Stat Alert: Big CRMs Are Blocking Third-Party Integrations — and Locking You In

What That Means for Indie Founders in 2025

A couple of weeks ago, while chatting with a fellow founder of a small but growing SaaS startup, something frustrating came up.

He was ready to integrate with a major CRM (you can probably guess which one). The product was ready, the market was primed, customers were eager… and then, a hard stop:

“Their API policy means they only allow a handful of ‘approved’ partners. It’s basically locked down,” he said. “There’s no way they’ll let us in.”

That sparked something for me. I’ve always believed in open platforms, especially for indie founders. So I started digging—and what I found was unsettling.

📉 The Stat That Should Worry You

According to a recent SaaStr report:

70% of integration requests by third-party developers are now rejected or significantly delayed by large CRMs.

This isn’t isolated. From Salesforce to HubSpot to Zoho and others, big CRMs are closing their ecosystems—limiting integration access, tightening APIs, and creating deliberate lock-ins.

Why? Because when users can’t migrate easily and their workflows are deeply embedded, churn goes down and revenue stays high. For the big players, it’s a retention strategy. For the rest of us, it’s a wall.

❌ Why This Hurts Founders and Indie Hackers

This shift doesn’t just affect developers—it slows down the entire pace of SaaS innovation. Here's why it matters to you:

• Fewer chances to innovate: Indie builders rely on open platforms to create value through integrations. Closed APIs stifle experimentation.

• Harder go-to-market: New apps live or die based on ecosystem access. Without integrations, even brilliant products struggle to gain traction.

• Worse UX for end users: Customers end up trapped in bloated platforms with features they don’t use, just to maintain basic workflow compatibility.

💡 What Can Founders Do? Here’s a Practical Response

It’s not all doom and gloom. Here are four actions you can take today:

1. Build Open, Not Closed

When designing your SaaS or internal tools, bake in openness from the start. Offer a transparent API. Welcome integrations. Be the opposite of the lock-in mentality.

2. Support Independent, Open Ecosystems

Champion platforms that value openness—think Airtable, Trello, Notion, and especially Fuzen.io.
Fuzen is a no-code, developer-friendly platform built from the ground up for seamless, flexible integrations. I've seen several indie builders succeed within its open ecosystem—no gatekeeping, no bureaucracy.

3. Avoid Vendor Lock-In in Your Stack

Don’t build your business on a single tech giant’s ecosystem. Keep your tech stack modular, ensure data portability, and design for exit flexibility.

4. Educate Your Users

Help your customers understand the cost of lock-in. Be transparent about integration limitations and encourage them to ask hard questions about data ownership.

🔄 The Big Takeaway

Closed ecosystems are becoming more common—and more problematic. While they may serve short-term business goals for big CRMs, they stifle innovation and hurt the broader SaaS community.

If you’re an indie founder or solo builder, now is the time to stand for openness, choose flexible tools, and build with transparency in mind.

Let’s push back (gently), educate our users, and promote platforms that foster real innovation.

What’s your experience been with CRM integrations? Hit roadblocks or found open tools that worked better? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.