how long will your
cash last?
enter your revenue, expenses, and cash reserves. see your gross and net burn rate, months of runway remaining, and whether you're on track to survive — or running on borrowed time.
How to use this burn rate calculator
Enter your current monthly revenue (MRR) and total cash in the bank. Then break down your monthly expenses across categories: salaries, hosting, tools, marketing, office, and other costs. The calculator computes your gross burn rate (total expenses), net burn rate (expenses minus revenue), and divides your cash by the net burn to get your runway in months.
If your revenue already exceeds your expenses (net burn rate is $0), congratulations — you're profitable and your runway is effectively infinite. The calculator will mark you as 'default alive'.
What is burn rate?
Burn rate is the speed at which a startup spends its cash reserves. It's one of the most critical metrics for any pre-profitable business because it directly determines how long you can operate before needing to become profitable or raise additional funding.
There are two types: gross burn rate (total monthly expenses, regardless of revenue) and net burn rate (expenses minus revenue). Net burn is what actually drains your bank account. A solo founder spending $1,500/month with $500/month in revenue has a gross burn of $1,500 but a net burn of only $1,000.
Burn rate benchmarks for solo founders
Burn rate varies wildly depending on whether you're bootstrapped or funded, and your geographic location. Here are rough guidelines for bootstrapped solo founders:
- Lean ($200–500/mo): Free tiers for most tools, minimal hosting, no paid marketing.
- Moderate ($500–2,000/mo): Paid tools, some marketing, professional hosting.
- Growth ($2,000–5,000/mo): Active marketing, contractors, premium tools.
The key metric isn't the absolute number — it's your runway. Aim for 12+ months of runway before going full-time, or 6+ months if you have a fallback (freelancing, savings, etc.).