Free calculator
Foundable First Offer Pricing Calculator
Use your own time, direct costs, setup allocation, buffer, fees, and margin target to model a first-offer cost floor and candidate price.
Your inputs produce cost-based bounds, not a recommended price.
Labor cost equals delivery hours multiplied by the entered hourly value, rounded up to the cent. Setup allocation equals setup cost divided by recovery sales, also rounded up. Entered cost adds labor, direct cost, setup allocation, and the risk buffer.
The modeled floor is the smallest cent-price where price minus the rounded-up percentage fee covers entered cost. The cost-based target is the smallest cent-price where that contribution reaches the entered margin. Modeled margin equals (price − rounded-up percentage fee − entered cost) ÷ price. Full-precision integer math determines the result; displayed money uses two decimals.
One offer, every assumption visible.
Illustrative only: two delivery hours at $200 per hour, $80 in direct cost, $120 of setup recovered across 12 sales, and a $10.30 risk buffer produce $500.30 of entered cost per sale.
With a 2.9% fee and 20% target modeled margin, the floor is $515.25 and the cost-based target is $648.90. A $600 candidate has a $17.40 percentage fee, $82.30 contribution after the included costs, and 13.72% modeled margin. This does not say $600 is a good market price, that sales will occur, or that $82.30 is profit.
Check the evidence behind the first price test.
The numeric calculator uses only the entries you provide. The checklist then verifies whether the cost evidence, scope, buyer-value reference, and learning rule are strong enough for a bounded price test. Neither result predicts what a buyer will accept.
Check every statement that is true now. A high raw count cannot replace the core cost, fee, scope, and learning evidence required by the upper bands.
Turn the calculation into one honest price test.
Enter verified cost evidence
Record delivery time, internal hourly value, direct cost, setup allocation, buffer, and current fee terms.
Calculate the cost-based bounds
Use the modeled cost floor and target-margin price as internal comparisons, not market recommendations.
Compare buyer value and scope
Check the candidate against the buyer outcome, credible alternatives, included work, and excluded work.
Run one bounded price test
Use payments, deposits, invoice approvals, checkout starts, specific objections, and silence to choose the next move.
Answers to common questions about this tool.
What does Foundable's First Offer Pricing Calculator calculate?
For a first product, service, or paid pilot, Foundable's First Offer Pricing Calculator uses your direct costs, delivery time and hourly value, allocated setup cost, risk buffer, percentage fees, margin target, and candidate price to calculate a modeled cost floor, a cost-based target price, and contribution after included costs. A separate 12-point checklist scores the evidence behind the price test. It does not estimate market price, willingness to pay, demand, or profit.
Does this calculator tell me what price to charge?
No. It calculates a modeled cost floor, a cost-based target price, and candidate-price contribution from your inputs. It does not estimate a market rate, willingness to pay, demand, profit, or the price a buyer will accept.
How is the modeled cost floor calculated?
The calculator adds direct cost, delivery time at your entered hourly value, setup cost allocated across the expected recovery sales, and the risk buffer you enter. It then finds the smallest cent-price that covers those costs after the percentage fee.
What is the difference between contribution and profit?
Modeled contribution is the candidate price minus only the percentage fee and costs entered here. Profit requires every business cost, refund, discount, tax, overhead item, and other obligation, so this result is not a profit estimate.
How should I use the first price test?
Define the buyer and scope, compare the modeled prices with credible alternatives and buyer value, make one honest paid ask, and record payments, deposits, invoice approvals, checkout starts, specific objections, and silence. Change one variable at a time.