How Much Does It Cost to Build a SaaS Platform in 2026?

What Does a SaaS Platform Actually Cost to Build?

If you search "SaaS platform cost" right now, you will find numbers ranging from $10,000 to $500,000+. Both ends of that spectrum are accurate, and both are completely useless without context. A SaaS platform that lets freelancers send invoices is a fundamentally different product from one that manages hospital patient records.

This guide gives you concrete cost ranges by complexity tier, breaks down what each major feature costs, and covers the ongoing expenses that most founders forget to budget for. Whether you are bootstrapping your first product or planning a funded build, you will walk away with a realistic number to work from.

SaaS Platform Cost by Complexity Level

The biggest driver of cost is how complex your product is. Here is how we categorize SaaS platforms and what each tier typically costs in 2026.

Simple SaaS ($30,000 - $70,000)

A simple SaaS handles one core workflow for one type of user. Think of tools like a basic CRM, a booking system, or an invoice generator.

What you get:

• User authentication and profiles
• One core feature set (3-5 features)
• Basic dashboard with key metrics
• Simple billing integration (monthly plans)
• Email notifications
• Responsive web design

Timeline: 8-14 weeks

Examples: Appointment schedulers, simple project trackers, survey tools, basic analytics dashboards.

Mid-Range SaaS ($70,000 - $200,000)

A mid-range SaaS supports multiple user roles, integrates with third-party services, and handles more complex data relationships. This is where most B2B SaaS products land.

What you get:

• Everything in simple SaaS, plus:
• Multiple user roles (admin, manager, member)
• Team and organization management
• Advanced billing (multiple plans, usage-based pricing, trials)
• Third-party integrations (Slack, email providers, CRMs)
• Reporting and data exports
• API for external integrations
• Webhook support

Timeline: 14-26 weeks

Examples: Project management platforms, HR tools, marketing automation, customer support systems.

Enterprise SaaS ($200,000 - $500,000+)

Enterprise SaaS products serve large organizations with strict security, compliance, and customization requirements. These are products that sign annual contracts with Fortune 500 companies.

What you get:

• Everything in mid-range SaaS, plus:
• Single sign-on (SSO) and SAML integration
• Role-based access control (RBAC) with custom permissions
• Audit logging and compliance features
• Multi-tenancy with data isolation
• Custom branding per tenant
• SLA-backed uptime guarantees
• Advanced analytics and business intelligence
• Custom integrations and dedicated API

Timeline: 6-12+ months

Examples: Enterprise CRMs, compliance platforms, financial management systems.

Quick Comparison

If you are not sure where your product falls, start with our project calculator for a quick ballpark.

Feature-by-Feature Cost Breakdown

Every SaaS product is a combination of features. Here is what the most common ones cost to build in 2026, assuming a professional development team.

Authentication and User Management ($3,000 - $12,000)

Every SaaS needs user accounts. The cost depends on how complex your requirements are.

Cost-saving tip: Using a managed auth service like Clerk or Auth0 can cut authentication costs by 40-60% compared to building from scratch. You pay $25-500/month instead of $10,000+ in development time.

Billing and Subscriptions ($5,000 - $25,000)

Billing is deceptively complex. Recurring charges, plan upgrades, failed payments, refunds, tax calculations, and invoicing all need to work flawlessly because this is where your revenue lives.

Dashboard and Analytics ($8,000 - $30,000)

Your users need to see their data. The cost scales with the complexity of the visualizations and the volume of data being processed.

• Basic dashboard with key metrics and simple charts: $8,000 - $15,000
• Advanced analytics with custom date ranges, filters, and exports: $15,000 - $25,000
• Real-time dashboards with live data updates: $20,000 - $30,000

API Development ($10,000 - $40,000)

If your SaaS needs to integrate with other tools or provide an API for customers, this is a significant investment.

• Internal API (powering your own frontend): $10,000 - $15,000
• Public REST API with documentation: $15,000 - $25,000
• Webhook system for event notifications: $5,000 - $10,000
• API rate limiting and key management: $3,000 - $8,000

Hosting and Infrastructure Costs

Building the software is one expense. Running it is another. Here are realistic monthly infrastructure costs for a SaaS platform.

Monthly Hosting Costs by Stage

Common Infrastructure Services

• Cloud hosting (AWS, GCP, Vercel): $50 - $2,000/month
• Database (managed PostgreSQL or similar): $15 - $500/month
• Email delivery (SendGrid, Resend): $20 - $200/month
• File storage (S3, Cloudinary): $10 - $100/month
• Error monitoring (Sentry): $26 - $80/month
• Analytics (Mixpanel, PostHog): $0 - $200/month
• SSL certificate: Free (Let's Encrypt) or $100-300/year
• Domain name: $10 - $50/year

Total monthly infrastructure: $150 - $3,000+ depending on scale.

These numbers do not include third-party SaaS tools your product might depend on, like payment processing fees (Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) or communication APIs.

Ongoing Costs After Launch

The initial build is just the beginning. Most founders underestimate what it costs to keep a SaaS platform running and growing after launch. Plan for these recurring expenses.

Maintenance and Bug Fixes

Budget 15-20% of your initial build cost annually for maintenance. For a $100,000 platform, that is $15,000-$20,000 per year, covering bug fixes, dependency updates, security patches, and compatibility updates when browsers or APIs change.

New Feature Development

Your users will ask for new features. Your competitors will ship new features. A growing SaaS product typically invests 30-50% of its initial build cost annually in new development. This is not optional if you want to retain customers and grow.

Customer Support Infrastructure

As your user base grows, support volume grows with it. Budget for:

• Help desk software: $50-300/month
• Knowledge base and documentation: $50-200/month
• Support staff time (or your time): varies

Security and Compliance

Regular security audits, penetration testing, and compliance certifications add up. Depending on your industry:

• Annual security audit: $5,000-$20,000
• SOC 2 compliance: $10,000-$50,000
• GDPR compliance tooling: $2,000-$10,000/year

For a deeper dive into these recurring expenses, read our guide on what it costs to maintain an app after launch.

MVP vs. Full Platform: Where to Start

If you are a first-time founder reading these numbers and feeling the sticker shock, here is the reality check: you should not build a full SaaS platform on day one.

The MVP-First Approach

Start with the simplest version that proves your idea works. An MVP for a SaaS product typically costs $15,000-$40,000 and takes 4-8 weeks.

What an MVP includes:

• Core feature (the one thing that delivers value)
• Basic user accounts
• Simple billing (one or two plans)
• Clean, functional design

What an MVP does NOT include:

• Admin dashboards with 20 charts
• Five different user roles
• Integrations with every tool on the market
• Mobile apps
• Multi-language support

Once your MVP has paying users and you understand what they actually need, you invest in building the full platform. This approach saves you from spending $200,000 on features nobody uses.

Check out our MVP development checklist for a step-by-step guide to scoping your first version.

How to Reduce SaaS Development Costs

Use managed services aggressively

Authentication (Clerk), payments (Stripe), email (Resend), database (Supabase), hosting (Vercel) — every feature you do not custom-build saves thousands in development time and months in maintenance.

Hire in cost-effective regions

A senior full-stack developer in San Francisco charges $150-250/hour. The same caliber of engineer in Albania or Eastern Europe charges $30-50/hour. The quality difference is negligible; the cost difference is 3-5x. Learn more about why Albania is a strong outsourcing choice.

Phase your development

Do not build everything at once. Launch with the core product, validate with users, then add features based on actual demand. Phased development reduces risk and spreads cost over time.

Avoid scope creep like the plague

Every "quick addition" during development adds $2,000-$10,000 in cost and pushes your launch date. Define your scope before development starts and stick to it. Our guide on how to scope a software project covers this in detail.

Get a Realistic Estimate for Your SaaS Platform

Generic cost ranges are a starting point, not an answer. Your SaaS product has specific requirements, specific technical challenges, and a specific budget. The only way to get an accurate number is to scope your project with a team that has built SaaS platforms before.

Ready to find out what your SaaS platform will cost? Talk to our team — we will scope your product, identify the fastest path to launch, and give you a transparent estimate with a detailed feature breakdown. Most founders get their estimate within 48 hours.