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Burn Rate Calculator

Track your monthly cash burn and runway

Total monthly operating costs in USD
Total monthly recurring revenue in USD
Current total cash on hand in USD
Understanding

What is Burn Rate?

Burn rate is the speed at which a startup spends its cash reserves. Understanding your burn rate is critical for financial planning because it determines how long your funding will last and when you need to raise more capital or reach profitability.

Key Terms
Gross Burn

The total amount of cash a company spends each month on all expenses, regardless of any revenue being generated.

Net Burn

The monthly cash loss after subtracting revenue from expenses. If revenue exceeds expenses, net burn is negative, meaning the company is cash-flow positive.

Cash Runway

The number of months a startup can continue operating at its current net burn rate before running out of cash.

Formulas Used
Gross Burn
Gross Burn = Total Monthly Expenses

Sum all monthly operating costs including salaries, rent, software, and marketing to find your total cash outflow.

Net Burn
Net Burn = Monthly Expenses − Monthly Revenue

Subtract any revenue from total expenses to see how much cash you are actually losing each month.

Runway
Runway = Cash Balance ÷ Net Burn Rate

Divide your current cash on hand by your net monthly burn to estimate how many months of operations you have left.

How it works

Three steps.No guesswork.

01

Enter your financials

Input your monthly operating expenses, monthly revenue, and current cash balance.

02

Calculate burn rate

The calculator computes your gross burn, net burn, and estimated months of runway remaining.

03

Review your runway

See how long your cash will last and at what point you need to raise or reach profitability.

Use cases

Built for founderswho move fast.

Pre-seed founders

Monitor how quickly you are spending savings or initial investment before generating revenue.

Fundraising planning

Know exactly when you need to start raising your next round based on current burn.

Cost reduction analysis

Model how cutting specific expenses extends your runway and delays fundraising pressure.

Deep dive

Managing your burn rate

Burn rate is the speed at which a startup spends cash. Gross burn is total monthly spending; net burn subtracts any revenue. For pre-revenue startups, gross and net burn are the same.

Most VCs recommend having at least 18-24 months of runway after a funding round. This gives you enough time to hit milestones without the distraction of constant fundraising. If your runway drops below 6 months, it is time to either raise or cut costs aggressively.

Burn rate is not inherently bad — it represents investment in growth. The key question is whether your spending is generating returns in the form of customer growth, product development, or market expansion. Efficient burn leads to faster growth; wasteful burn leads to premature death.

FAQ

Common questionsanswered.

What is the difference between gross and net burn?+
Gross burn is your total monthly expenses regardless of revenue. Net burn is gross burn minus monthly revenue. If you spend $100K/month and earn $30K, your net burn is $70K.
What is a safe runway to maintain?+
Most advisors recommend 18-24 months after fundraising. Start planning your next raise or path to profitability when runway drops below 9-12 months.
How do I reduce burn rate without killing growth?+
Focus on cutting non-essential spending first — office perks, unused software, over-staffed teams. Prioritize spending that directly drives revenue or product development.

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