Smart Multi-PC & Monitor Switching Software

Niche Market Opportunity: Yes, this Reddit post strongly confirms the previously identified niche. The user's explicit pain point ("crawling under the desk to swap HDMI cables") perfectly captures the core problem: the manual and inconvenient switching of display inputs and peripherals between multiple computers. While comments suggest existing hardware (KVM, HDMI switcher) and basic software ('Mouse Without Borders'), these solutions are either physical, clunky, or incomplete, leaving a clear gap for a more integrated, intelligent, and software-driven approach.

SaaS Opportunity:

• Opportunity: A desktop application designed for home office users, content creators, or small businesses with multiple computers (e.g., work laptop and personal desktop) sharing a single set of monitors and peripherals (keyboard, mouse). The core value is to eliminate manual switching, whether by cables or KVM buttons, through an intuitive software interface and automation.

• Product Form: A cross-platform desktop application (Windows, macOS, potentially Linux) with a lightweight background service.

  • Core Features:

    • Automated Monitor Input Switching: Leverages DDC/CI (Display Data Channel Command Interface) to programmatically switch monitor inputs (e.g., HDMI 1 to DisplayPort 2) without manual button presses. This is the primary solution to the user's explicit pain point.
    • Seamless Peripheral Sharing: Integrates software-based KVM functionality (similar to 'Mouse Without Borders') to share a single keyboard and mouse across multiple computers connected to the same network, allowing the user to simply move the cursor to the edge of the screen to switch focus.
    • User Profiles & Hotkeys: Allows users to define custom profiles for different setups (e.g., "Work Mode" switches monitors to work laptop and activates work-specific hotkeys; "Personal Mode" switches to desktop) with quick-switch hotkeys.
    • Quick Access UI: A system tray icon or compact desktop widget for quick manual switching and profile activation.

  • SaaS Value-Add Features (Premium Tier):

    • Cloud-Synced Profiles: Store user-defined profiles, monitor configurations, and hotkey settings in the cloud for easy setup across different machines or after a re-install.
    • Smart Automation: Rule-based switching (e.g., automatically switch to work setup during business hours, or to personal setup when work laptop goes to sleep).
    • Application-Based Switching: Switch focus/monitors when a specific application is launched or becomes active on one of the connected computers.
    • Advanced Display Control: Fine-tune brightness, contrast, or color profiles for each monitor/computer combination, managed through software.
    • Remote/Mobile Control: Control switching from a mobile app or a web interface.
    • Integration Ecosystem: APIs or direct integrations with popular collaboration tools (e.g., automatically switch to work setup when a Teams/Zoom meeting starts).

• Expected Revenue:

  • Pricing Model: Freemium or tiered subscription.

    • Free Tier: Basic peripheral sharing (Mouse Without Borders equivalent) and manual monitor input switching (if DDC/CI is straightforward to implement).
    • Pro Tier ($5-$10/month or $50-$100/year): Cloud-synced profiles, automated monitor switching via DDC/CI, custom hotkeys, basic smart automation.
    • Business Tier ($15-$25/month/user or $150-$250/year/user): All Pro features plus advanced automation, remote management, priority support, and team management features for small businesses.

  • Market Size & Penetration: The work-from-home trend has vastly expanded the target audience. Millions of users have multi-computer setups. Even capturing a small fraction of users looking for a clean, software-first solution could yield significant revenue.

  • Conservative Estimate (Year 1-2):

    • Assume 1,000 paying Pro subscribers.
    • Average Revenue Per User (ARPU): $8/month = $96/year.
    • Total Annual Revenue: 1,000 users * $96/year = $96,000.

  • Optimistic Estimate (Year 3-5):

    • Assume 10,000 paying Pro subscribers and 500 Business tier users.
    • Total Annual Revenue (Pro): 10,000 users * $96/year = $960,000.
    • Total Annual Revenue (Business): 500 users * $200/year = $100,000.
    • Combined Total Annual Revenue: $1,060,000+.

The clear pain point expressed in the Reddit post, combined with the limitations of current solutions, presents a compelling opportunity for a sophisticated, software-driven SaaS solution in the workspace efficiency niche.