15 oct 2025
Starting a SaaS company has never been more accessible, but it’s easy to underestimate the initial investment needed to go from idea to business. In this post, we break down the actual costs you’ll encounter in your first steps, from setting up a company to launching your first website.
1. Incorporating your SaaS business
The first real step is choosing how and where to incorporate your startup. Most founders building global SaaS products choose to register a U.S. entity (usually in Delaware) to access Stripe, US-based banking, and global customers.
Here are four popular incorporation services:
Provider | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
$500 USD one-time | Delaware C-Corp, EIN, bank account (Mercury Bank), templates, Stripe account | |
$297–$497 USD + monthly | LLC or C-Corp, EIN, compliance, optional bookkeeping | |
$399 USD one-time | Delaware C-Corp, EIN, bank account, legal docs | |
$99–$200 USD | Basic Delaware LLC or C-Corp filing, optional EIN |
💡 Pro Tip: LLCs are cheaper and simpler to run, but C-Corps are better for fundraising. Choose based on your growth plans.
2. Building a website and payments
Your website is your storefront, and you don’t need to code one from scratch. Here’s a quick comparison of no-code options:
Platform | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
$10–$30 USD | Beautiful, fast, Figma-like interface | |
$14–$49 USD | Flexible and scalable, steeper learning curve | |
12 USD- 19 USD | Built for creators & SaaS founders, includes payments and custom domains |
Prices might be outdated.
3. Human resources to build your SaaS 👥
This is where most money gets burned, development.
Options:
Solo founder/dev: cheapest, but slow.
Technical co-founder: the ideal scenario if you’re non-technical.
Hiring devs: expect to spend $1,000–$5,000+/month per developer, even for freelancers.
⚠️ We don’t recommend hiring engineers too early unless you’ve validated your idea. Start lean, test first.
4. Tools & subscriptions 🧰
You’ll need basic tools to build, ship, and communicate. Here’s a starter pack:
Tool | Cost | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Google Workspace | $6–$12/mo | Email, docs, cloud |
Godaddy, Namecheap | $10–$21/mo | Domain |
Digital Ocean / Render / Vercel | $5–$20/mo | Hosting |
Zapier | Free – $20/mo | Automations |
Airtable | Free – $10/mo | Internal dashboards |
Cursor | Free – $20/mo | AI-assisted coding |
Postman or Mailchimp | Free – $20/mo | APIs or Email marketing |
Beehiiv | Free – $15/mo | Newsletter & blog |
Intercom | Free trial – $$$ | Live chat & support |
Your first-month budget (example)
Item | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
Incorporation (Stripe Atlas) | $500 |
Website (Creala Starter) | $0 |
Domain (Namecheap) | $10 |
Email (Google Workspace) | $6 |
Hosting (Render) | $7 |
Airtable + Zapier | $20 |
Beehiiv + Cursor | $20 |
Legal Templates / Contracts | $0 (included in Atlas) |
Total (Month 1) | ≈ $563 USD |
🚀 This is only the beginning
These initial costs are just the foundation. As your product grows, you’ll need to invest more into design, sales, customer support, infrastructure, and (if things go well) your team.
But here’s a smarter path: you don’t need a U.S. LLC or a complex structure to start validating your idea.
With Creala, you can:
Launch a professional SaaS website in minutes
Accept payments globally with a secure checkout
Receive payouts directly to your local bank account
Test your market without needing to incorporate from day one
💡 It’s fast, safe, and built for founders who want to move quickly.
Start lean. Learn from real customers. When you’re ready to scale, the company can come later.
👉 Validate your SaaS idea with Creala today