Answers
How do I buy a SaaS business, step by step?
Short answer: Buying a small SaaS takes six steps: set criteria, screen listings on payback and churn, question the seller, verify Stripe, code and costs with read-only access, agree price and terms in a letter of intent, then close through escrow and move Stripe, hosting and domains. Acquire.com reports 81 days on market on average.
Six steps take you from criteria to closing. Acquire.com's multiples report (updated 1 September 2026) gives an average of 81 days on market for SaaS sales on its platform, with most deals completing within 90 days and smaller businesses tending to close faster. Your own time goes mostly into steps 3 and 4.
Step 1: What am I looking for?
Decide price range, the kind of software you can run or learn, the hours you can give it each week, and the payback you need. Write it down; it saves weeks of browsing. Our SaaS valuation answer shows what MRR levels are worth.
Step 2: Which listings pass a first screen?
Paste each listing into the red-flag checker. It returns payback in months and flags such as MRR above cash collected or few paying customers. Then test the stated churn: what churn rate is acceptable?
Step 3: What should I ask the seller?
Use the flags as the agenda: each one comes with a question. The first messages should get 24 months of figures, owner hours, the top customers' share and which accounts transfer (questions to ask a seller).
Step 4: How do I verify the numbers?
Stripe View Only, reconciled to bank deposits (how to verify Stripe revenue); a screen share of hosting, code and costs; analytics. The full order is in small SaaS due diligence.
Step 5: What goes in the letter of intent?
A short, mostly non-binding letter sets out the price, what is included, how it is paid (all cash, or partly through a seller note or earnout), the diligence still to do, and a date. Confirm the Stripe route here: same-country transfers go through Stripe Support, and a buyer in another country needs a new account (can a Stripe account be transferred?).
Step 6: How do I close and take over the accounts?
Pay into escrow, receive the code, domain, hosting, Stripe and other accounts, check them during the inspection period, then release the funds (how escrow works). Keep the seller available for a handover period written into the agreement.
What does a small deal cost beyond the price?
For a composite $90,000 purchase, the extras you can price from public pages are small next to the price:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | $90,000 |
| Escrow.com standard fee, if you pay all of it | $1,710 |
| Acquire.com Premium buyer plan, one year (only if you buy there) | $390 |
Composite $90,000 SaaS purchase. Escrow.com standard fee from its fee calculator; Acquire.com Premium price from its subscription terms (both read 7 October 2026). Legal and accounting help not included.
That totals $92,100 before legal and accounting help, which depends on who you hire. The larger cost is a wrong price, which is why verification gets most of the time.
Sources
- Acquire.com, Biannual Acquisition Multiples Report (11 February 2026, updated 1 September 2026), read 7 October 2026
- Acquire.com Help, Refunds, cancellations, and subscriptions (updated 4 March 2026), read 7 October 2026
- Escrow.com, Fee calculator, US dollar transactions, read 7 October 2026
- Stripe Support, Transfer a Stripe account to a different entity due to a business sale or acquisition, read 7 October 2026
Related
- How to verify Stripe revenue
- Can a Stripe account be transferred?
- Due diligence for a small SaaS
- How escrow works
- What churn rate is acceptable?
- Free red-flag checker
- Glossary of listing terms
- More questions buyers ask
Get the SaaS and software seller checklist
Join the FirstPass Memo waitlist and the next page gives you the SaaS and software seller question checklist (web page and PDF) straight away, along with the other free files: seller question checklists for eleven business types, the 72-hour vetting plan and a deal-tracker spreadsheet. Nothing is emailed; you download them on the page.
We will write when paid memos open, and occasionally before. Unsubscribe any time by replying "stop" to hello@firstpassmemo.com. Looking at a live listing priced $10k–150k? Apply for a free beta memo instead; its confirmation page has the same downloads.
Composite examples are invented and labelled. Figures from other sites are quoted with a link and the date we read them; FirstPass figures are asking prices and seller-stated profit, not sale prices. Informational screening only, not investment, legal or tax advice.