Indie SaaS
For solo or 2-person bootstrapped SaaS — productize-your-skill style. Optimised for low fixed costs and predictable bills.
Solo Builder
For freelancers, indie consultants, and 1-person product teams. Optimised for ZERO recurring spend until you have customers.
Indie SaaS vs Solo Builder
Both are defensible answers. The right one depends on your scale, your spend tier, and whether you're optimising for monthly burn or for "ships SOC 2 in Q3."
Monthly burn
Solo Builder is cheaper by ~$1,044/yr (≈ ₹88,740/yr at ₹85/USD).
Best card for each stack
Modelled at each stack's midpoint USD spend, targeted at Indian residents.
EXPRESS
Amex Hilton Honors
No-fx US card — pay USD with USD, zero markup; 3% rewards on engineering spend
EXPRESS
Amex Hilton Honors
No-fx US card — pay USD with USD, zero markup; 3% rewards on engineering spend
Run the math on either stack
Open the cost calculator with one of these stacks pre-loaded. Tweak it for your actual subscriptions. Get the card recommendation for your modified stack.
FAQ
›Which is cheaper to run, Indie SaaS or Solo Builder?
Solo Builder is the cheaper of the two — modelled at $13/mo midpoint vs $100/mo for Indie SaaS. Annual delta: ~$1,044 which becomes ~₹88,740 at ₹85/USD.
›Can I migrate from the Indie SaaS stack to the Solo Builder stack?
Yes, in stages. The shared layers (github, linear, resend) require no migration. The divergent layers need 7 tool migrations — budget 2-4 weeks for non-trivial production swaps. Don't migrate during a launch quarter.
›Which stack is better for an Indian founder?
Both are usable. The forex tax on USD-billed tools matters for Indian founders — at $100/mo, Indie SaaS loses ~₹3,570/yr to default 3.5% forex; Solo Builder loses ~₹464/yr. Switch to a low-forex card to recover most of it.