Runway and burn rate calculator
runway is how many months you have before the money runs out. the version worth knowing is net burn, which counts the revenue coming in, and the version that scares you is what happens after the hires you are about to make.
this calculator needs javascript. the explanation below works without it.
Read the third number first
the useful output here is not runway, it is what the hires cost you in months. founders decide on headcount by asking whether they can afford the salary. the better question is how many months of life you are exchanging for that person.
if two hires cost you five months of runway, they need to produce something worth five months. sometimes they clearly do. often nobody has framed it that way before signing.
What this does not model
revenue is held flat here, which is deliberately pessimistic. if your revenue is growing quickly, real runway is longer than this shows.
it also assumes costs stay level. they rarely do, because spend tends to creep. if you want the honest version, add 10% to your monthly costs and see what it does.
Numbers tell you what. They do not tell you what to do.
bring your real numbers to the breakdown call and leave with a plan for them. free, no pitch deck.
Common questions
When should I start raising?
the common guidance is to begin when you have around six months left, because a raise usually takes three to six months and you never want to be negotiating from a position of desperation. work backwards from the runway figure above.
Should ad spend count as burn?
yes, but track it separately as well. ad spend is the one cost you can switch off in a week, so it is worth knowing your runway both with it and without it. that second number is your real floor.
Other plan tools
CAC calculator
free CAC calculator. put in your ad spend and new users, get paid CAC and blended CAC. no signup, no email.
PlanLTV calculator
free lifetime value calculator. put in price, margin and churn, get LTV and how long an average user stays. no signup.
PlanLTV:CAC and payback
free LTV:CAC calculator with payback period. find out if your unit economics work and how many months to earn a user back.
PlanBreak-even CAC
work out the most you can afford to pay for a user before you lose money, and the target CAC that leaves healthy margin.
Bring one real growth problem. Leave with the fix.
the breakdown call is free. no pitch deck, no agency handoff.