Startup Cost & Revenue Questions
The two questions every founder types into a search bar, answered honestly for 12 business models: how much it costs to start, and how much money it actually makes.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure traces back to Revenue Map's own modeling data: the default investment, pricing and funnel assumptions in our industry model presets, the vertical research behind each model template, and the benchmark tables that power our free calculators. Where a figure reflects broad industry knowledge, it is phrased as an honest range with no fake precision. Revenue framing is deliberately conservative: typical month-12 outcomes for a modestly successful launch, not survivorship-biased success stories.
How Much Does It Cost to Start...
Honest startup cost breakdowns per business model: MVP build, first-year operating costs, marketing budget, and the vertical-specific lines founders forget.
How Much Does It Cost to Start a SaaS Company?
Starting a SaaS company typically costs $20,000 to $150,000 in year one. Full breakdown: MVP build, first-year operating costs, marketing, and compliance.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start an Online Store?
Starting an online store typically costs $5,000 to $50,000 up front. See the full breakdown: inventory, website, first-year marketing and operating costs.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start a Subscription App?
Building a subscription app typically costs $30,000 to $150,000 before launch, plus user acquisition. Breakdown of development, marketing and operating costs.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start an Online Marketplace?
Launching an online marketplace typically costs $30,000 to $150,000 in year one, since you fund two-sided growth. Breakdown of build, supply and demand costs.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start a Food Delivery Business?
Starting a food delivery business typically costs $50,000 to $150,000. Breakdown: kitchen or platform build, first-year marketing, per-order economics.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start an Online Travel Agency?
Starting an online travel agency typically costs $40,000 to $150,000. Breakdown: platform build, inventory access, marketing and seasonality buffer.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Make a Mobile Game?
Making a mobile game costs anywhere from $50,000 for a hyper-casual title to $300,000 or more for midcore. Full breakdown of development, UA and live-ops costs.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start a Fintech Company?
Starting a fintech company typically costs $150,000 to $500,000 because of licensing and compliance. Breakdown of build, regulatory, and go-to-market costs.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start a HealthTech Startup?
Starting a healthtech startup typically costs $100,000 to $400,000 with HIPAA and clinical compliance included. Breakdown of build, regulatory and sales costs.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Create an Online Course Business?
Creating an online course business typically costs $2,000 to $50,000 depending on production quality and format. Breakdown of content, platform and marketing.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start a PropTech Company?
Starting a proptech company typically costs $80,000 to $250,000. Breakdown: platform build, listing acquisition, sales costs and cash-cycle buffer.
Read the answerHow Much Does It Cost to Start an AI Startup?
Starting an AI startup typically costs $150,000 to $500,000 in year one, with compute as a real cost of goods. Breakdown of build, GPU, team and go-to-market.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does It Make...
Realistic revenue ranges per business model: what a modestly successful launch earns by month 12, what the top decile looks like, and what kills revenue.
How Much Money Does a SaaS Company Make?
A modestly successful SaaS startup typically reaches $5,000 to $15,000 MRR by month 12. Honest revenue ranges, the top decile, and what kills growth.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does an E-commerce Store Make?
A modestly successful online store typically reaches $10,000 to $50,000 monthly revenue by month 12, keeping 10 to 20% net margin. Honest ranges and drivers.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does a Subscription App Make?
A modestly successful subscription app typically reaches $3,000 to $15,000 MRR by month 12, after the 15 to 30% app store cut. Honest ranges and drivers.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does an Online Marketplace Make?
A young marketplace typically nets $5,000 to $25,000 in monthly revenue by month 12, since only the 5 to 20% take rate counts. Honest GMV math and drivers.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does a Food Delivery Business Make?
A modestly successful food delivery business typically reaches $30,000 to $100,000 monthly order revenue by month 12, at an 18 to 25% contribution margin.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does an Online Travel Agency Make?
A young online travel agency typically earns $7,000 to $25,000 monthly commission revenue by month 12, at 10 to 20% per booking. Honest math and seasonality.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does a Mobile Game Make?
A modestly successful mobile game typically earns $3,000 to $15,000 per month at 10,000 daily active users, driven by ARPDAU of $0.01 to $0.05. Honest ranges.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does a Fintech Startup Make?
A modestly successful fintech startup typically reaches $10,000 to $30,000 MRR by month 12, as compliance eats 10 to 20% of revenue. Honest ranges and drivers.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does a HealthTech Startup Make?
A modestly successful healthtech startup typically reaches $5,000 to $25,000 MRR by month 12, with collected revenue often 40 to 70% of billed. Honest ranges.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does an Online Course Business Make?
A modestly successful online course business typically earns $5,000 to $30,000 per month by month 12. Honest ranges by format, self-paced to cohort programs.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does a PropTech Company Make?
A modestly successful proptech company typically earns $15,000 to $50,000 per month by month 12, at $8,000 to $10,000 per closed deal. Honest ranges.
Read the answerHow Much Money Does an AI Startup Make?
A modestly successful AI startup typically reaches $6,000 to $25,000 MRR by month 12, at 50 to 70% gross margin after compute. Honest ranges and drivers.
Read the answerLooking for the underlying metric ranges instead? Browse the full startup benchmarks dataset for CAC, churn, margins and more by industry and by metric.
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