What's My SaaS Worth? 2026 Valuation Multiples
Your valuation is your ARR times your multiple. The median public SaaS company trades at 3.4x ARR today; enter your numbers below to see your own range and how you rank against named public peers. Independent data for founders preparing to raise or exit.
Estimate Your Multiple
Benchmarked against current public and private SaaS medians. See detailed methodology
Quick Reference: Growth Rate vs Public Multiple (May 2026)
Computed from the SaaS Capital Index per-company data file (31 May 2026); 57 constituents report both a multiple and trailing growth
| YoY Growth Rate | Median Multiple | P25-P75 Range |
|---|---|---|
| 30%+ | n too small to publish | Only 5 of 57 index constituents grew 30%+ to May 2026 |
| 20-30% | 5.2x ARR | 3.3-7.9x (n=10) |
| 10-20% | 3.9x ARR | 2.9-6.3x (n=25) |
| Under 10% | 2.2x ARR | 1.1-3.3x (n=17) |
Understanding the Current Market
Why multiples compressed post-2021
Two separate resets. The 2022 rate cycle (Fed funds from 0.25% to 5.25%) took the SaaS Capital median from its 16.9x peak (August 2021) to a 5.6-7x range that held through 2025. Then Q1 2026 brought a second, sharper re-rating on AI disruption fears: 5.6x in December 2025 to 3.4x by May 2026, a decade-plus low.
Full historical analysisPrivate vs public discount
Private marks lag public markets by six to twelve months. SaaS Capital's 2025 research put bootstrapped private SaaS at 4.8x and equity-backed at 5.3x ARR, derived when the public index stood at 7.0x. With the public median now at 3.4x, expect private valuations to compress as 2026 deals print; the historical pattern is a discount to public peers, not a premium.
Private multiples breakdownWhat investors actually look at
Growth rate, NRR, gross margin, and Rule of 40 are the four primary multiple drivers. Customer concentration, ARR consistency, burn multiple, and competitive dynamics in your M&A process all affect the final negotiated multiple.
Complete valuation guideHeadline price is not the cheque
Broker fees, escrow holdback, earnout split, federal capital gains, state tax, QSBS qualification. Most SaaS founders walk away with 40-60 percent of their headline number. Run yours.
Calculate your walk-away number →Key Valuation Factors
Primary driver. Every 20pp improvement moves you up one multiple band.
130%+ NRR adds 2-3x to baseline. Below 90% applies a significant discount.
Above 80% adds +0.5x. Below 60% reduces multiple by 1-1.5x.
Every 10-point improvement above 40 = approximately 1.0-1.5x additional multiple.
Burn multiple below 1x adds +0.5x. EBITDA-positive adds +1x to the baseline.
Larger ARR = larger buyer pool = more competitive process = higher multiple.