Pricing Your SaaS or MVP Without Guessing (or Apologizing)

Stop undervaluing your work — pricing isn’t about you, it’s about the value they get

I see this all the time — a founder ships their MVP, gets their first few beta users, and then freezes when it’s time to slap a price on it.
They look at competitors, shave a few bucks off, or worse, keep it “free for now” while they “figure it out.”

If that’s you, you’re not alone. I’ve done it too. But here’s the truth: pricing your SaaS isn’t about picking a random number that feels “fair.” It’s about framing the value in a way that makes the price feel obvious.

When I launched my first vibe-coded MVP, I wanted to cover hosting costs, so I thought $9/mo was “reasonable.”
Within 48 hours, someone told me, “This saves me at least five hours a week — I’d easily pay $50.” That hit me like a bucket of ice water.
I wasn’t just undercharging — I was signaling that my product wasn’t worth much.

Here’s the mental shift:
Pricing isn’t about what you would pay. You’re too close to it. You know its limitations, the hacks behind the scenes, the features you still want to build.
Your customer doesn’t see that. They see a problem solved.
They see a job off their plate.
They see money saved or made.

A few practical approaches I use now:

1. Anchor to the outcome, not the inputs.
   If your tool saves someone $1,000/month in wasted ad spend, $200/month feels like a steal.

2. Test the “double it” rule.
   Whatever number you have in mind, double it and see if people flinch. Often they don’t — and you’ve just found free margin.

3. Don’t chase the cheapest tier.
   Undercutting your competitors is lazy pricing. Out-value them instead.

4. Let your pricing be part of your positioning.
   Cheap prices attract bargain hunters who churn. Confident pricing attracts people who see it as an investment.

5. Iterate in public.
   Tell early users you’re testing pricing and will honor their rate for life. They’ll give you honest feedback without feeling burned.

When you start thinking about pricing as a growth lever instead of a necessary evil, the game changes. You stop apologizing for charging and start realizing that the right price is what lets you reinvest, improve, and serve your customers better.

Your SaaS — even in MVP form — isn’t a charity. And if you’re vibe coding your way to product-market fit, your first paying users aren’t just giving you money. They’re validating that what you built matters enough to pay for.

Price like you believe in your product. They will too.