The 30-Minute SaaS Idea Scoring System: Rate Any Concept in Minutes

You've found a potential SaaS idea. Now comes the hard part: figuring out if it's worth building.

Most founders waste weeks or months deliberating over ideas, paralyzed by uncertainty. Others rush into development without proper validation, only to discover critical flaws after investing thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours.

The solution isn't more time spent thinking. It's a systematic scoring framework that lets you evaluate any SaaS concept objectively in 30 minutes or less.

This article presents a proven scoring system used by successful indie hackers and solo developers to separate viable opportunities from time-wasters. You'll learn exactly which criteria matter, how to weight them properly, and how to calculate a final score that tells you whether to build, pivot, or abandon an idea.

Why Most SaaS Idea Evaluation Methods Fail

Before diving into the scoring system, let's address why traditional evaluation methods leave founders stuck.

The gut feeling approach relies entirely on intuition. You either "feel good" about an idea or you don't. This method ignores market realities, competition, and monetization challenges. It's how founders end up building solutions nobody wants.

The endless research trap involves gathering information indefinitely without making decisions. You read every competitor's website, analyze every Reddit thread, and create elaborate spreadsheets. Three months later, you're still researching while someone else launches your idea.

The validation theater method goes through validation motions without substance. You ask friends if they'd use your product (they say yes to be polite), create a landing page that gets 50 visitors, and call it validated. Then you build for six months and get zero paying customers.

The problem isn't that these approaches lack merit. It's that they're unstructured, subjective, and time-consuming. Understanding what makes a SaaS idea actually profitable requires a systematic framework, not random evaluation tactics.

The 30-Minute Scoring Framework: Overview

This scoring system evaluates SaaS ideas across eight critical dimensions. Each dimension receives a score from 1-10, with specific criteria defining each score level.

The eight dimensions are:

1. Problem Severity - How painful is the problem you're solving?
2. Market Accessibility - Can you reach potential customers?
3. Willingness to Pay - Will people actually pay for this solution?
4. Competition Level - How crowded is this space?
5. Technical Feasibility - Can you actually build this?
6. Time to Market - How quickly can you launch an MVP?
7. Scalability Potential - Can this grow beyond initial customers?
8. Personal Advantage - Do you have unique insights or skills?

Each dimension carries equal weight, giving you a maximum score of 80 points. Here's how to interpret your total:

• 65-80 points: Strong opportunity - start building
• 50-64 points: Promising but needs refinement - address weak areas
• 35-49 points: Significant concerns - major pivot required
• Below 35: Abandon and find a better idea

This framework forces objective evaluation while remaining fast enough to prevent analysis paralysis. Let's break down each dimension.

Dimension 1: Problem Severity (1-10)

The foundation of any successful SaaS is solving a real, painful problem. Not a mild inconvenience. Not a "nice to have." A genuine pain point that causes frustration, costs money, or wastes time.

Scoring criteria:

9-10 points: The problem causes daily frustration or significant financial loss. People actively search for solutions and try multiple alternatives. They complain about it publicly in forums, social media, and review sites. Example: E-commerce stores losing sales due to slow checkout processes.

7-8 points: The problem occurs regularly (weekly) and causes noticeable inconvenience or moderate costs. People mention it when asked but aren't desperately seeking solutions. Example: Freelancers manually tracking time across multiple projects.

5-6 points: The problem exists but is intermittent or minor. People work around it rather than actively seeking solutions. Example: Slightly disorganized bookmark management.

3-4 points: The problem is more theoretical than practical. People acknowledge it exists but rarely think about it. Example: "It would be nice if my notes were 5% more organized."

1-2 points: No real problem exists. You're creating a solution looking for a problem. Example: An app that changes your desktop wallpaper based on weather.

How to score this in 5 minutes:

Search for your problem on Reddit, Twitter, and support forums. Count how many people are actively complaining about it. Look for phrases like "this is killing me," "wasting hours," or "costing us money."

If you find dozens of complaints from the past month, score 8-10. A few scattered mentions score 5-7. Silence or theoretical discussions score 1-4.

Many founders discover pain points that make perfect SaaS products by systematically mining these complaint sources.

Dimension 2: Market Accessibility (1-10)

You might solve a critical problem, but if you can't reach the people who have it, your SaaS will fail. Market accessibility measures how easily you can connect with potential customers.

Scoring criteria:

9-10 points: Your target customers congregate in specific, accessible places online. They're active in dedicated Slack communities, subreddits, Facebook groups, or LinkedIn groups. You already have connections in this market or can easily join these communities. Example: Shopify store owners in dedicated e-commerce communities.

7-8 points: Your customers are identifiable and reachable but somewhat scattered. They exist on multiple platforms without one dominant gathering place. You'll need to use several channels but can reach them with effort. Example: Freelance graphic designers across Twitter, Instagram, and Dribbble.

5-6 points: Your customers are harder to identify and reach. They don't have strong online communities or gathering places. You'll need paid advertising or content marketing to reach them. Example: Small manufacturing business owners.

3-4 points: Your target market is vague or extremely fragmented. No clear communities exist. Customer acquisition will be expensive and time-consuming. Example: "People who want to be more productive."

1-2 points: You can't clearly identify who your customers are or where to find them. The market is too broad or doesn't exist as a coherent group. Example: "Anyone who uses the internet."

How to score this in 5 minutes:

Make a list of specific places where your target customers gather online. Include:

• Subreddits with subscriber counts
• Facebook groups with member counts
• Slack/Discord communities you can join
• LinkedIn groups or hashtags
• Industry-specific forums

If you list 3+ active communities with 10,000+ members total, score 8-10. One or two smaller communities score 5-7. Struggling to find any score 1-4.

This connects directly to how to find SaaS ideas that people already want to buy - you need to know where your buyers are.

Dimension 3: Willingness to Pay (1-10)

Some problems are painful but people won't pay to solve them. Others have clear monetization paths. This dimension measures whether your target market actually opens their wallets for solutions like yours.

Scoring criteria:

9-10 points: Your target market already pays for similar solutions. Multiple competitors charge successfully. The problem directly impacts revenue or costs, making ROI clear. Businesses rather than consumers. Example: Tools that reduce customer churn for SaaS companies.

7-8 points: The market pays for related solutions but not exactly what you're offering. Clear business value exists but requires some explanation. Example: A new type of analytics tool for e-commerce when they already use Google Analytics.

5-6 points: Some people might pay but it's unclear. The value is somewhat abstract or difficult to quantify. Mix of free and paid solutions exists. Example: Team collaboration tools in a market dominated by free Slack.

3-4 points: The market strongly prefers free solutions. Monetization will be challenging. Value is mostly personal rather than business-oriented. Example: Personal productivity apps competing with free alternatives.

1-2 points: No evidence anyone pays for this type of solution. The problem isn't valuable enough or free alternatives are "good enough." Example: Another todo list app.

How to score this in 5 minutes:

Search for existing solutions to your problem. Check their pricing pages. Look for:

• Multiple competitors with paid plans
• Pricing above $20/month
• B2B rather than B2C focus
• Clear ROI in marketing materials

If you find 3+ paid competitors with clear pricing, score 8-10. One or two paid options score 5-7. Only free tools or no solutions score 1-4.

This is why examining SaaS ideas that actually make money reveals patterns in monetization potential.

Dimension 4: Competition Level (1-10)

Competition isn't automatically bad. It validates market demand. But the type and intensity of competition matters significantly for solo founders and small teams.

Scoring criteria:

9-10 points: Few or no direct competitors exist. The market is underserved. Any existing solutions are outdated, expensive, or poorly executed. Clear opportunity for a focused alternative. Example: A niche workflow tool for a specific industry with no dedicated solution.

7-8 points: Some competitors exist but they're either too broad, too expensive, or missing key features. Room for a focused alternative or unbundled version. Example: Competing with enterprise software by serving small businesses better.

5-6 points: Moderate competition with several established players. You'll need a clear differentiator. Market is large enough for multiple players. Example: Project management tools with a unique approach.

3-4 points: Heavy competition including well-funded startups. Differentiation will be difficult. Market leaders have strong brand recognition. Example: Another CRM competing with Salesforce and HubSpot.

1-2 points: Dominated by tech giants or extremely well-funded competitors. Nearly impossible for solo founders to compete. Example: Building a Google Docs competitor.

How to score this in 5 minutes:

Search your main keyword + "software" or "tool." Count:

• Direct competitors in search results
• Well-funded startups (check Crunchbase)
• Enterprise players
• Recent Product Hunt launches

Zero to two small competitors score 8-10. Three to five competitors with no clear leader score 5-7. Six-plus competitors or major tech companies score 1-4.

Learn more about finding SaaS ideas nobody is building yet to discover low-competition opportunities.

Dimension 5: Technical Feasibility (1-10)

Can you actually build this with your current skills and available tools? Many founders overestimate their technical capabilities or underestimate project complexity.

Scoring criteria:

9-10 points: You can build an MVP in 2-4 weeks using familiar technologies. No complex algorithms, machine learning, or specialized infrastructure required. Standard CRUD app with existing libraries handling most functionality. Example: A form builder with Stripe integration.

7-8 points: Buildable in 1-2 months with some learning required. You'll need to master one or two new technologies but they're well-documented. Example: Real-time collaboration features using established WebSocket libraries.

5-6 points: Requires 3+ months or learning significantly new technologies. Some components are complex but solvable. You might need to hire contractors for specific pieces. Example: Building a mobile app when you've only done web development.

3-4 points: Requires expertise you don't have and can't quickly acquire. Complex algorithms, specialized infrastructure, or regulatory compliance involved. Example: Building a trading algorithm or HIPAA-compliant healthcare platform.

1-2 points: Technically unfeasible for solo founders or small teams. Requires large engineering teams, significant infrastructure, or breakthrough technology. Example: Competing with Google Search or building autonomous vehicle software.

How to score this in 5 minutes:

List the core features your MVP needs. For each feature, ask:

• Have I built this before?
• Do well-documented libraries exist?
• Can I find tutorials for this?

If you answer "yes" to all three for every feature, score 9-10. Some "no" answers score 5-8. Mostly "no" answers score 1-4.

With modern AI tools, SaaS ideas for developers have become more technically feasible than ever.

Dimension 6: Time to Market (1-10)

Speed matters. The faster you can launch and validate, the less risk you take. This dimension measures how quickly you can get a working MVP in front of real users.

Scoring criteria:

9-10 points: You can launch a functional MVP in 2-4 weeks. Core features are simple and well-defined. No complex integrations or regulatory hurdles. Example: A content calendar tool for social media managers.

7-8 points: MVP possible in 1-2 months. Moderate complexity but clear scope. Standard integrations with documented APIs. Example: An analytics dashboard pulling data from common sources.

5-6 points: Requires 3-4 months to launch something useful. Multiple integrations or complex features needed before users get value. Example: A comprehensive project management tool.

3-4 points: Six months or more to MVP. Requires building significant infrastructure before core features work. Example: A marketplace platform needing both supply and demand.

1-2 points: Twelve months or longer to launch. Requires regulatory approval, complex partnerships, or extensive infrastructure. Example: A fintech product requiring banking licenses.

How to score this in 5 minutes:

Write down your absolute minimum feature set - the smallest version that delivers value. Estimate build time for each feature honestly. Add them up.

Under 4 weeks total scores 9-10. One to three months scores 5-8. Over three months scores 1-4.

Many successful founders focus on building SaaS ideas in a weekend to maximize learning speed.

Dimension 7: Scalability Potential (1-10)

Can this idea grow beyond your initial customers? Some SaaS ideas work for a handful of users but hit hard ceilings. Others have clear paths to scaling.

Scoring criteria:

9-10 points: The market is large and growing. Your solution works for multiple customer segments with minimal customization. No hard limits on customer count. Clear expansion opportunities. Example: Email marketing software usable by any business.

7-8 points: Solid market size with room to grow. Some expansion opportunities exist but might require feature additions. Example: Tools for a specific industry with adjacent markets you could enter.

5-6 points: Moderate market with some growth potential. You might hit a ceiling but not immediately. Limited expansion paths. Example: Tools for a specific job role in medium-sized companies.

3-4 points: Small market with limited growth potential. You'll likely hit customer ceiling within 1-2 years. Few expansion opportunities. Example: Tools for a very specific niche with no adjacent markets.

1-2 points: Tiny market or single-customer focus. No path to scaling beyond initial users. Example: Custom software for one specific company's workflow.

How to score this in 5 minutes:

Estimate:

• Total addressable market size (rough number of potential customers)
• Whether your solution works for different customer segments
• Adjacent markets you could expand into

Over 100,000 potential customers scores 8-10. 10,000-100,000 scores 5-7. Under 10,000 scores 1-4.

This connects to choosing the right market size for your SaaS idea strategically.

Dimension 8: Personal Advantage (1-10)

Your unique insights, skills, or connections can make the difference between success and failure. This dimension measures your unfair advantages.

Scoring criteria:

9-10 points: You've personally experienced this problem extensively. You have deep domain expertise. You're already connected to the target market. You have relevant technical skills. Example: Building invoicing software after years as a freelancer.

7-8 points: You understand the problem well through close observation or adjacent experience. You have some relevant skills or connections. Example: Building tools for an industry where you've worked adjacent roles.

5-6 points: You have general knowledge but no deep expertise. You'll need to learn the market. Some transferable skills exist. Example: Building B2B software with consumer product experience.

3-4 points: Limited knowledge of the problem space. You'll need significant market research. Few relevant skills or connections. Example: Building healthcare software with no healthcare experience.

1-2 points: No relevant experience, skills, or connections. You're starting from scratch in an unfamiliar domain. Example: Building fintech software as a designer with no finance or technical background.

How to score this in 5 minutes:

Answer these questions:

• Have I personally experienced this problem? (3 points)
• Do I have relevant professional experience? (3 points)
• Do I have connections in this market? (2 points)
• Do I have the technical skills needed? (2 points)

Add up your points. This is your score for this dimension.

Many successful founders follow the approach of building SaaS ideas that solve their own problems to maximize this advantage.

Putting It All Together: The Scoring Worksheet

Now that you understand each dimension, here's how to score any SaaS idea in 30 minutes:

Step 1 (5 minutes): Write down your SaaS idea in one sentence. Be specific about the problem and solution.

Step 2 (20 minutes): Score each dimension using the criteria above. Spend 2-3 minutes per dimension. Don't overthink it.

Step 3 (5 minutes): Add up your scores and interpret the results.

Example scoring:

Let's score a hypothetical idea: "A tool that helps Shopify store owners automatically generate product descriptions using AI."

1. Problem Severity: 7/10 - Store owners regularly complain about time spent writing descriptions, but it's not their biggest pain point
2. Market Accessibility: 9/10 - Shopify store owners are highly accessible through Reddit, Facebook groups, and Shopify's own community
3. Willingness to Pay: 8/10 - Store owners already pay for apps; clear time savings justify cost
4. Competition Level: 5/10 - Some AI writing tools exist but none Shopify-specific
5. Technical Feasibility: 9/10 - Straightforward API integration with Shopify and OpenAI
6. Time to Market: 9/10 - Could launch MVP in 2-3 weeks
7. Scalability Potential: 8/10 - Millions of Shopify stores; could expand to other platforms
8. Personal Advantage: 4/10 - No direct e-commerce experience but have technical skills

Total Score: 59/80

Interpretation: Promising opportunity that needs refinement. Main concern is limited personal advantage. Should either partner with someone who knows e-commerce or spend time deeply understanding the market before building.

Common Scoring Mistakes to Avoid

After using this framework with hundreds of founders, these are the most common scoring errors:

Optimism bias: Scoring your own idea higher than warranted. Combat this by having someone else score it independently or by deliberately looking for reasons to score lower.

Ignoring low scores: Seeing one dimension score 2/10 and convincing yourself it doesn't matter. It does. Low scores in any dimension create serious risks.

Overweighting personal preference: Scoring "Problem Severity" high because YOU care about it, not because the market does. Always validate with external evidence.

Undervaluing personal advantage: Dismissing your own expertise as "not that special." Domain knowledge is often the difference between success and failure.

Rushing the process: Spending 30 seconds per dimension instead of 2-3 minutes. The framework is fast but not instant. Take the full 30 minutes.

What to Do With Your Score

65-80 points: Start Building

You have a strong opportunity. Your next steps:

1. Create a simple landing page describing your solution
2. Share it in the communities you identified in "Market Accessibility"
3. Collect email addresses from interested users
4. Build your MVP focusing on the core problem
5. Launch to your email list within 4-8 weeks

Don't wait for perfection. High-scoring ideas deserve action, not more analysis.

50-64 points: Refine Before Building

You have a promising concept with fixable issues. Identify your lowest-scoring dimensions and address them:

• Low Problem Severity: Talk to more potential users. You might be solving the wrong problem or targeting the wrong segment.
• Low Market Accessibility: Find where your customers actually gather. If you can't, reconsider your target market.
• Low Willingness to Pay: Research competitor pricing. If nobody pays for this, pivot to a problem with clearer monetization.
• High Competition: Find your differentiator. What will you do differently? If you can't articulate this clearly, choose a less crowded space.
• Low Technical Feasibility: Reduce scope or learn required skills before starting. Don't begin projects you can't finish.
• Long Time to Market: Ruthlessly cut features. What's the absolute minimum that delivers value?
• Low Scalability: Ensure you're solving a problem for a market, not just a handful of companies.
• Low Personal Advantage: Spend time in the market before building. Read everything, talk to everyone, become an expert.

Revisit your score after addressing weak areas. If you can get above 65, proceed to building.

35-49 points: Major Pivot Required

Your current idea has significant problems. Don't build it as-is. Instead:

1. Identify whether the core problem is real (check Problem Severity score)
2. If the problem is real but other dimensions are weak, consider different approaches to the same problem
3. If the problem itself isn't severe, start over with a systematic discovery process

Many founders waste months building ideas in this score range. Don't be one of them.

Below 35: Abandon This Idea

Be honest with yourself: this idea isn't viable. That's okay. Most ideas aren't. The faster you identify losers, the faster you find winners.

Your next steps:

1. Review what you learned from this scoring process
2. Apply these lessons to evaluating new ideas
3. Use proven sources for finding better opportunities
4. Score your next idea before getting emotionally attached

Remember: execution matters more than ideas, but only when you're executing on a viable opportunity.

Advanced Applications of the Scoring System

Comparing multiple ideas: Score 3-5 ideas simultaneously. Build the highest-scoring one first. This prevents "grass is greener" syndrome where you constantly second-guess your choice.

Tracking score changes over time: Rescore your idea monthly as you learn more. Watch which dimensions improve (validation working) and which don't (potential problems).

Team alignment: Have co-founders score independently, then compare. Large scoring differences reveal different assumptions that need discussion.

Investor conversations: Use your score breakdown to structure pitches. High scores demonstrate systematic validation. Address low-scoring dimensions proactively.

Pivot decisions: If your launched SaaS isn't gaining traction, rescore it based on real-world data. If the score drops significantly, pivot rather than persisting.

Real-World Examples

Here's how this framework would have scored some well-known micro-SaaS success stories:

Plausible Analytics (Google Analytics alternative):

• Problem Severity: 6/10 (privacy concerns real but not critical)
• Market Accessibility: 9/10 (developers everywhere)
• Willingness to Pay: 7/10 (competing with free)
• Competition Level: 6/10 (Google dominates but room for alternatives)
• Technical Feasibility: 8/10 (complex but doable)
• Time to Market: 7/10 (months not weeks)
• Scalability: 9/10 (every website needs analytics)
• Personal Advantage: 9/10 (founders were developers concerned about privacy) Total: 61/80 - Promising but needed refinement (which they did)

Carrd (simple landing page builder):

• Problem Severity: 7/10 (people need simple sites)
• Market Accessibility: 8/10 (creators everywhere)
• Willingness to Pay: 6/10 (many free alternatives)
• Competition Level: 5/10 (many page builders exist)
• Technical Feasibility: 9/10 (straightforward)
• Time to Market: 9/10 (simple MVP possible quickly)
• Scalability: 9/10 (massive market)
• Personal Advantage: 8/10 (founder understood the need) Total: 61/80 - Good opportunity that succeeded through excellent execution

Notice both scored in the "promising but needs refinement" range. They succeeded because they addressed their weaknesses and executed well.

Making This System Your Own

This framework provides structure, but you can adapt it to your situation:

Adjust weights: If you're a solo developer, weight "Technical Feasibility" and "Time to Market" higher. If you're a domain expert with funding, weight "Market Accessibility" and "Competition" higher.

Add dimensions: Include "Regulatory Risk" for healthcare/fintech, "Network Effects" for marketplaces, or "Content Requirements" for SEO-dependent businesses.

Change scoring scales: Use 1-5 instead of 1-10 if you prefer simpler decisions. The relative rankings matter more than absolute numbers.

Create templates: Build a spreadsheet or Notion template with your customized framework. Score every idea consistently.

The key is systematic evaluation. Don't let excitement or fear drive decisions. Let data and structured thinking guide you.

Your Next Steps

You now have a proven framework for evaluating SaaS ideas in 30 minutes. Here's what to do next:

1. Score your current idea using this framework right now. Be honest. Write down your scores.

2. Take action based on your score. Don't just file this away. If you scored 65+, start building this week. If you scored 50-64, fix weak areas before building. Below 50, find a better idea.

3. Build a scoring habit. Evaluate every idea systematically before getting emotionally attached. This prevents wasting months on low-potential concepts.

4. Combine this with other validation methods. Scoring is fast but shouldn't be your only validation. Use it to quickly filter ideas, then validate thoroughly before investing significant time.

5. Track your results. As you build and launch, note which dimensions were accurate predictors and which weren't. Refine your framework based on real-world outcomes.

The difference between successful founders and those who never launch often comes down to decision-making speed. This scoring system lets you evaluate ideas quickly and confidently, so you spend more time building and less time wondering.

Stop overthinking your next SaaS idea. Score it, decide, and take action.

Ready to discover more validated opportunities? Explore SaaS ideas from real user pain points or learn how solo developers find million-dollar ideas without teams or funding.