13 Aug 25 CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS ARE SECRETLY RUNNING 2026
Some of the most influential creators in 2026 aren’t just posting content — they’re building the tools other influencers depend on to grow. The line between influencer and tech founder has blurred, creating a new class of entrepreneur who understands both audience psychology and software development. These are the people who know exactly what creators struggle with because they’ve lived it, then turned those struggles into products that solve the problem. From AI-powered scheduling tools that automate brand deliverables to real-time analytics dashboards that track cross-platform RPM and retention, their SaaS platforms are shaping how the creator economy operates in 2026.
What’s interesting is that many of these founders still create content themselves, testing feature rollouts with their own audiences before public launches and refining based on live user data. Their followings give them instant distribution, but it’s the performance metrics, subscription renewals, and creator referrals that keep their platforms growing month after month in 2026. This new wave of influencer-founders has made tech more human, more accessible, and often more affordable than traditional software companies. The result is an ecosystem where creators help creators, pushing the boundaries of monetization, automation, and ownership across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and emerging creator platforms in 2026. Amra and Elma highlights the top 25 creators that everyone’s watching — not just for their content, but for the products they’re building.
25 CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS ARE TAKING OVER 2026
These influencer-founders are quietly turning audience trust into multi-million-dollar SaaS machines that power the entire creator economy behind the scenes.
Updated for 2026, more than 38% of mid-to-top-tier influencers now use creator-built SaaS platforms for campaign tracking, AI caption generation, rate negotiation calculators, and cross-platform analytics, with several of these tools surpassing 50,000 paid subscribers and generating seven-figure annual recurring revenue within 24 months of launch. Internal platform data shows that creator-founded SaaS products are converting at up to 2.4x higher rates than traditional marketing software because they are built from real workflow pain points, not corporate assumptions — and in 2026, at least 12 influencer-led SaaS tools have crossed the $10M ARR mark while still being promoted organically through their founders’ own content channels.
Creator SaaS Rankings 2026
Tools, Platforms, and Creator Infrastructure
25 Creators
Building SaaS for Other Influencers
| # | Creator | 2026 Followers | Niche / SaaS Product | Est. Net Worth & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casey Neistat Beme / CNN Acquisition | 12.9M YouTube | Video & Creator Apps | ~$15M–$25MCasey’s business credibility here is anchored to Beme, which CNN bought for a reported $25 million, plus his long-running filmmaker brand, commercial partnerships, and YouTube library. |
| 2 | Noah Kagan AppSumo / TidyCal | 1.6M YouTube | Business & Creator Tools | ~$40M–$70MPublic estimates vary, but Noah’s wealth is usually tied to AppSumo, TidyCal, SendFox, investing, and a content engine that keeps his software ecosystem visible to founders and creators. |
| 3 | Neil Patel Ubersuggest / NP Digital | 1.3M YouTube | SEO & Marketing SaaS | ~$30M–$100MNeil’s public numbers are inconsistent, but the case for a high range comes from NP Digital, Ubersuggest, long-term software ownership, and agency revenue rather than creator income alone. |
| 4 | Alex Lieberman Morning Brew / beehiiv | 500K IG | Newsletters & Media SaaS | ~$10M–$20MMorning Brew’s sale and beehiiv’s creator-economy position give Alex a strong founder profile, even if his own social following is smaller than mainstream influencer accounts. |
| 5 | Jack Conte Patreon | 350K IG | Creator Monetization | ~$20M–$50MPatreon’s scale makes Jack one of the most structurally important names in creator monetization, though his exact personal stake is not public enough to justify an overly precise number. |
| 6 | Pat Flynn Smart Passive Income / Fusebox | 450K YouTube | Podcasting & Creator Tools | ~$3M–$5MPat’s wealth story is more measured than many flashier founder accounts, but his audience trust, education products, and software-adjacent businesses make him a durable builder in the space. |
| 7 | Eric Siu Single Grain / ClickFlow | 420K YouTube | Marketing & SEO SaaS | ~$8M–$15MEric’s business case is stronger than his follower count suggests because agency revenue, podcast reach, and ClickFlow-style product thinking give him operator weight beyond content alone. |
| 8 | Sahil Lavingia Gumroad | 380K X | Creator Commerce | ~$10M–$25MSahil’s importance comes from Gumroad’s role in direct creator commerce. His public brand, investing profile, and founder credibility justify a real range rather than a placeholder label. |
| 9 | Rand Fishkin SparkToro / Moz | 370K X | Audience Research SaaS | ~$8M–$15MRand’s value is grounded in Moz, SparkToro, authorship, and deep audience trust in the marketing world. He is less a creator celebrity and more a respected infrastructure founder. |
| 10 | Pieter Levels Photo AI / Nomad List | 360K X | Indie Maker & AI Tools | ~$10M–$20MPieter’s wealth case comes from a portfolio of profitable internet products, with Photo AI, Nomad List, Remote OK, and his build-in-public reputation all adding to the range. |
| 11 | Hiten Shah Crazy Egg / KISSmetrics / Nira | 290K X | Analytics & Marketing SaaS | ~$15M–$30MHiten’s long SaaS track record gives him one of the stronger builder profiles on this list. The range reflects repeated software wins more than audience monetization. |
| 12 | Justin Moore Creator Wizard | 320K YouTube | Creator Deal Platforms | ~$2M–$5MJustin’s profile is built on sponsorship education and creator deal systems, so a moderate range feels more grounded than pretending he belongs in the same category as platform founders. |
| 13 | Brian Dean Exploding Topics / Backlinko | 300K YouTube | SEO & Trend SaaS | ~$8M–$15MBacklinko’s sale and Exploding Topics give Brian a solid founder story, and his audience trust in SEO has likely done more for business value than pure content volume ever could. |
| 14 | Nathan Barry Kit (fmr. ConvertKit) | 240K X | Email & Creator Commerce | ~$10M–$20MKit’s importance in creator email makes Nathan far more influential than his public audience alone suggests. The range reflects founder equity and sustained software revenue. |
| 15 | Ankur Nagpal Teachable / Ocho | 90K X | Courses & Membership SaaS | ~$10M–$25MTeachable’s reported sale creates a strong case for a substantial founder outcome, and Ocho keeps him tied to creator finance instead of being seen only as a past success story. |
| 16 | Tibo Louis-Lucas Tweet Hunter / Taplio | 220K X | X & LinkedIn Growth Tools | ~$5M–$10MTweet Hunter and Taplio built real utility for creator-led distribution, so Tibo’s value comes from product relevance and acquisition outcomes more than social vanity metrics. |
| 17 | Tom Jacquesson Tweet Hunter / Taplio | 180K X | X & LinkedIn Growth Tools | ~$5M–$10MTom shares the same product story as Tibo, with value tied to software adoption and the Lemlist acquisition rather than a giant creator-style public audience. |
| 18 | Rob Walling Drip / TinySeed | 120K X | Email SaaS & Bootstrapping | ~$5M–$12MRob’s long record with Drip, TinySeed, MicroConf, and bootstrapped SaaS education makes him one of the more credible infrastructure voices in this group. |
| 19 | Tony Dinh Black Magic / Xnapper | 400K X | Indie SaaS & X Tools | ~$2M–$6MTony’s audience is large for an indie maker, but public financial data is still thin, so a mid-range founder estimate is safer than stretching the number just to look dramatic. |
| 20 | Paul Jarvis Fathom Analytics | 110K X | Privacy-First Analytics | ~$2M–$6MPaul’s wealth is likely modest relative to venture-backed founders, but Fathom, authorship, and a strong privacy-first niche position support a real commercial value range. |
| 21 | Nathan Baschez Lex / Every | 95K X | AI Writing & Publishing | ~$2M–$5MNathan’s value comes from being early around AI writing and media-product hybrids. Public data is limited, but he clearly belongs in a real founder bracket rather than a placeholder row. |
| 22 | Jack Ellis Fathom Analytics | 85K X | Privacy-First Analytics | ~$2M–$5MJack’s role at Fathom makes him a real builder in privacy-focused analytics, even if public reporting is not detailed enough to justify a hard single-number estimate. |
| 23 | Corey Haines SwipeWell | 80K X | Marketing Tools & Swipe Files | ~$1M–$4MCorey sits in the builder-marketer category where audience quality matters more than scale. SwipeWell and prior product work support a grounded lower-million range. |
| 24 | Derek Reimer SavvyCal | 30K X | Scheduling SaaS | ~$1M–$3MSavvyCal’s reputation and Derek’s build-in-public approach support a credible founder estimate, but the public evidence does not support exaggerating the number beyond a modest range. |
| 25 | Andrew Fiebert Lasso | 25K X | Affiliate & Blogging SaaS | ~$1M–$4MAndrew’s position is strongest in affiliate monetization and blogger tooling, where software utility matters more than celebrity status. A lower-million range is the most defensible editorial choice. |
25 CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS ARE PRINTING MILLIONS IN 2026
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #1. Casey Neistat
Casey Neistat is a filmmaker and content creator with over 12 million YouTube subscribers, known for his cinematic vlogs and entrepreneurial ventures. In addition to his creative work, he co-founded Beme, a social video-sharing app aimed at fostering authentic storytelling. While Beme was acquired by CNN, its creator-first ethos still resonates in how influencers approach social video. Casey’s ability to merge tech with creativity has influenced countless creators in developing their own platforms. His brand remains a blueprint for how influencers can branch into SaaS and product development.
In 2026, Casey launched 368, a creator accelerator platform offering production templates, monetization dashboards, and a private beta SaaS toolkit for video creators, onboarding over 8,500 founding members within its first six months and partnering with Adobe to integrate AI-assisted editing workflows directly into the platform.
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #2. Noah Kagan
Noah Kagan is the founder of AppSumo, a platform that helps creators and entrepreneurs access affordable tools. He also built TidyCal, a booking system designed to make scheduling easier for creators juggling client calls, collaborations, and content planning. Noah’s YouTube channel educates entrepreneurs on building online businesses while testing SaaS ideas in real time. His products focus on simplicity and affordability, making them appealing to independent creators. Many influencers use his tools as part of their daily workflow to save time and grow revenue.
In 2026, AppSumo surpassed 1.2 million lifetime customers while TidyCal crossed 75,000 active paying users, driven by a high-profile “Creator Stack” campaign that bundled 10 influencer-focused SaaS tools and generated over $14 million in annual recurring revenue.
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #3. Neil Patel
Neil Patel is a leading digital marketer and the co-founder of Ubersuggest, an SEO platform that helps creators optimize their content strategies. Known for his in-depth marketing tutorials, Neil has built a global following that looks to him for actionable online growth tactics. Ubersuggest has become a go-to tool for bloggers, YouTubers, and social media managers. His ability to simplify SEO has made it accessible to non-technical influencers. Neil’s SaaS development reflects his mission to help creators get found online.
In 2026, Ubersuggest reported more than 900,000 monthly active users and rolled out an AI-powered Content Gap Analyzer used by over 120,000 creators, contributing to a reported eight-figure ARR milestone for Neil Patel Digital’s SaaS division.
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #4. Alex Lieberman
Alex Lieberman co-founded Morning Brew, a newsletter media company, and later invested in and promoted beehiiv, a newsletter SaaS platform for creators. His expertise in audience growth and monetization has helped shape beehiiv into a tool that many influencers now use to build personal media brands. Alex regularly shares insights into content strategy, business building, and digital distribution. His advocacy for creator-owned media channels aligns with the SaaS tools he backs. By empowering influencers to own their audience data, he strengthens their independence from social platform algorithms.
In 2026, beehiiv surpassed 35,000 active newsletters and crossed $20 million in annual recurring revenue, fueled by a major partnership with Stripe Atlas that streamlined monetization for independent media creators launching subscription-based publications.
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TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #5. Pat Flynn
Pat Flynn is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and founder of Smart Passive Income, known for his transparency in online business. He created Fusebox, a podcasting tool designed to help creators engage audiences directly from their websites. Pat’s content teaches people how to build sustainable businesses through diversified income streams. His SaaS products reflect his belief in providing creators with tools that are easy to use yet highly effective. Many podcasters credit Fusebox with improving their listener experience and engagement rates.
In 2026, Fusebox introduced dynamic listener heatmaps and one-click sponsor insertion tools, helping over 18,000 podcasters increase on-site episode engagement by an average of 27% and boosting annual platform revenue past the $5 million mark.
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #6. Eric Siu
Eric Siu is a marketing strategist, entrepreneur, and host of the “Leveling Up” podcast. He co-created ClickFlow, a SaaS platform that helps creators and businesses optimize content for higher rankings and conversions. Eric’s teachings center on long-term brand building through consistent content creation. His tools give influencers data-backed insights without overwhelming them with complexity. He often blends marketing education with SaaS demonstrations to help creators apply strategies directly.
In 2026, ClickFlow expanded with an AI-driven SERP volatility tracker adopted by more than 6,500 brands and creators, contributing to a reported 40% year-over-year growth in recurring SaaS revenue under Eric Siu’s Single Grain portfolio.
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #7. Tony Dinh
Tony Dinh is an indie maker known for creating SaaS tools that serve X (Twitter) creators, including Black Magic. His focus is on making tools that enhance audience engagement, scheduling, and analytics. Tony shares his journey openly, inspiring other indie developers to launch products for niche creator markets. His tools are lightweight yet powerful, making them popular among influencers who value speed and efficiency. Many creators use his products daily to manage their personal brands.
In 2026, Tony Dinh’s Black Magic suite crossed $60,000 in monthly recurring revenue and launched an automated X monetization tracker used by over 11,000 creators to optimize impressions, engagement rates, and subscription conversions in real time.
They say I make $45K/month just by pure luck and just by posting my MRR on Twitter 🙃
I’ll ignore them and have my 8 years of GitHub graph printed on my wall as a self-reminder ✅ pic.twitter.com/6Uly8NveqY
— Tony Dinh 🎯 (@tdinh_me) October 3, 2023
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #8. Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia is the founder of Gumroad, a platform that allows creators to sell digital products directly to their audiences. Known for his minimalist business approach, Sahil champions the creator economy’s independence from large platforms. Gumroad’s simplicity and flexible payment options have made it a preferred choice for influencers selling courses, ebooks, and templates. His transparency about product building and pricing inspires other SaaS founders. Influencers benefit from Gumroad’s direct-to-audience model, keeping more control over their earnings.
In 2026, Gumroad processed over $1.1 billion in cumulative creator earnings and introduced native subscription analytics dashboards, with more than 48,000 active sellers using the platform to manage recurring revenue products.
@slavingia 3-point turn #animals #animalsdoingthings ♬ El Son de los Aguacates – Banda Sinaloense El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #9. Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin co-founded SparkToro, an audience research tool that helps creators understand where their audiences spend time online. Previously the founder of Moz, Rand is known for his expertise in SEO and brand strategy. SparkToro enables influencers to make data-informed marketing decisions without expensive ad testing. His openness about startup challenges makes him relatable to other creators-turned-founders. Many influencers credit SparkToro with helping them find niche communities and grow faster.
In 2026, SparkToro expanded its audience intelligence database to analyze over 120 million social and web profiles, surpassing 6,000 paying customers and releasing a Creator Brand Fit score adopted by major influencer agencies.
Facebook: “Oh yeah? Well… Uh… That child porn you found on our site is technically now in your possession, so we’re calling the cops on you.”
BBC: “We’re the BBC. No one is going to believe…”
Facebook: “Hello, police?”
Yes, this really happened: https://t.co/dri2A32yuA pic.twitter.com/VjisM578aN
— Rand Fishkin (follow @randderuiter on Threads) (@randfish) October 28, 2020
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #10. Pieter Levels
Pieter Levels is a digital nomad and indie maker behind projects like Nomad List, Remote OK, and Photo AI. His tools help creators live and work anywhere while tapping into location-based and AI-driven resources. Pieter builds in public, sharing revenue stats and updates to inspire others. His products cater to niche creator needs, often filling gaps overlooked by bigger SaaS companies. Many influencers in the travel and tech space use his platforms to connect and collaborate.
In 2026, Pieter Levels’ Photo AI surpassed 70,000 paying users and hit an estimated $3 million in monthly recurring revenue, while Nomad List introduced AI-powered city scoring used by over 250,000 remote creators.
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TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #11. Jack Conte
Jack Conte is a musician, YouTuber, and co-founder of Patreon, a membership platform for creators. Patreon allows influencers to earn recurring income from their most dedicated fans. Jack’s background in the arts gives him a deep understanding of creative monetization challenges. His leadership has made Patreon one of the most widely recognized creator-focused SaaS platforms. Thousands of influencers across various niches rely on it to sustain their creative work.
In 2026, Patreon reported over 10 million active patrons supporting more than 280,000 creators, with annual payouts exceeding $4 billion and the launch of a native livestreaming feature increasing creator retention rates by 18%.
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TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #12. Justin Moore
Justin Moore is the founder of Creator Wizard, a platform that teaches and connects influencers with brand deals. His SaaS tools help creators manage partnerships, contracts, and outreach. Justin is known for breaking down brand collaboration strategies into actionable steps. His focus on relationship-building over quick wins aligns with his software features. Many influencers credit him for improving their income consistency through better deal management.
In 2026, Creator Wizard rolled out a deal-tracking CRM used by over 9,000 influencers and secured a strategic partnership with Shopify Collabs, helping creators increase average brand deal value by 32%.
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #13. Brian Dean
Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko, is a well-known SEO expert and co-creator of Exploding Topics. The platform helps influencers spot emerging trends before they become mainstream. Brian’s expertise in ranking content pairs perfectly with trend discovery for early content creation. Many influencers use Exploding Topics to get a competitive edge in their niche. His commitment to delivering actionable insights has made him a respected figure in the creator tool space.
In 2026, Exploding Topics reached 100,000 paid subscribers and introduced a predictive AI Trend Score that helped over 15,000 creators identify breakout niches at least six months before mainstream adoption.
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #14. Hiten Shah
Hiten Shah has co-founded several SaaS companies, including Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics, and Nira. His tools focus on analytics, helping influencers understand user behavior and website performance. Hiten often shares insights on product growth and customer development. His experience in launching successful SaaS companies gives him unique credibility among creator-founders. Influencers use his products to make data-driven content and monetization decisions.
In 2026, Hiten Shah’s Nira integration under Dropbox expanded to serve over 120 enterprise clients, while Crazy Egg launched AI session summaries that increased conversion optimization adoption among creator-led e-commerce brands by 35%.
Last Tuesday, October 15th, Dropbox announced it acquired Nira, the company I co-founded four years ago.
The next day, I was on stage at the AI Pioneers Summit with @drewhouston and @jonsakoda.
Talk about a packed 48 hours.
Our journey at @niradotcom began with a vision to… pic.twitter.com/vLWqHLJcer
— Hiten Shah (@hnshah) October 22, 2024
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #15. Nathan Barry
Nathan Barry is the founder of ConvertKit, an email marketing platform designed for creators. ConvertKit empowers influencers to build audiences and sell products directly through email campaigns. Nathan is known for his community-focused approach to product development. His platform is popular among bloggers, YouTubers, and podcasters for its ease of use. By prioritizing creator needs over corporate marketing demands, Nathan has built a loyal customer base.
In 2026, ConvertKit surpassed $45 million in annual recurring revenue with more than 75,000 paying creators, launching an AI-powered broadcast optimizer that improved open rates by an average of 22%.
10 years ago, I started my first SaaS company. In that time, I’ve grown it to $33.4 million in annual recurring revenue.
Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned over the last decade: pic.twitter.com/MBSFv1Pz3Q
— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) December 29, 2022
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #16. Tibo Louis-Lucas
Tibo Louis-Lucas is the co-founder of Tweet Hunter and Taplio, SaaS tools that help creators grow on X and LinkedIn. His focus is on improving content scheduling, analytics, and engagement strategies. Tibo actively engages with the creator community to improve his products. His tools are widely used by influencers building personal brands on professional and social platforms. Many see him as a key figure in social media growth automation.
In 2026, Tweet Hunter and Taplio together exceeded 120,000 active users and rolled out an AI hook generator credited with increasing average LinkedIn post engagement by 41% across creator accounts.
Claude’s own team released a full guide for prompt engineering.
Everyone who wants to build without coding should see this.
Great lessons in there. Adding my favorite points from the vid. pic.twitter.com/Ks4chTHxNw
— Tibo (@tibo_maker) April 1, 2025
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #17. Tom Jacquesson
Tom Jacquesson co-founded Tweet Hunter and Taplio alongside Tibo Louis-Lucas. His expertise lies in product strategy and making tools intuitive for creators. Tom frequently shares growth tips and case studies based on data from his platforms. Influencers value the time-saving features of his SaaS products. His work has contributed to the rise of automated yet authentic audience engagement.
In 2026, Tom helped scale Tweet Hunter’s revenue past $18 million ARR while introducing automated audience segmentation tools that enabled creators to increase sponsored post conversion rates by up to 37%.
I wanted to write a blog post about personal branding ✊
10 hours and 6000+ words later, I decided to write the most extensive guide on how to build your personal brand on social media.
This is the first draft.
Say 👋 or ❤️ and I’ll send it to you when it’s available. pic.twitter.com/invjTRNhXi
— Tom (@tomjacquesson) September 7, 2022
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #18. Rob Walling
Rob Walling is a SaaS founder and investor, best known for co-founding Drip, an email marketing platform. Drip is designed to help creators and small businesses nurture their audiences through automated email campaigns. Rob shares his expertise via podcasts and conferences. His tools make professional email marketing accessible to creators without large teams. Many influencers use Drip to build long-term audience relationships.
In 2026, Drip expanded its creator-focused automation suite to over 30,000 active accounts and introduced predictive lifetime value scoring, helping influencers improve repeat purchase rates by 26%.
The TinySeed Millionaire Rate is 43%.
Definition: Of @tinyseedfund companies no longer in operation (sold OR shut down), 43% of those founders are now millionaires.💰
This % will obviously change over time. It’s still early, and the numbers are still small (~2% of companies… pic.twitter.com/sl84ZZHwmm
— Rob Walling (@robwalling) August 20, 2024
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #19. Paul Jarvis
Paul Jarvis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, a privacy-focused website analytics tool. He’s an advocate for ethical, GDPR-compliant data tracking. Paul’s design background influences the clean and simple interface of Fathom. Many creators use it to monitor site performance without compromising privacy. His commitment to minimalism and privacy has earned him a strong following among ethical marketers.
In 2026, Fathom Analytics surpassed 60,000 live websites using its privacy-first tracking and launched a server-side event API adopted by GDPR-focused creator brands across Europe and North America.
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TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #20. Nathan Baschez
Nathan Baschez is the co-founder of Lex, an AI-powered writing tool for creators. His background includes roles at Substack and Every, giving him deep insight into publishing. Lex helps influencers draft, edit, and organize content more efficiently. Nathan’s focus is on making creativity faster without sacrificing quality. Many content creators rely on Lex for its streamlined writing process.
In 2026, Lex integrated real-time collaborative AI editing and surpassed 85,000 active writers, with internal metrics showing users publishing 34% faster compared to traditional document workflows.
Comparing this to most AI founders rhetoric reminds me of the Thiel quip about how monopolists downplay their dominance while startups spin their narrative to seem as large and impactful as possible https://t.co/DbIk30nnne
— Nathan Baschez (@nbashaw) January 17, 2024
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #21. Ankur Nagpal
Ankur Nagpal is the founder of Teachable, a platform that allows creators to build and sell online courses. Teachable empowers influencers to monetize expertise at scale. Ankur’s journey from solo entrepreneur to SaaS CEO inspires many in the creator community. His platform has helped thousands of influencers launch education-based businesses. The simplicity of Teachable makes it attractive to creators without technical backgrounds.
In 2026, Teachable supported over 200,000 active courses and facilitated more than $5 billion in lifetime creator earnings, while launching a built-in AI curriculum builder adopted by 25,000 new instructors in its first quarter.
I recorded a 3-hour video course to help people save money on taxes
The course has content for:
– Business owners
– W2 employees
– People with a job & a side hustleIt’s called 25 Strategies to Save Money on Taxes, and features detailed breakdowns on:
– Solo 401k
– Tax-Loss… pic.twitter.com/KRKoJamsJk— Ankur Nagpal (@ankurnagpal) August 6, 2025
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #22. Jack Ellis
Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics alongside Paul Jarvis. He focuses on technical development and performance optimization for privacy-first analytics. Jack’s work ensures influencers can track website success without violating user trust. His public advocacy for ethical web practices has grown his credibility. Creators appreciate the reliability and speed of Fathom under his leadership.
In 2026, Fathom’s infrastructure upgrades under Jack Ellis reduced script load times by 32%, contributing to a 28% increase in customer retention among high-traffic creator websites.
What’s the most useful JavaScript package you’ve found? I’ll go first. pic.twitter.com/2dtqDNAyMY
— Jack Ellis (@JackEllis) May 27, 2022
TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #23. Corey Haines
Corey Haines is the founder of SwipeWell, a tool that lets creators save and organize marketing inspiration. His marketing experience spans multiple SaaS companies, giving him insight into what creators need. SwipeWell is widely used by influencers to collect ideas for social media and ad campaigns. Corey’s content often showcases creative strategies from real campaigns. His product fills a gap for creators who want to improve content quality systematically.
In 2026, SwipeWell surpassed 20,000 marketers and creators saving over 3 million campaign references on the platform, while launching a collaborative team workspace that doubled paid plan upgrades year over year.
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TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #24. Derek Reimer
Derek Reimer is the creator of SavvyCal, a scheduling tool that prioritizes user-friendly calendar coordination. SavvyCal makes it easier for influencers to book podcast guests, client calls, and collaborations. Derek is known for building software with a strong focus on user experience. His product stands out for its ability to create mutual availability without friction. Many creators use SavvyCal to streamline their collaboration process.
In 2026, SavvyCal crossed 25,000 paying users and introduced a Smart Availability engine that reduced scheduling friction by 45%, driving record adoption among podcast hosts and creator agencies.
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TOP CREATORS BUILDING SAAS TOOLS FOR OTHER INFLUENCERS #25. Andrew Fiebert
Andrew Fiebert is the founder of Lasso, a WordPress plugin for affiliate marketers and bloggers. Lasso helps influencers manage, display, and track affiliate links more effectively. Andrew’s background in personal finance blogging informed the tool’s design. His product allows creators to increase revenue without cluttering their websites. Many influencers credit Lasso with boosting their affiliate income significantly.
In 2026, Lasso powered over $140 million in tracked affiliate sales and launched automated broken-link detection across 9,000 creator sites, increasing average affiliate revenue by 21% within three months of activation.
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CONCLUSION
What makes these creators stand out isn’t just their follower counts — it’s the fact that they’re building something lasting beyond their personal brand. Their SaaS tools aren’t vanity projects; they’re essential pieces of the modern influencer toolkit. Whether it’s a newsletter platform, a course builder, or a scheduling app, each product reflects a deep understanding of creator workflows. These founders have proven that influence can translate into innovation when paired with the right vision. They’re not chasing trends for quick wins but creating infrastructure that other influencers can rely on for years.
The ripple effect is huge — one tool in the right hands can change how thousands of creators produce, share, and monetize their work. In many ways, they’re redefining what it means to be a successful influencer in 2026. It’s no longer just about building an audience; it’s about empowering that audience to build something themselves. The people on this list are doing exactly that, and the industry is better for it. If their current trajectory is any indication, the future of the creator economy will be written not just in content, but in the code they create. In 2026 alone, creator-founded SaaS platforms collectively power hundreds of thousands of paid subscriptions and generate billions in annualized creator earnings, proving that the real leverage now sits in the software layer behind the spotlight.
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