Top 5 Automation Tools for SaaS Builders

Maximum automation is the hidden secret to being the best programmer possible.

With the right automation tools, your workflow will improve in two ways:

You will never have to do boring repetitive tasks again. E.g. if you hate coding the UI for a website, you can automate it!
You will save lots of time. Tools can automate certain parts of your workflow. Requiring zero manual effort from you.

Today, we'll explore five automation tools I discovered, all of which offer generous free plans, allowing you to get started right away.

So without further ado... Let's dive right in!

1. Make

Make is a tool that allows you to visually and intuitively design workflow automation.

For instance, you can request data from a REST API and then output that data into Google Sheets for later analysis.

The best part is that Make offers a generous free plan, so you can sign up today and start experimenting!

2. Cron Jobs

To schedule HTTP requests at regular intervals, using cron jobs is the most effective method.

For example, if you need to check your web server's health every hour, you can schedule a cron job to ping the server and verify it's online.

Similarly, if you need regular email notifications related to your website, you can set up a cron job to trigger an API endpoint that sends the emails.

3. Cursor

This is the latest tool on the list and also the most hyped.

Cursor is a complete code editor built on top of Visual Studio Code but with AI-powered code generation capabilities.

Unlike Copilot, Cursor can generate entire applications based on your prompts, and it's surprisingly accurate; even a 5-year-old could make an app using it.

4. Claude

Claude is another new tool, often referred to as "ChatGPT for programmers."

Claude also has higher accuracy than the latest GPT models for programming tasks.

The only downside is that its usage is more limited compared to ChatGPT, which offers nearly unlimited access.

However, if you're facing complex problems and need quick solutions, Claude is your best friend.

5. v0

v0 is another chat-based tool designed to automate the development of UI for web applications.

You simply provide prompts (e.g., "create a navigation bar"), and the AI takes care of the rest.

This is perfect for me since I don't like creating UIs, and if you also prefer to avoid UI coding, I highly recommend giving it a try.