Roughly what's left after your costs. Most software runs high; stores and hardware run low.
Pre-revenue projects are priced on potential — traction is the biggest signal.
The share of customers you lose each month. Lower is worth a lot more.
Estimated value
An estimate, not financial advice or a guaranteed sale price. The real number is whatever a buyer will pay.
How the valuation is calculated
Nearly every small digital business is priced the same way: profit × a multiple. The profit is usually SDE — seller discretionary earnings, or net profit plus whatever the owner was paying themselves out of it. The multiple is the market's confidence score: higher for predictable, hands-off, recurring income; lower for anything fragile or founder-shaped. This calculator starts from the 2026 multiple typical of your asset type, then adjusts it for the things buyers actually price.
Those adjustments matter as much as the category. Recurring revenue earns a premium over one-time sales; provable growth lifts the multiple while decline drags it down; high churn is the single biggest discount on a subscription business; a project that runs without its owner is worth more than one that is its owner; and revenue spread across many sources beats revenue that leans on a single channel that could vanish overnight.
| Asset type | Typical 2026 multiple |
|---|---|
| Micro-SaaS / SaaS | 4–6× annual SDE |
| Developer tool / API | 3–5.5× SDE |
| AI app | SaaS-like, moat-discounted |
| Content site / Newsletter | ~3–3.7× annual profit |
| Mobile app | ~2–4× annual profit |
| E-commerce / Store | 1.5–3.5× SDE |
| Browser extension | ~2–4× annual profit |
| Pre-revenue / Starter | Priced on potential |
Every figure is a 2026 range for small (sub-$1M) digital businesses and is directional, not a promise. Your churn, growth, margins, traffic mix, and how cleanly the business transfers will move your real number more than the category ever will — which is why the honest way to find the true price, especially at the early-stage end, is to invite real buyers to make offers.
Frequently asked questions
How do you value a startup or side project?
Profit times a multiple. The profit is usually SDE (net profit plus the owner's pay); the multiple depends on the model — recurring-revenue software earns the highest (roughly 4–6× annual SDE), content and e-commerce trade lower. This tool applies 2026 market multiples by asset type, then adjusts for growth, churn, margin, owner involvement, and revenue concentration.
What multiple does a SaaS sell for in 2026?
A bootstrapped micro-SaaS under about $1M ARR generally sells for roughly 4–6× annual SDE — about 2.5–4× ARR. Low churn and provable growth push toward the top of the range; heavy owner dependence and single-channel revenue push toward the bottom.
What's the difference between revenue and SDE?
Revenue is everything that comes in; SDE (seller discretionary earnings) is what's actually left as owner profit after real costs, adding back the owner's own pay. Valuations are built on SDE, not revenue — which is why this calculator asks for your profit margin.
How can I increase my valuation before selling?
Lower churn, show a clean upward growth trend, improve margins, reduce how much the business depends on you day to day, and diversify where the revenue comes from. Each one moves the multiple, sometimes dramatically. The result panel flags the levers dragging your estimate down.
Is this valuation calculator really free?
Completely free, no signup, and it runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved.
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