How much does a custom SaaS cost in 2026? From MVP to platform
Custom SaaS cost in 2026: the budget for an MVP, a business SaaS and a multi-tenant platform, recurring costs and practical advice on getting started.
How much does a custom SaaS cost? The range is wide, from under €10,000 to over €100,000, because the word "SaaS" covers both a first prototype and a platform used by hundreds of customers. Here are the French market budgets in 2026, stage by stage.
Three budget levels
The price lists published by French agencies this year distinguish three tiers (Pixel Paris, Step):
| Stage | What you get | Indicative market budget |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | A first version focused on the main function | €8,000 to €20,000 excl. VAT |
| Business SaaS | Accounts, roles, dashboards, subscriptions | €20,000 to €50,000 excl. VAT |
| Multi-tenant platform | Full B2B product, integrations, heavy load | €50,000 to €120,000 excl. VAT |
Some agencies price their MVP higher, between €40,000 and €80,000 (Lonestone): it all depends on what each one means by the term. Hence the importance of comparing scopes, not prices.
What the budget must cover
A SaaS is not an application like any other. Beyond the features, you need to plan for:
- accounts and permissions: sign-up, roles, invitations, separation of data between customers;
- subscription and payment: plans, free trial, invoicing, payment reminders;
- the admin area: to follow your customers and help them;
- security and compliance: backups, GDPR, access logs.
These building blocks are invisible in a demo, but they often represent a large share of the work. A quote that does not mention them is incomplete.
Recurring costs
Once launched, a SaaS has a running cost: hosting, maintenance, fixes and upgrades. The same sources estimate it at 10 to 25% of the initial cost per year. Add payment fees and the third-party services the product uses.
This cost must be part of your profitability calculation: how many paying customers do you need to cover it?
Why start with an MVP
The first risk of a SaaS is not technical. It is building a product nobody wants. An MVP is there to check three things before investing more:
- the problem you solve is real;
- customers are ready to pay for this solution;
- you know how to reach them.
In practice, you keep the function that delivers most of the value, put it online, and listen to the first users. Everything that is not essential waits for the second version.
What about no-code?
No-code tools let you test an idea on a smaller budget. They suit a prototype well, less so a product that must handle load, integrate with other tools or evolve freely. Many SaaS products start this way and are then rebuilt as custom software once the idea is validated: it is a reasonable path, provided you plan for it.
In practice
Before pricing, write in one sentence what your SaaS does, for whom, and what makes it better than existing solutions. That sentence determines the content of the MVP, and therefore its price.
Tell us about your idea: we help you define the first version and send you a free estimate within 48 hours. Discover our SaaS development service, or our guide to the cost of custom business software if the tool is meant for your own team.
Launching your SaaS with KPS Agency
We start with an MVP focused on a single promise, and only add a building block when a customer asks for it. That is what keeps the first budget under control.
Tell us about your SaaS idea: we send you a free estimate within 48 hours, to compare with the budgets in this article.
To go further: Digital agency in Paris