WaaS vs SaaS: Everything You Need to Know (PaaS, CaaS, IaaS Explored)

If you’re building or managing websites, chances are you’ve come across the terms: WaaS vs SaaS. At first glance, they look similar. But here’s the thing: they solve different problems. Choosing the wrong one can waste time, and money. Sometimes even the inspiration to move forward if you’ve chosen the wrong one.

But here’s some good news: by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly what WaaS and SaaS mean, how they work, where they shine, where they fall short. And most importantly which one fits your business right now. 

While searching for these terms you might have seen these terms as well: PaaS, CaaS and IaaS. I’ll also give you some overview on them, so you don’t have to switch to multiple articles if you want to get a basic understanding of them.

So, let’s move forward, shall we?

What Does “as a Service” Mean?

First, let’s clear up the “as a service” part.

When something is offered as a service, it means you’re renting or subscribing to it from a cloud provider instead of buying and managing it yourself. No physical servers in your office. Instead, you get access to what you need. Whether it’s infrastructure, a platform, or even a complete application over the internet.

In most cases, you’ll pay on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis. This way, you avoid huge upfront costs while also scaling up or down as needed.

Now, let’s break down Waas and SaaS models for a better understanding.

What Is WaaS?

Now, let’s talk about WaaS or in full form: Website as a Service. Think of it as a fully managed website solution. Instead of you handling hosting, updates, backups, security, and performance tuning, your provider handles it end-to-end. You just use the website to run your business.

In WordPress terms, WaaS means that a provider gives you a pre-configured site. Sometimes on a multisite network (if preferred). And the site comes with appropriate themes and all the essential plugins. So you don’t have to worry about breaking the site, anomalies and anything else.

How it works

Now, let’s give you a rundown on how the WaaS works.

1. Choose your desired WaaS provider and a plan.
2. Next, select a template or get a prebuilt website which is appropriate for your niche.
3. Now, add your content, branding, and products/services.
4. Your part is done.
5. Now, it’s the providers duty to manage uptime, security, updates, and backups.

Why people love WaaS

So, why people are going for WaaS, the question/query we mostly get.

• You as a user don’t need to do any server or plugin maintenance.
• The pricing of hosting and management is bundled.
• You can launch a website fast without any hassle.
• WaaS is best suited for people who are non-technical and busy site owners.

Limitations of WaaS

Just like everything else, WaaS does have some limitations. Which are as of follows:

• You have to work with the provider’s policies and templates.
• If you need any custom features, it might require add-ons or custom work.
• You need a long-term dependency. Meaning if you switch to another you’ll require a migration plan.

So in short, WaaS gives you a working website fast. You just need to add your contents. And it’s the providers duty to keep it running.

What Is SaaS?

SaaS stands for Software as a Service. In simple terms, it’s software you access through your browser. You don’t have to download, no need to manage servers, and no maintenance downtime (mostly). Think of email, CRMs, accounting apps or support desks.

How it works

So, here’s how SaaS works.

1. You sign up for a plan.
2. Then log in via a browser or app.
3. The provider hosts, secures, and updates everything in the background.

Why people love SaaS

There’s some very cool reasons for people loving SaaS.

• Quick start process and requires no technical setup.
• It always stays updated. The new features roll out automatically.
• It’s accessible from anywhere with just a login.

Limitations of SaaS

Yeah, SaaS also has some limitations. No biggie!

• Customization is usually boxed in by the product’s roadmap.
• Monthly/annual fees add up over years.
• You have limited control over hosting, data location, and deep system behavior.

WaaS vs SaaS: The Core Difference

WaaS vs SaaS, let’s make the difference crystal clear.

• SaaS is software you use (e.g., CRM, email, analytics).
• WaaS is a website you run on.

Or even simpler: SaaS = tools. WaaS = the website.

Quick Comparison between WaaS vs SaaS

Real World Examples

Now, why don’t I give you some real world examples to make you understand even better.

SaaS: If you need a helpdesk, you can use a SaaS like a ticketing tool. You need email outreach, use an Outreach SaaS platform like Orkap. You need invoicing, use an accounting SaaS. You don’t have to deal with servers or updates. You just log in and use it, simple!

WaaS: Choose this if you need a marketing site or local business site that stays fast, secure, updated, and backed up. You just need to choose a WaaS plan and focus on content and sales. While the provider keeps the engine running.

When to Choose SaaS vs WaaS

Choose SaaS if:

• You’re looking for a specific capability (email marketing, CRM, analytics, project management).
• Your website is already handled elsewhere (in-house, agency, or a separate host).
• You want integrations with many other tools, and you’re okay with vendor-defined limits.

Choose WaaS if:

• You want a ready to use website.
• You prefer predictable, bundled billing.
• You’re okay with working within a curated stack.

For many businesses, the answer is actually both. Just run your website on WaaS and connect it to SaaS tools for CRM, email, and analytics.

WaaS vs SaaS: Cost Breakdown

Let’s do a plain comparison for a small business website.

WaaS approach (per month):

• One bundled fee: $39–$199+ (varies by provider, features, and support SLAs)

SaaS approach (per month):

• Individual tools: $10–$50 each (CRM, email marketing, analytics, project management)
• Typical stack: $50–$250/month depending on the number of tools needed

Comparison:

• If your time is limited or hourly rates are high, WaaS usually wins on predictability.
• If you only need focused tools and your website is already stable, SaaS fits best.

WordPress Angle: Is WaaS Just Managed Hosting?

This is a great question we always get. But it’s not exactly just managed hosting.

Managed hosting gives you a tuned server including helpful features. You can still pick your own themes/plugins and handle compatibility.

WaaS gives you the whole website experience. You get optimal plugins, prebuilt templates, performance monitoring, security policies, and usually a support team that understands the full stack.

If you’re a freelancer or agency, WaaS can be your perfect pick.

Some Other As A Service Models

I mentioned in the intro that I'll add an overview on some of the popular as a service models. So, here it goes.

PaaS (Platform as a Service)

If SaaS gives you finished software, PaaS gives you the tools to build your own.

With PaaS, developers get a complete environment to build, test, and run applications. The provider handles the infrastructure, operating system, and runtime environment. You only need to focus on your code.

• What you manage: Application code, data, scaling logic
• What the provider manages: Infrastructure, runtime, OS, updates

Best for: Developers and companies that want to build apps quickly without managing servers.

Examples: Google App Engine, Microsoft Azure App Service.

Pros:

• Instant access to a development environment
• Faster app development and deployment
• Provider handles scaling and infrastructure security

Cons:

• Customization can be limited to what the platform supports
• Vendor lock-in risks
• Less control over infrastructure performance tuning

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

Think of IaaS as the raw building blocks of cloud computing. You get virtualized servers, storage, and networking resources. From there, you can build and configure everything else.

It’s the closest thing to owning a data center without buying the actual hardware.

• What you manage: Operating system, applications, runtime, data
• What the provider manages: Hardware, virtualization, networking, storage

Best for: Organizations that need maximum flexibility and control, but don’t want to deal with physical infrastructure.

Examples: Amazon EC2, Google Compute Engine, Microsoft Azure VMs.

Pros:

• Highest level of control and customization
• On-demand scalability
• Pay-as-you-go reduces upfront costs
• Reliable infrastructure with no single point of failure

Cons:

• Requires hands-on configuration and ongoing maintenance
• Security responsibilities still fall heavily on you
• Legacy applications may be harder to secure in the cloud

CaaS (Containers as a Service)

Finally, we have CaaS, which has grown rapidly alongside microservices and containerized apps.

CaaS provides container orchestration and management. Instead of running apps in virtual machines, you package them into containers. The provider then handles the arrangements, scaling, and networking of those containers. And popularly 66% of users actually use Kubernetes. 

• What you manage: Applications, scaling rules, data
• What the provider manages: Orchestration, OS, container runtime, infrastructure

Best for: Teams using DevOps, microservices, or hybrid/multicloud strategies.

Examples: Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Amazon EKS, Azure AKS.

Pros:

• Portable apps that run the same across environments
• Great for scaling microservices
• Built-in monitoring and orchestration tools
• Supports hybrid and multi-cloud

Cons:

• Some providers limit language or runtime support
• Containers can share kernel vulnerabilities
• Steeper learning curve for teams new to containers

Comparing All the Models

Here’s a quick comparison of who handles what:

Wrapping It Up

So, let’s wrap it. After reading this article, you already know the difference between WaaS vs SaaS. WaaS gives you a working website, while SaaS gives you a working application/tool. 

Want a stress free plan and don’t want to manage hosting, updates and security? Go for WaaS.

Want a specific feature or capability like email management, CRM, analytics? SaaS is the best choice for you.

While the world revolves towards multitask management, so do the users. To manage every aspect of a business, most professionals use WaaS and SaaS together to keep their business up and running. It’s efficient and less time consuming than doing everything manually. Also, think of the labor cost to do them manually. Saving money, time and stress. What more do you want right?

But in regard to the other models, here is a one line rundown for each of the “as a service” models.

• Go with WaaS if you want a professional website without the hassle.
• Use SaaS if you need software that “just works” out of the box.
• Pick PaaS if you’re a developer who wants to focus on coding instead of managing servers.
• Choose IaaS if you want control and flexibility while outsourcing the physical infrastructure.
• Opt for CaaS if you’re working with microservices or need to scale containerized applications.

The good news is, you don’t have to choose just one. As mentioned before, many businesses use a mix of these models depending on their needs. The key is understanding the balance between control and convenience that each model offers.