How much is your
AI tool worth?
The acquisition market for AI tools is real but opaque. Here's what actually determines price — with valuation tables, real comparables, and the 5 dimensions buyers use.
How AI tool valuation works in 2026
AI tool valuation doesn't follow traditional SaaS multiples cleanly. The market in 2026 prices AI tools on two separate tracks depending on where they are in the lifecycle.
Pre-revenue / early stage: Priced as a flat project fee based on what it would cost to rebuild, minus risk. Typically $500–$8,000 regardless of potential. Buyers pay for the system, not the dream.
Revenue-generating: Priced at 1–25x ARR depending on retention quality, transferability, and category. The multiple spread is wider than traditional SaaS because AI tool durability is still being proven at scale.
Revenue multiple ranges by stage (2026)
Based on AI tool acquisition activity in the $1k–$200k range. Multiples are ARR-based.
Valuation for non-SaaS AI tools
Not all AI tools have recurring revenue. Here's how other categories are priced.
What moves the price up or down
Documented setup and runbook
README, architecture, step-by-step runbook. Changes from "technical buyer required" to "any operator can run it."
Verifiable 90-day retention data
Month-2 and month-3 cohort data. A 70%+ month-2 retention rate is worth more than 2 extra months of MRR.
Business accounts, not personal
Stripe, OpenAI, domain, APIs — all under a business entity. Personal account lock-in is an instant discount.
Multiple non-related customers
Revenue from 5+ unrelated customers is priced differently from revenue from one client who knows you personally.
Founder dependency
If operating requires you to be on call, buyers discount heavily. Every hour of founder involvement post-sale reduces value.
Thin revenue history
Less than 3 months of MRR data is priced as potential, not proof. The discount is real and non-negotiable.
High LLM cost ratio
If margins drop below 60% at scale due to token costs, operators discount for the reinvestment risk at higher volume.
Single acquisition channel
All users from one post or one referral. Buyers want to see repeatable distribution, not a single lucky spike.
Real comparables — recent grades
Every project below went through the full 5-dimension AI Asset Score. Scores and price ranges reflect the same framework applied consistently.
How to calculate your AI tool's value
No formula gives you an exact number — but this framework gets you a defensible range:
Valuation FAQ
My AI tool has no revenue. Does it have any value?
Yes, but it's priced as a flat project fee rather than a multiple. A well-documented, transferable system with real usage (even if free) can sell for $500–$5,000 as a project acquisition. Revenue-based multiples only apply when you have actual recurring revenue with history.
Does the tech stack affect valuation?
Indirectly. Stacks that are heavily dependent on specific model versions, deprecated APIs, or complex infrastructure that requires the founder's expertise to maintain will discount the multiple. Clean, well-documented stacks with standard integrations hold or improve the multiple.
My best month was $3k MRR but average is $1.5k. Which number do buyers use?
Buyers use the trailing 3-month average, not the best month. Some will use the lowest 3 months to stress-test the floor. If your best month is 2× your average, that's a red flag on consistency — not a selling point.
How much does documentation actually affect price?
More than most founders expect. A tool with $2k MRR and a complete runbook that anyone can use is worth more than a tool with $3k MRR and no documentation. The runbook is what makes the asset transferable — and transferability is what buyers are paying for.
What's the fastest way to increase my tool's valuation before selling?
Two things, in order of impact: (1) Write and test a runbook — someone else must confirm they can set it up without your help. (2) Move all credentials and accounts from personal to business. Both can be done in a week and can add 25–40% to your valuation.
How do I get an accurate valuation for my specific tool?
Submit for a free AI Asset Score. You'll get a 0–100 score across 5 dimensions, specific notes on what's dragging the number down, and a realistic price range based on current buyer activity — not wishful thinking.
Get your free AI tool valuation
Submit your project for a free AI Asset Score. You'll get a specific score, a price range, and the exact changes that would move the number higher.