# How to answer "do you have a startup discount?" > What to reply when someone asks your SaaS for a startup discount, whether to say yes, and how to set up a startup deal that doesn't eat your revenue. By Luis Miguel, founder of HAGGIN. Published 2026-10-31. Web version: https://hagg.in/blog/startup-discount-request When someone asks "do you have a startup discount?", say yes to the conversation, ask a couple of questions about their company, and offer a deal with conditions: a lower price for a limited time, a discount in exchange for annual billing or a testimonial, or a price they propose and you approve. Don't just send a code. The person asking is usually a founder with a small budget who likes your product, and a good answer can turn them into a customer who grows with you. ## Who asks for a startup discount? Usually one of these: - **Early founders with no revenue yet.** They need the tool and can't pay full price. Some of them will grow, most won't. - **Funded startups.** They can pay, but asking costs nothing. Many of them ask every vendor out of habit. - **Solo founders and indie hackers.** Small budget, often a decent audience on X or in communities, and very loud about tools they like. They're worth different answers, so it helps to know who you're talking to. ## What should you reply? Something short that keeps the door open and asks for context: > Hey, thanks for asking. We don't have a public startup plan, but I'm happy to work something out. > > What are you building, and how many people would use Acme? If you have a price in mind, tell me. Two questions are enough. You want to know roughly what stage they're at and how they'd use the product, not their whole pitch deck. ## Should you give startups a discount? Often, yes. Half price from a startup is still more than nothing, and startups that grow tend to stay with the tools they started with. The risk is giving the same deal to everyone who asks, including companies that could easily pay full price. A few ways to keep it fair. **Time-limit it.** Something like 50% off for the first six months or the first year, then the normal price. Write the end date in the agreement. **Tie it to something.** Annual billing at a better price. A testimonial or a short case study after three months. A post about the tool to their audience, or something else they offer. Any of these can be worth more to a small SaaS than the money it gives up. **Set a ceiling.** Some SaaS give startup pricing only under a certain team size or funding level. If you do this, keep the rule simple and public. **Let them propose the deal.** Instead of picking a number yourself, ask them to make an offer: the price, the period, how many seats, and what else they'd give in return. You accept, counter or say no. ## Should you have a public startup program? A public startup program (a page, an application form, a fixed discount) makes sense once you get these requests often enough that answering each one by hand takes real time. Before that, a private, case-by-case answer is usually better. Each conversation teaches you something, and you aren't committed to a discount you might regret later. If you do build a program, keep it narrow: clear eligibility, a fixed duration, and a regular price after that. Startup programs that never end become your real pricing for a big share of customers. ## How do you handle many startup discount requests? Once these emails come in every week, answering each one carefully gets slow, and sending everyone the same code means the funded startups get it too. You can reply with a link where they make you an offer instead. With [HAGGIN](/use-cases/lost-sales), the founder builds an offer against your normal price (a monthly or yearly price, seats, plus a testimonial, a post or something else), and you get it in an inbox to accept, counter or pass. When you agree, you send your own payment link. Your list price stays where it is, and you can say no to the offers that don't make sense. ## What not to do Don't leave the email unanswered. Founders talk to each other, and "they didn't even answer" gets around. A code that works forever, for anyone, will end up shared in some Slack group sooner or later. Asking for proof is fine up to a point. A short question about what they're building is enough, and asking for incorporation documents or a pitch deck for a $30 tool feels like a lot. And remember the end date. A short note a few weeks before the startup price ends means the regular price doesn't come as a surprise. ## FAQ ### Should I offer a startup discount on my SaaS? Usually yes, if it comes with conditions: a time limit, annual billing, a testimonial, or another trade. It helps you win early customers who might grow with you, without lowering your price permanently. ### How much is a typical startup discount? It varies a lot. Many SaaS startup programs offer somewhere between 25% and 90% off for a limited period, often the first year. For a small SaaS, a smaller discount with a clear end date is usually easier to manage. ### How do I reply to a discount request email? Thank them, ask one or two questions about their situation, and offer a specific deal with conditions, or invite them to propose one. Avoid a flat no and avoid an unconditional code. ### Should I have a startup program page? Only once you get enough requests that handling each one by hand takes real time. Until then, handling each one privately teaches you more, and you aren't stuck with a fixed discount. ## You might also like - [Asking customers for a testimonial, a case study or a post instead of money](https://hagg.in/blog/discount-for-testimonial.md) - [How to respond when a customer says your SaaS is too expensive](https://hagg.in/blog/saas-customer-says-too-expensive.md) --- HAGGIN lets SaaS companies negotiate their prices with customers: a link where people who were about to leave make an offer, and the company accepts, counters or passes. The list price never moves. https://hagg.in