Tools Free tool · Budget calculator
Budget, sized.
Work out what to spend on marketing at your stage, where it should go, and what it is likely to return. Every assumption is visible and editable, so you can swap our estimates for your own numbers.
How to use it
- Pick your stage and enter monthly burn, or switch to entering the budget directly.
- Adjust the people and tools share. Programs get the rest.
- Choose a goal and the channels you plan to run. Allocation is weighted by how well each channel serves that goal.
- Edit the cost-per-lead ranges and unit economics, then export the plan as a CSV.
Monthly budget
$22,500
- People (40%)
- $9,000
- Programs (50%)
- $11,250
- Tools (10%)
- $2,250
- 12-month total
- $270,000
Per-channel plan
Estimates, edit the cost per lead| Channel | Monthly | Est. CPL low | Est. CPL high | Est. leads | Est. CAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO | $1,55214% | 10 to 39 | $800 to $3,000 | ||
| GEO / AI search | $1,55214% | 9 to 31 | $1,000 to $3,600 | ||
| LinkedIn Ads | $1,94017% | 5 to 16 | $2,400 to $8,000 | ||
| LinkedIn organic | $1,55214% | 13 to 52 | $600 to $2,400 | ||
| $1,55214% | 31 to 155 | $200 to $1,000 | |||
| Partnerships & integrations | $1,94017% | 10 to 39 | $1,000 to $4,000 | ||
| PR / earned media | $1,16410% | 4 to 15 | $1,600 to $6,000 |
CPL means cost per lead. Default ranges are rough planning assumptions for early-stage B2B and Web3 teams, not benchmarks. Replace them with your own numbers as soon as you have 30 days of data. Channel CAC here is program spend only; the blended CAC below includes people and tools.
Unit economics (estimates)
- Leads / month
- 131 range 81 to 346
- New customers / month
- 6.6 79 over 12 months
- Blended CAC
- $3,426 programs only: $1,713
- LTV:CAC
- 3.5 : 1 3 : 1 or better is the usual target
- Payback
- 9.1 mo under 12 months is healthy for SaaS
Questions founders ask
How much should a startup spend on marketing?
A common starting point is 10% of monthly burn at pre-seed, 15% at seed, 20% at Series A and 25% at Series B. These are defaults, not rules. Product-led and consumer companies often spend more; sales-led companies put more into people.
How is CAC calculated here?
Each channel gets a share of the programs budget based on your goal. Estimated leads come from your cost-per-lead range, and customers come from your lead-to-customer conversion rate. Blended CAC divides the full monthly budget, including people and tools, by estimated new customers.
Are the cost-per-lead numbers benchmarks?
No. They are rough planning ranges so the calculator works out of the box. Every cell is editable, and you should replace them with your own data as soon as you have a month of results.
What is a good LTV:CAC ratio and payback period?
Many SaaS investors look for LTV:CAC of 3 to 1 or better and CAC payback under 12 months. Early-stage companies are often below that while they test channels. The calculator flags when your assumptions fall under break-even.
Want a second pair of eyes?
Bring your plan to a 30-minute teardown. I will look at your positioning, channel mix and launch timing, and tell you what I would cut first. Fractional PR retainers run $5K to $12K a month, and launch sprints run $15K to $40K.