Launchory

Startup Launch Budget Calculator

See what it really costs to launch. Check the line items you need, adjust the numbers to your situation, and get a clear first-year budget across legal, hosting, tools, design, and marketing.

Legal & incorporation

one-time
$
/mo
$
one-time
$
one-time
$

Domain & hosting

/mo
$
/mo
$
/mo
$

Tools & SaaS

/mo
$
/mo
$
/mo
$
/mo
$

Design & branding

one-time
$
one-time
$

Marketing & launch

one-time
$
/mo
$
one-time
$
One-time costs

$1,450

Recurring

$257/mo

First-year budget

$4,534

First-year estimate = one-time costs + 12 months of recurring costs. Adjust any figure or uncheck what you don't need.

How much does it cost to launch a startup?

Less than most people think. A lean software startup can get to a real launch for a few thousand dollars: cheap incorporation, a domain, cloud hosting on a startup plan, a handful of SaaS subscriptions, and a modest marketing push. The costs that balloon budgets — big agency design, paid ads before product-market fit, premature hires — are usually the ones you can defer. This calculator separates the one-time costs from the recurring ones and projects a realistic first-year total.

Where to save on your launch budget

Marketing is where founders overspend earliest. Before you buy ads, exhaust the free channels: launch on communities, publish content, and get listed in directories for durable organic traffic and free backlinks. Listing your startup on Launchory is free and sends traffic long after launch day.

This budget pairs with our startup launch checklist — the checklist tells you what to do, this tells you what it costs. Then check your runway to see how long that budget lasts, and browse marketing and no-code tools that keep launch costs down.