Blog
We’re glad you’re here!
Breathe deeply, grab your preferred coffee mug, and look through our blog.
Is Agent As A Service the New Future? Will it Replace SaaS?
Hazel Nguyen
February 10, 2026
The tech ecosystem loves a catchy acronym. So when “AaaS” (Agent-as-a-Service / AI-as-a-Service) was introduced, some people quickly jumped into the “SaaS is dead” narrative.
It’s not. But something is shifting, and leaders should understand what’s changing, what isn’t, and how to make smarter bets in 2026 and beyond.
Is SaaS dying?
It is undeniable that SaaS is still one of the strongest business models ever built. Vendor lock-in is still strong. Once a company integrates a tool into its systems: data models, workflows, automations, processes, it’s not something they switch out easily. And despite market changes, subscription revenue is still one of the most stable and predictable business models we have.
But resilience doesn’t mean momentum.
What we’re seeing across the industry right now:
- Growth rates are slowing down: pipelines are thinner and demo requests are dropping
- AI-native companies are absorbing all the market excitement, drawing attention away from traditional software categories
- Churn is rising, especially in teams that bought too many seats during the 2021–2023 expansion era
- Many SaaS companies overbuilt sales teams and are now paying for that overhead
Strong, profitable SaaS companies will survive. But some are entering a tough cycle filled with expected layoffs, consolidation across in the near future.
Is “AaaS” the Future?
AaaS is a cloud-based service model that delivers AI agents capable of operating independently without human supervision. These agents use machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to handle user requests, automate complex workflows, and enhance operational efficiency. AaaS can also include multi-agent systems (MAaaS), where multiple agents collaborate to address more complex tasks and make coordinated decisions.
The real situation is: AI-native companies may use usage-based pricing, automation-first workflows, and agentic capabilities to differentiate themselves from traditional SaaS. But structurally, they still behave like SaaS: hosted, recurring, centralized, and delivered through the cloud. AI doesn’t kill SaaS and only helps leverage SaaS. The future isn’t about choosing between SaaS and AaaS. It’s a natural progression: from SaaS to AI-integrated products and further.
The Real Shift
Buyers care more about “How your solution can solve real-world problems” rather than “What tools you use”
The key shift for decision-makers is simple: for 20 years, SaaS companies sold tools; but now AI-native companies sell outcomes. For example, instead of offering a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), they offer a system that books meetings. Not just an analytics dashboard, they provide automated insights and decisions. Instead of a support platform, they handle resolutions directly. Buyers don’t want more software to manage, at the end they want the work done. Eventually, this also raises expectations: AI vendors need to deliver consistent, measurable results, not just new features. This is why some companies will succeed quickly, while others will fail just as fast.
Why SaaS Still Matters (and Will Continue to)
Even with agentic AI systems emerging, there are three things remaining unchanged:
- Most business workflows are still human-led
AI can assist effectively, but the ultimate decision is on humans - Deterministic systems still matter
Finance, compliance, operations require reliability more than creativity
AI-native companies will innovate aggressively, but they still integrate into this SaaS-heavy foundation.
What Leaders Should Pay Attention To
1. Expect “Agent Fatigue”
Not every task needs to be automated or delegated to an AI agent. Companies that focus on real, validated use cases will win over customers in the long run.
2. Workflow integration is the battlefield
The tools that become indispensable will be the ones that fit seamlessly with daily operations of each organization, not the tools that just “use AI.”. The ability to understand and grasp the most of each clients want and needs is still dominated by people.
3. AI won’t replace SaaS, but SaaS companies that ignore AI will get replaced
The winners are the companies that add AI where it genuinely improves outcomes, not where it’s popular or trendy.
So, Is AaaS the Future?
This isn’t an end state for SaaS, it’s just a signal of where things are heading. AI-native models will change how software is bought and used, but SaaS isn’t going away. It’s moving into a phase where automation is expected, agents are normal and vendors have to prove real value. The companies that will do well are the ones that treat AI as a practical capability, focus on real problems, support their customers, and stay reliable. That’s what keeps revenue long-term, not new acronyms.
WRITE A COMMENT