Why Your SaaS Feature List is Too Long (And How to Cut It in Half)

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If a user might need it someday, I put it in.
If a competitor had it, I copied it.
If I saw it in a fancy Product Hunt launch… well, obviously my product needed it too.

The result?

• Weeks of extra work

• Slower launch

• Half-built features that nobody even touched

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The Feature List Trap

Most founders start with a clear core idea. But then:

• They peek at competitors for “inspiration”

• They ask for feedback and get 100 feature requests

• They convince themselves, “If I just add this one thing, it’ll be perfect”

Before they know it, they’re building a Frankenstein product instead of an MVP.

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Why a Long Feature List is Dangerous

• Slower shipping: More features = more dev time = delayed feedback loop

• Higher complexity: Every new feature increases the maintenance burden

• Weaker onboarding: New users get lost in the clutter instead of hitting that “aha” moment fast

• Burnout risk: You end up fixing edge-case bugs for features nobody uses

The MVP Triage Method (How I Cut My List in Half)

Here’s how I get ruthless with my features before I touch a single line of code:

Step 1 — Define the Core Outcome

Ask: If my SaaS only did ONE thing really well, what would it be?
Example:

• Calendly → Book a meeting without back-and-forth emails

• Dropbox → Store and access files from anywhere

If a feature doesn’t directly help achieve that one thing… it’s suspect.

Step 2 — Separate Must-Haves from Nice-to-Haves

• Must-have: Without this, the product fails its core outcome

• Nice-to-have: Improves the experience but isn’t mission-critical

Nice-to-haves go into a “Later” list — which I actually revisit only after launch.

Step 3 — Kill the “Just in Case” Features

If the only reason you’re adding it is “maybe someone will use it,” delete it.
The fastest way to validate a feature is to launch without it and see who complains.

Step 4 — Launch Smaller, Iterate Faster

Instead of launching all the features, launch the smallest set that:

1. Delivers the promised outcome

2. Lets you start charging

3. Can be improved weekly based on real feedback

A Real Example From My Own Build

In one of my recent SaaS projects, my first draft feature list had 14 items.
After applying this filter:

• 5 made the cut for launch

• 4 moved to “Later”

• 5 got deleted completely

Guess what?
Nobody has asked for any of the deleted ones yet.

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Closing Thoughts

Your MVP isn’t about impressing people with how much it can do.
It’s about proving that it can do one thing so well they’re willing to pay for it.

The fewer features you start with, the faster you get feedback.
And the faster you get feedback, the faster you can build the right features — not just more features.

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💬 Question for you: If you had to launch your SaaS tomorrow, which 3 features would survive the cut?