SaaS Runway & Cash Burn Rate Calculator
Calculate burn rate, runway, cash forecast and break-even for your startup — free, private, with scenario planning.
This calculator provides estimates based on your inputs and assumptions. It is not accounting software, tax advice, investment advice, or financial advice.
1. Cash Position & Currency
2. Revenue & Expenses
3. Growth Assumptions (optional)
9. Save / Load Scenario
10. Report
How to Use SaaS Runway & Cash Burn Rate Calculator
- Enter Cash Position: Current cash balance and currency.
- Add Revenue & Expenses: Simple total or a detailed category breakdown.
- Set Growth Assumptions: Optional monthly revenue and expense growth rates.
- Calculate: Get burn rate, runway, a cash forecast, and break-even.
- Review the Chart & Table: See cash balance over time month by month.
- Compare Scenarios: Check Base, Best, and Worst case side by side.
- Export: Download a full Runway Report PDF.
Why Use This Tool
A SaaS runway calculator answers the question every founder eventually has to face precisely: how many months until the cash runs out at the current pace of spending. This startup runway calculator tool goes beyond a single number, projecting cash forward month by month using your own revenue and expense growth assumptions instead of a flat, unrealistic burn rate.
How It Works
This SaaS cash burn calculator tool separates Gross Burn (total monthly cash expenses) from Net Burn (expenses minus revenue), since confusing the two leads to a misleading runway estimate. A Simple Runway is calculated as current cash divided by net monthly burn, while a Projected Runway applies your monthly revenue and expense growth rates across a monthly cash forecast, since a growing SaaS business rarely burns cash at a perfectly flat rate.
Key Features
As a SaaS runway calculator with revenue growth tool, Simple and Detailed expense modes let you start with one total operating expense figure or break spending down by Payroll, Marketing, Infrastructure, Software, Rent, and Contractors. A monthly cash forecast table and chart run out to your chosen horizon (6 to 36 months), an approximate break-even month shows when revenue growth catches up to expense growth under your assumptions, and a minimum cash reserve setting flags exactly when your balance would drop below your comfort threshold along with the estimated funding gap to prevent it. A Base/Best/Worst case scenario comparison table shows runway, ending cash, and break-even side by side under different growth assumptions, and every core formula is shown in plain language for full transparency.
Common Use Cases
A founder preparing for a board meeting calculates their current runway, then compares Best and Worst case scenarios to show investors how sensitive their cash position is to revenue growth assumptions. Someone deciding whether to hire adds the new payroll cost to the Detailed expense breakdown and recalculates to see the immediate effect on runway before committing. A startup setting a fundraising target uses the minimum cash reserve field to see exactly how much additional funding is needed to maintain a 6-month safety buffer through their planning horizon.
Tips
Growth assumptions compound monthly, so even a small difference between a 2% and a 4% monthly revenue growth rate can shift your projected runway by several months over a year — it's worth testing a couple of realistic growth rates rather than relying on just one. The Simple Runway figure is useful as a quick, conservative gut-check, but the Projected Runway with your actual growth trajectory built in is generally the more useful number for real planning and investor conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is runway calculated for SaaS startups?
Simple Runway divides current cash by net monthly burn; Projected Runway instead runs a month-by-month cash forecast using your revenue and expense growth assumptions.
What is a healthy monthly burn rate for startups?
There's no universal number — a healthy burn rate depends on your runway relative to your growth stage and fundraising plans; this calculator focuses on giving you the numbers to make that judgment yourself rather than a fixed benchmark.
How does revenue impact runway calculations?
Revenue directly offsets expenses in the Net Burn calculation, and revenue growth (if set) compounds forward in the cash forecast, which can significantly extend projected runway versus a flat assumption.
What monthly operating costs should I include in runway?
Include every recurring cash expense — payroll, marketing, infrastructure, software subscriptions, rent, and contractors are common categories in Detailed mode, or enter one combined total in Simple mode.
How much runway do investors typically expect?
Expectations vary by stage and market conditions; this tool doesn't provide investment advice, but the scenario comparison can help you present a range of outcomes rather than a single optimistic number.
How to model growth scenarios in runway planning?
Use the Base/Best/Worst case comparison to see how different revenue and expense growth combinations change your runway, ending cash, and break-even month side by side.
When should I focus on revenue vs. cost cutting?
The break-even month calculation shows when revenue growth alone would close the gap to expenses under your current assumptions — if that's too far out, the scenario comparison can help evaluate whether faster revenue growth or expense reduction has more impact.
What is a safe minimum runway to maintain?
This varies by company and fundraising environment; set your own target in the Minimum Cash Reserve field to see when your forecast would breach it and how much additional funding would be needed to avoid that.