Landing page and signup feedback

Show Bootstrapped
#1

Hi all,

I’m the author of the DataTables Javascript library and have been working on a SaaS version of the software - basically hosted tables which you can perform CRUD operations on - the result is CloudTables.

To some degree it can be likened to AirTable, but we are going for full integration with your site - embedding directly into it, not just as an iframe. We also are building on our DataTables and Editor products (along with all the extensions we publish for them) so it has really strong foundations. CloudTables is basically a UI around DataTables and Editor.

Why this approach? Running DataTables (open source) and Editor (commercial) as developer libraries takes a lot of support effort, so with CloudTables we are progressing a little away from targeting code only developers, to provide a service which is more suited to those who just want to get CRUD table basics done so they can get on with other aspects of the business and also those who are perhaps newer to programming. Hopefully it will reduce the support burden while also opening a new revenue stream.

I’d really welcome feedback not just on the landing page, but also the initial flow of getting started - creating a new CloudTable and using it!

Regards,
Allan

2 Likes
#2

Hey Allan,

I’ve been using datatables for a long time and just wanna say thank you for that!

CloudTables looks very impressive too. Are you building it on your own?

Vincent

#3

Hi Vincent,

Thanks very much!

While I’m writing the code for CloudTables, we are a team of three managing DataTables, CloudTables and everything else we do. A full time QA engineer and a part time developer who generally writes plug-ins for DataTables (such as SearchPanes).

So a small team to be entering a market like this, and to some degree that is my main concern - while we can iterate quickly, it still takes time to develop and test major new features and we can’t parallelise that process (in terms of man power). But on the other hand, it is entirely bootstrapped, so I answer only to our customers. To that end, as I say, any feedback you have would be most welcome!

Allan

1 Like
#4

I heavily use DataTables on Feature Upvote’s internal admin panel.

I didn’t realise it was even possible to pay for it, but now checking out the website again, I see that is possible and easy. I’ll get out the credit card later today and make a contribution.

I really like the idea of running CloudTables as a paid product and advertising it on your open source product. How long have you been doing this? Has it been working as a business model?

My first thought when I saw the CloudTables pricing is that it is waaaaaaay too cheap. Enterprise pricing at $200/year? You should try raising that price tenfold, and if it works out, then massively raise it again.

#5

Couldn’t say it better myself!

1 Like
#6

Hi @theallan ,
Thanks for datatables, and thanks for coming by.

After your post I had a look at CloudTables, and I must say I found the website quite confusing. I tried to understand what was offered, and after reading for several minutes I now believe that you basically host the data in your cloud, and offer access to these data through a hosted version of datatables.

That product is interesting to a different audience than datatables, as non developers can use it easily. However it is also interesting for the current users of datatables who look for a simpler solution.

One thing to make your positioning clearer might be to compare CloudTables with Google sheet, Airtable, datatables and excel online. You might use this comparison just for yourself, or maybe even publish it on your site.

Good luck!

#7

Hi all,

Many thanks for the feedback - much appreciated! Happy New Year to you all :-).

@SteveMcLeod and @maximus - Up take for CloudTables has been really slow so far. I suspect the messaging is a bit wrong (which relates to @unboot’s comment as well) as well has not having strong features compared to AirTable for example. Self hosting and support for large data sets are two key points I’m going to be addressing. I very much want to experiment with the pricing, but given how few sales there are so far, going up an order of magnitude seems likely to kill even those few.

@unboot - Thanks! You are right - CloudTables is targeted more at new developers or perhaps those who aren’t so keen or interested in getting down and dirty with the code (although you still can if you want to!). Having talked to developers only for 10 years+ for DataTables this is a fair mental shift for me and I think the messaging needs to be improved. I’ll post back when I’ve had a proper think over this.

Regards,
Allan