What's My SaaS Worth? 2026 Valuation Multiples
Your valuation is your ARR times your multiple. The median public SaaS company trades at 4.2x 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 (September 2026)
Computed from the SaaS Capital Index per-company data file (30 September 2026); 58 constituents report both a multiple and trailing growth
| YoY growth | Median | P25-P75 |
|---|---|---|
| 30%+ | Not published | Only 5 of 58 (too few) |
| 20-30% | 5.5x ARR | 3.8-8.4x (n=11) |
| 10-20% | 4.4x ARR | 3.4-6.0x (n=24) |
| Under 10% | 2.3x ARR | 1.4-3.7x (n=18) |
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 a 3.1x decade-low by June 2026, before a recovery through July (3.9x) to 4.6x in August and an easing to 4.2x in September.
Full historical analysisPrivate vs public discount
Private marks sit below public ones. SaaS Capital's January 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 4.2x (September 2026, off June's 3.1x low), 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.
Private SaaS median is 101%. Above 130% NRR, median growth is 50%, double the survey median (SaaS Capital 2025).
Calculator assumption: above 80% adds 0.5x, below 60% takes 1.5x off. Our model, not an index figure.
Growth % plus EBITDA margin % at or above 40: the screen buyers apply before they argue about the multiple.
Calculator assumption: EBITDA-positive adds 1x, a burn multiple of 1x or less adds 0.5x. Our model, not an index figure.
Larger ARR = larger buyer pool = more competitive process = higher multiple.