Ask HN: How Wordpress can help startups/MVPs? - mgos
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claudiulodro
Without any further description about what you're trying to do, it's difficult
to answer the question.

There are millions of different ways:

You can do your landing pages in WP and easily integrate with newsletter pop-
ups and all the other growth hack tricks.

If you have a SaaS you can run the whole subscription system (accounts,
billing, renewals, etc.) using WooCommerce.

You can sell digital downloads of your software using WooCommerce.

You can keep your user-facing documentation in WP.

There are plugins for turning WordPress into a CRM so you can track your
leads/sales.

etc.

The possibilities are literally limitless.

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acangiano
WordPress is a content management system. Content is where it shines. If your
SaaS is mostly content presentation, WordPress will work just fine thanks to
its wide array of plugins.

For my new book notification service app
[http://anynewbooks.com](http://anynewbooks.com), I took a hybrid approach.
The frontend is WordPress (in need of a makeover) while I wrote the backend in
Rails since no plugin could replicate the functionalities I needed.

I took this approach because I wanted a proof of concept and threw it together
in a matter of days. 7 years later is still standing. So I don't regret it and
I think relying on WordPress is a valid option. Developers might frown upon
your choice, but that should be the least of your concerns.

That said, when I finally manage to rewrite the app (I know, I know) I will
likely go with an app from scratch (e.g., probably in something like
Elixir/Phoenix or Clojure) in order to customize the app to my liking with no
bloat from features I don't need.

Ultimately, you have this option too. You can start with WordPress, validate
your idea, and if you run into limitations you can't live with, you can then
switch to an app from scratch.

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coreymaass
I've given a talk on using WordPress for rapidly developing SaaS app MVPs. You
can watch it here: [https://wordpress.tv/2017/06/05/corey-maass-rapid-web-app-
de...](https://wordpress.tv/2017/06/05/corey-maass-rapid-web-app-development-
on-wordpress/)

It's great for certain types of apps, and solves a lot of the first 90% of
your app out of the box (user management, marketing pages, etc). So you can
concentrate on solving the core problem your app is trying to solve. As
mentioned in other comments, you might run into scaling issues over time, but
that too depends on the app.

I've built a couple dozen apps on WordPress, some of them have grown beyond
MVP and are going strong. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

~~~
mgos
Would love to know more about these actual examples and see how these work.

~~~
coreymaass
A good examples is Timerdoro.com which uses custom post types to manage
objects and social signin for rapid on-boarding. I would not build that by
hand.

Another new site is plugindirectory.info. The core of the app talks to an api
and charts the results. It took me about 20 hours to build. I didn't have to
create pages, user management (registration etc), curl calls, db schema, and
so much else. The core of the app took a couple hours, then I just
concentrated on the code that actually makes the app.

~~~
mgos
Thanks for taking the time to answer. Appreciate it. :)

~~~
coreymaass
Sure. Email me through gelform.com if you want to discuss more.

~~~
mgos
I actually saw your talk and found it really helpful. Thanks for sharing :)

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mgos
Sorry, I should have been more specific. After some googling...SaaS +
WordPress sounds interesting to me. So, I want to explore how SaaS startups
can leverage this framework. Since wp is open source and startups have to
operate on a shoe-string budget, it would be interesting to know how one can
build a SaaS with WordPress. Are there any real-world, existing examples for
this. Thanks.

~~~
saluki
There are some examples out there. (see links below)

I would recommend only using Wordpress for the public facing website or blog
though.

Use Rails or Laravel for the actual SaaS application.

WP is difficult to work with when you start moving beyond CMS features. Also
WP has ongoing security issues.

Rails and Laravel are made for building apps, is easier to work with and more
secure. Also checkout Laravel Spark, it's a SaaS App in a box and can save you
tons of time.

Definitely possible to build it directly in WP, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[https://raison.co/building-saas-startup-
wordpress/](https://raison.co/building-saas-startup-wordpress/)

[https://www.dtelepathy.com/blog/products/wordpress-saas-
appl...](https://www.dtelepathy.com/blog/products/wordpress-saas-application-
platform)

[https://www.npgroup.net/blog/4-reasons-you-should-
reconsider...](https://www.npgroup.net/blog/4-reasons-you-should-reconsider-
building-your-saas-on-wordpress/)

------
wordpressdev
I started [http://www.apnijobs.pk](http://www.apnijobs.pk) on WordPress just
to validate the idea and later move to custom code. 14 years down the line, it
is still on WP :)

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nrashid7
Lean startups should always find ways to minimize costs and use an efficient
way to market products. Wordpress could be very helpful if used correctly

------
mgos
Thank you guys. Really appreciate for taking time to answer this.

~~~
saluki
no problem, if you're already using PHP for WordPress development I would
highly recommend checking out the Laravel framework for app development.

Laracasts.com is a great place to get started learning about it.

