The Real Cost of Building Your First SaaS
A line-by-line budget for a solo founder, with every number marked as an estimate.
Promtly Editorial Desk
Published · 9 min read
The honest answer to "how much does a SaaS cost to build?" is: less money than you fear and more time than you hope. Here is a lean year-one budget, with each line marked as an estimate.
The cash budget
| Criterion | Lean | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|
| AI builder / editor | $240 | $600 |
| Domain + email | $40 | $120 |
| Hosting & database | $0 | $300 |
| Payment fees | ~3% of revenue | ~3% of revenue |
| Design assets | $0 | $200 |
$280
Lean year-one cash estimate
Estimate
$1,220
Comfortable year-one estimate
Estimate
The cost nobody budgets: time
A first product typically absorbs 150–300 hours before it earns anything. That is the real investment. Protect it by cutting scope, not by buying more tools.
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