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Small-team SaaS budget calculator (and sanity check)

A straightforward way to calculate what your SaaS stack actually costs per year, plus a quick sanity check against typical small-team budgets.

Published Apr 10, 2026 • Updated Apr 18, 2026

What you get

A realistic annual SaaS spend total and a clear view of which tools are pulling their weight.

Why a calculator and not an app

You do not need another dashboard. You need a 10-minute exercise that tells you, honestly, what your stack is costing and whether each tool still earns its place.

This is a pen-and-paper calculator. A spreadsheet works too. A sticky note works for small stacks.

The five-step flow

From messy stack to clean decision in under an hour
  1. 1
    List tools
    Every active subscription.
  2. 2
    Annualize
    Normalize to yearly cost.
  3. 3
    Per person
    Divide by team size.
  4. 4
    Rate 1–5
    Usage + impact.
  5. 5
    Decide
    Keep / downgrade / cancel / consolidate.

Step 1: List every active SaaS subscription

For each one, note:

  • Tool name
  • Who owns it (billing)
  • Plan (free, starter, business, etc.)
  • Per-seat cost
  • Number of seats
  • Billing cycle (monthly or annual)

Do not skip “free” tools. Some will need paid plans soon.

Step 2: Calculate annual cost per tool

Formula:

  • If monthly: per_seat_cost × seats × 12 = annual
  • If annual: per_seat_cost × seats = annual (already yearly)

Sum all tools = Total Annual SaaS Spend.

Step 3: Calculate cost per person

Annual SaaS spend per person = total annual spend / team size

Use this as a single number to compare over time.

Typical ranges for small teams

Benchmark ranges
Team profileTypical annual spend / person
Solo freelancer, service business$400 – $1,500
2–5 person studio or agency$800 – $2,500
5–15 person startup or small business$1,500 – $4,000
Product / software company, 5–15$2,500 – $6,000
Observed ranges, not targets. Your situation may justify more or less.

Step 4: Rate each tool

For every tool, answer two questions on a 1–5 scale:

  • Usage: how much we actually use it.
  • Impact: how much worse life would be without it.
The 2x2 audit
Low usage + low impact

Cancel. Nobody will notice.

High usage + low impact

Downgrade or consolidate.

Low usage + high impact

Train the team or replace it.

High usage + high impact

Invest more — training, integrations.

Usage × impact maps every tool to a clear decision.

Step 5: Decide in one pass

Do not debate each tool for an hour. Make a first-pass decision right then:

  • Keep
  • Downgrade
  • Cancel
  • Consolidate (replace two tools with one)

Schedule the actual cancellations or plan changes this week. Push it to “later” and the spend compounds.

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