SaaS Business Metrics Calculator vs Vendor Evaluation

SaaS Business Metrics Calculator

By Dean Peters (PM)

Check if your SaaS can scale profitably with CAC, LTV, payback, and Rule of 40 analysis.

Vendor Evaluation

By Mohit Agarwal (PM Skills)

Compare suppliers with weighted scorecards and get a recommendation on who to buy from.

SaaS Business Metrics Calculator

• Calculates customer lifetime value (LTV) and acquisition cost (CAC) to see if your model is sustainable
• Measures cash runway and burn rate so you know how long you can operate before needing more funding
• Computes Rule of 40 and other efficiency ratios to balance growth against profitability
• Analyzes payback periods and gross margins to determine if you're ready to scale marketing spend
• Compares acquisition channels to find which ones recover costs fastest

Vendor Evaluation

• Creates a weighted scorecard with criteria like functional fit, pricing, implementation difficulty, and vendor stability
• Generates specific questions to ask each vendor about their product, pricing, support, and security
• Scores each vendor against your criteria and calculates a total weighted score
• Delivers a recommendation with the winner, runner-up, key risks, and contract terms to negotiate
• Includes reference check questions to ask existing customers of each vendor

Reach for SaaS Business Metrics Calculator when…

• You're preparing a board deck and need to show your unit economics are sound
• You're deciding whether to scale paid acquisition or optimize conversion first
• You need to justify marketing spend or prove your business model can support growth
• You're planning fundraising and want to show healthy SaaS metrics to investors

Reach for Vendor Evaluation when…

• You're comparing software tools or service providers and need a systematic way to decide
• You're running an RFP process and need to score multiple vendors fairly
• You need to justify a vendor choice to your team or leadership with data
• You're evaluating suppliers and want to avoid missing important criteria or risks