding of customers and their expectations to deliver better services. Could any better implementation of AI in SaaS exist?
While Shopify delivers a digital platform to be used by businesses, it relies on a SaaS model to construct this relationship with the customers. That said, Shopify not only incorporates AI intrinsically but also provides developer tools for its users to instill the power of AI in their platforms.
The wide array of services offered by Microsoft 365 lie under the hood of SaaS. And when it comes to the intervention of AI, there’s no doubt about the fact that AI is deeply rooted in Microsoft’s skeleton with all its solutions and services.
The video communications company offers video conferencing services as a SaaS product to its users. But there’s a lot more to its meetings. Zoom has rolled out AI-powered transcripts in meetings and features like note-taking, meeting assistant, etc to leverage AI and change the online meeting landscape.
The largest Apple IT Management community, Jamf, recently hit the public market in July 2020. Targeting the Apple devices specifically, the company offers different features through its SaaS model.
Being Australia’s largest SaaS company, RingCentral provides AI automation and speech analytics services through app integration. It has replaced manual business activities with AI solutions for its clients.
The trilogy of software development, project management, and content management is nowhere better than Atlassian. Based on a SaaS model, Atlassian heavily relies on AI for streamlining the work of its client teams using various smart solutions and assistants.
Sophos resides in the arena of cloud-based data security solutions. Discovering the novel scope of AI in cybersecurity, Sophos is using AI capabilities to achieve information security goals.
From the data center to networking. Cisco offers a wide array of IT solutions. It has been using AI for a long time, for network analytics purposes. AI also enables Cisco to keep a track of Cloud application performance and discover insights from operational and security components.
Okta believes in being highly customer-centric. This is where AI helps it. Delivering enterprise-grade identity management service through a SaaS model, Okta has incorporated various authentication features with the help of AI, thus reducing the risk of attacks.
Providing online storage service through its highly efficient SaaS model, Dropbox is one of the most successful SaaS businesses in 2020. The company acknowledges deliberate efforts to incorporate AI in all of its products and services, for purposes like OCR, etc.
MuleSoft furnishes businesses with an integration platform to connect data and applications across different infrastructures and environments. With ‘API-led connectivity’, MuleSoft aims at unleashing the true potential of AI in data governance.
Providing digital businesses with a platform to sell their services through an ongoing subscription, Wix has created a stir in the SaaS industry lately. In 2016, Wix transformed the website design landscape by introducing a design AI service called Wix ADI.
Disrupting the cloud-based communications industry, Twilio has launched itself in the safe space of developers across the globe. With Twilio Autopilot, they’re using bridging the gap between bots and humans through a conversational interface.
The e-learning industry is highly saturated but Pluralsight continues to stay a step ahead. With AI, Pluralsight has not only been able to understand its customers better, but also provide quality education services at an affordable rate.
To understand human capital best, Paycom uses several technologies including AI, ITops, Cybersecurity, and Blockchain. Transforming the talent management sector, Paycom is a successful SaaS implementation.
Being a non-profit open-source publishing platform, Ghost believes in ‘business with a mission’. Strengthened by AI, this content management system platform allows a simplistic resource for bloggers and publications.
To protect the world’s biggest businesses from cyber attacks, LastPass leads the enterprise password management technology industry. Using the power of AI, LastPass claims to have implemented risk-adaptive authentication, and other such features.
Zendesk hits the right spot when it comes to the usage of AI in SaaS businesses. Leading the customer relationship management industry, Zendesk offers AI tools including customer service chatbot software, etc.
The customer service industry holds another pioneer, Salesforce. With AI, Salesforce is able to gather data on customer behavior and use it to provide predictive analytics and intelligent insights.
The cybersecurity space leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the utilization of emerging technologies. Proofpoint’s intelligent digital risk protection services ensure safety from email threats, fraud, etc with the help of smart AI-based SaaS execution.
The mathematical computing software owner, Mathworks furnishes its software with the capabilities of AI and ML. With dedicated toolboxes in the application workflow, Mathworks provides huge benefits to the creators of engineering systems.
‘Sales’ is cool but have you tried ‘smart sales’? Highspot seems to have achieved a massive breakthrough with its patented AI to generate highly effective content targeted at sales enablement opportunities.
Email marketing was never a smart industry until companies like MailChimp started unleashing features that used AI at its best. Predictive intelligence, recommendations, and effective data management, AI takes care of it all.
AI can be used to ensure human touch as well. Veeva has made it possible through its novel application that automates case intake and integrates manual records efficiently, for better data entry and processing.
Providing survey software with AI-driven capabilities is a revolution brought in by SurveyMonkey. With machine learning and natural language processing technology, SurveyMonkey ensures its features provide the highest value to the customer.
The cloud-based accounting software Xero connects people and businesses through its SaaS model. It acknowledges the fact that AI has enabled huge developments in the banking and financial sector when it comes to documentation and prediction.
Highlighting the growth marketing industry, AdRoll has revealed BidIQ, the power behind it. Making the campaigns more efficient and productive, AI has enabled a great advantage for AdRoll’s customers.
The content curation platform Hootsuite immensely credits AI for its latest introduction – Hootbot. Instilling a fully automated social media presence, Hootbot is a great offering by the SaaS giant.
Being every marketer’s favorite SaaS, Marketo has recognized AI and machine learning as key technologies to identify customer behavior and deliver engaging content on the basis of that. Transforming marketing automation through AI appears to be the next big thing in 2020.
Targeting one of the most crucial business needs, Zuora claims to be the first SaaS billing system for requirements pertaining to subscription businesses. The involvement of AI makes the SaaS model even more efficient and analytics-friendly.
Intuit is acutely aware of the benefit of AI assistance in financial decisions and thus it welcomes AI and human collaboration in the near future. Tax advice can be effortlessly AI-operated, as Intuit continues to redefine the role of AI in our financial lives.
The smart and efficient collaboration platform for API development, Postman, is a great choice for building, testing, and modifying APIs. It enables users to create features like ‘Service Ticket Intelligence’ using the potential of AI.
Lying in the domain of advanced analytics and deep learning, AI becomes a great pal for Domo. With AI-based techniques and insights, Domo paves the way for smart business intelligence solutions to monitor and analyze business data.
Tackle your expense reporting woes with this modern expense management software – Fyle. With smart AI-based features, the software is built to streamline all your expense tracking, reporting, and management tasks. For example, it auto-extracts information directly from receipts, reconciles credit cards automatically, helps you reimburse employees in bulk and on time with the next-day ACH feature and more.
Powered by AI and natural language processing abilities, AlphaSense offers intelligent research management solutions for the financial sector. Using AI as the torchbearer, AlphaSense provides language understanding and aggregation services for all the data that is consumed on their platform.
This travel management company uses AI to help travel agencies upscale their business. They’ve put AI and travel technology together to map several data points and hotel information accurately and generate user-friendly recommendations.
Specializing in the event and hospitality management industry, Cvent uses AI and other emerging technologies in the form of chatbots or other architectures. Rising above from conventional marketing, Cvent embraces AI for better decision-making.
Being a SaaS, Apptio helps other SaaS businesses discover and understand their licensing, planning, cost structure, and investments through AI-driven insights. With intelligent analytics, the Apptio SaaS model prepares the customers to leverage innovation in their financial systems.
Behavior analytics is a powerful application of AI and Rapid7 brings it into the SaaS picture. Standing at the union of security, IT, and DevOps, Rapid7 utilizes AI to provide a secure environment for companies.
Cloud-based service and log management cannot function in real-time without the influence of AI and automation. Splunk leverages AI into its services by providing holistic monitoring and analytics insights across different aspects of the IT infrastructure.
Another eminent leader in the HR and talent management sector, ADP uses AI and machine learning abilities to keep track of training employees, and understanding and diverting their potential in the right areas. Using the parameters received, intelligent and job-specific hiring can also be facilitated.
Being an enterprise AI platform, DataRobot utilizes AI to enhance the productivity of data scientists and engineers through automated tools. Through its SaaS offering, DataRobot maintains AI throughout the process of building and deploying applications, thus, giving businesses a better edge.
Recognized as an AI startup on its own, Cresta helps organizations with their sales challenges. It helps the clients empathize with their customers, deliver appropriate solutions and thus, increase sales, and reduce churn.
CallHippo is an on-demand Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) Service Providers. CallHippo allows startups and businesses to buy instant local support numbers from over 50+ countries around the world.
Last on our list is the marketing-friendly conversational AI that claims to deliver increased revenue without any extra efforts on the team. The company uses AI to answer buyer questions on the basis of past questions asked on the site. This is a direct utilization of email, chat, or video conversations into marketing campaigns.
So these were the top 50 SaaS companies that have made it big in 2021, all because of the undeniably incredible potential of AI. In fact, the buzz word ‘AIaaS’ is also gaining a lot of attention, while referring to AI companies in SaaS.
Emerging technologies are showing their magic in all SaaS businesses around us and there’s a lot more to go. Interested to know more? Find the golden chest of SaaS information, right here!
Ritesh has over 20 years of experience collaborating with customers and adding value to their organizations. In his prior role as head of healthcare practice for a high growth US healthcare tech organization, he built a centralized knowledge house to drive customer-centric delivery.
Published September 25, 2020, Updated September 11, 2024
