Before you list anything for sale, you need a number that's defensible to a buyer — not a guess. Here's how valuation actually works for indie-scale digital products, with real multiple ranges and a worked example.
Bottom line:Most small websites and apps sell for a multiple of monthly profit — roughly 20x–45x monthly profit for content and affiliate sites, and 24x–48x MRR for SaaS. The multiple moves based on growth trend, traffic diversity, and how founder-dependent the business is. A site with no revenue is still valued, just less formulaically.
There's no single formula, but almost every small-to-mid-sized digital asset sale comes down to the same core idea: a buyer is paying today for a stream of future profit, discounted for risk. The most common shorthand for that is a profit multiple.
Take your average monthly net profit over the last 6–12 months, multiply it by a number that reflects how much a buyer trusts that profit to continue, and you get an asking price. A higher multiple means buyers see the business as lower-risk and more likely to keep earning without you; a lower multiple means the opposite.
Revenue-generating SaaS products are usually valued off monthly recurring revenue (MRR) or annual recurring revenue (ARR) instead of raw profit, since recurring revenue is inherently more predictable than one-off or ad-driven income.
Multiples by category
These ranges reflect typical outcomes for smaller, indie-scale deals — the kind that make up most of what sells on Siterifty. Larger, established businesses with six- and seven-figure valuations often trade at different multiples through brokers, and aren't what these ranges describe.
Category
Typical multiple
Measured against
Content / affiliate sites
20x – 36x
Monthly net profit
Ecommerce / dropshipping
24x – 40x
Monthly net profit
Newsletter with ads/sponsors
18x – 30x
Monthly net profit
Micro-SaaS / web app (MRR)
24x – 48x
Monthly recurring revenue
Mobile app (ad or IAP revenue)
12x – 30x
Monthly net profit
Template / UI kit libraries
8x – 20x
Trailing 12-month revenue
Pre-revenue / early-stage
Case-by-case
Build cost, traffic, or IP value
These are starting ranges, not guarantees. A site at the bottom of its category's range usually has a red flag somewhere — declining traffic, a single point of failure, or thin financial history. A site at the top usually has clean books, growth, and diversified income.
What moves the number up or down
Two businesses with identical monthly profit can sell for very different prices. Here's what buyers actually weigh when deciding where in the range a deal lands.
Pushes the multiple up
Consistent or growing revenue over 6+ months, shown with real numbers, not screenshots
Traffic or customers from multiple channels — not 100% dependent on one platform or keyword
Low time commitment from the current owner, or clearly documented systems/processes
Clean, well-organized codebase with no major technical debt (for apps and SaaS)
Low churn and a clear expansion path (for SaaS)
A believable, non-alarming reason for selling
Pulls the multiple down
Declining or volatile revenue trend, even if the current number is strong
Heavy dependence on a single traffic source, client, or platform policy
High founder-time dependency — the business doesn't run without you
Undocumented or messy code, unclear ownership of assets (domains, accounts, IP)
Recent algorithm hits, policy changes, or unresolved disputes
Thin or unverifiable financial history
A worked example
Here's how the math plays out for two similar-looking micro-SaaS products with the same MRR but different risk profiles.
Product A
Product B
MRR
$800/mo
$800/mo
Revenue trend
Growing 8%/mo, 9 months straight
Flat, occasional dips
Customer source
Organic search + referrals
One paid ad channel
Founder time
~2 hrs/week, mostly support
~15 hrs/week, active dev work
Applied multiple
38x MRR
24x MRR
Estimated value
$30,400
$19,200
Same top-line number, roughly $11,000 apart in value — because Product A is lower-risk and less dependent on its founder's ongoing time. This is why two listings with identical revenue can reasonably ask very different prices.
Valuing a site with no revenue
Plenty of legitimate listings have $0 in trailing revenue — an unfinished SaaS idea, a content site that hasn't been monetized yet, or a template pack that's never been sold. These are valued more subjectively.
Development time saved — what would it cost a buyer to build this from scratch, in hours and money?
Traffic and domain history — an aged domain with real organic traffic has standalone value even unmonetized
Content or asset library — the actual word count, article quality, or design assets included
Audience — an email list or social following bundled with the sale
Uniqueness of the IP — a novel tool, game concept, or brand that's hard to replicate quickly
Pre-revenue listings tend to sell for a fraction of what a revenue-generating equivalent would — often a few hundred to low thousands of dollars for smaller projects — but they absolutely do sell, especially to buyers who want a head start rather than a finished income stream.
Common valuation mistakes
Valuing gross revenue instead of profit. Buyers pay for what's left after hosting, tools, contractors, and ad spend — not top-line revenue.
Using a single good month. One spike doesn't set the multiple base — buyers average trailing months and discount for volatility.
Ignoring founder-time cost. A business that needs 20 hours a week of your time isn't worth the same as one that runs on autopilot, even at identical profit.
Anchoring to what someone else's site sold for. Multiples vary by niche, platform risk, and business model — a comparable-sounding sale isn't a guaranteed benchmark.
Valuation FAQ
How do you calculate the value of a website?
Take average monthly net profit over the trailing 6–12 months and apply a multiple based on category, growth trend, and risk — typically 20x–45x for content/affiliate sites. SaaS is usually valued against MRR/ARR instead.
What multiple do SaaS businesses sell for?
Small indie SaaS products commonly trade between 2x and 4x ARR (about 24x–48x MRR), with low-churn, high-retention products landing toward the top of that range.
Does a website with no revenue have any value?
Yes — traffic, domain age, content assets, an email list, or simply the development time saved all carry value even without revenue, though pricing is more subjective.
What increases a website's sale value the most?
Stable or growing verified revenue, diversified traffic sources, low founder-time dependency, clean documentation or code, and a clear reason for selling.
Should I get a professional valuation before selling?
For deals under roughly $10,000, a multiple-based self-estimate is usually close enough. For larger or more complex sales, a paid valuation can help justify your asking price.
Ready to put a number on your listing?
List your website, app, game, template, or source code on Siterifty — free to start, with escrow protection on every deal.
This guide explains how to value a website, app, or SaaS product before selling it on Siterifty, a digital asset marketplace for indie developers. Valuation is typically a multiple of trailing monthly profit (20x–45x for content and affiliate sites) or monthly/annual recurring revenue (24x–48x MRR for SaaS), adjusted up or down based on revenue trend, traffic diversification, and founder-time dependency.
Pre-revenue listings are valued more subjectively, based on development time saved, domain/traffic history, content assets, and audience size, rather than a profit multiple.
Website Valuation Guide — How Much Is Your Site Worth? | Siterifty
