Startup Programs for Bootstrapped (2026): 74 Programs, Accelerators & Perks
No investor needed: self-funded founders qualify. 74 listings on startups.ws state that they accept bootstrapped.
🎁 Startup programs for bootstrapped
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AWS Activate 🎁 ProgramFree
Up to $5,000 in AWS credits if you are self-funded, or up to $200,000 with an Activate Provider Org ID.
🔥 Up to $5,000 (Founders) or up to $200,000 (Portfolio, with Activate Provider Org ID) in AWS creditsPostHog for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
$50,000 in PostHog credits for 12 months, plus merch and partner perks, for startups under two years old.
🔥 $50,000 in PostHog credits for 12 monthsAmerica's Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR) 🎁 ProgramFree
Equity-free US federal R&D awards from 11 agencies, from proof of concept (Phase I) to prototype (Phase II).
Cloudflare for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
$10,000 in Cloudflare credits if bootstrapped, $100,000 or $350,000 if funded by an affiliated partner.
🔥 $10,000 (bootstrapped), $100,000 or $350,000 (partner-funded) in Cloudflare credits for one yearMicrosoft for Startups (Azure AI and Foundry) 🎁 ProgramFree
Up to $150K in Azure credits (up to $200K via investor partners) usable on Microsoft Foundry models.
🔥 Up to $150K in Azure Startup credits (up to $200K for Investor Network-backed startups)Amplitude for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
First year of Amplitude Growth free (up to 100M events a month, about $60,000 value), then 40% off year two.
🔥 First year of Amplitude Growth free (up to 100M events/month), then 40% off year twoMixpanel for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
Your first year of Mixpanel free on the Startup Plan: up to 1B events, Session Replay and all add-ons.
🔥 First year of Mixpanel free on the Startup Plan (Mixpanel values it at $145,000)SR&ED Tax Incentive (Canada) 🎁 ProgramFree
Refundable 35% R&D tax credit for Canadian-controlled private corporations on up to C$6 million of R&D a year.
Notion for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
Up to 6 months free on Notion Business with Notion AI included, for startups under 100 employees
🔥 Up to 6 months free on Notion Business with Notion AI includedClaude for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
Claude API credits, higher rate limits, a partner perk stack and office hours for startups building on Claude.
🔥 Up to $100K extra Claude API credits via partner VCs, plus partner perks worth up to $45,000ElevenLabs Startup Grants 🎁 ProgramFree
12 months of the ElevenLabs platform with 33 million characters for voice AI startups under 25 people.
🔥 12 months free with 33M characters (stated value more than $5,500)R&D Tax Incentive (Australia) 🎁 ProgramFree
Refundable R&D tax offset of your company tax rate plus 18.5% for Australian companies with turnover under A$20 million.
WBSO (Dutch R&D tax credit) 🎁 ProgramFree
Dutch payroll-tax credit of 36% (50% for starters) on R&D wage costs up to about EUR 391,000, then 16%.
NVIDIA Inception 🎁 ProgramFree
Free programme with DLI training, cloud credits from NVIDIA and partners, GPU pricing and VC introductions.
Mercury Perks 🎁 ProgramFree
A library of 273 software credits and discounts unlocked with a Mercury business account
🔥 273 software credits and discounts for Mercury customersDeepgram Startup Program 🎁 ProgramFree
Up to $100,000 in Deepgram speech-to-text, text-to-speech and Voice Agent credits over 12 months.
🔥 Up to $100,000 in Deepgram credits over 12 monthsRetool for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
100% off Retool Team or Business for a year (value up to $60,000), then 25% off the following year.
🔥 100% off Retool Team or Business for one year (up to $60,000), then 25% off year twoNeon / Databricks Startup Program 🎁 ProgramFree
Up to $1,000 in Neon credits if self-funded, or up to $200,000 in Neon and Databricks credits if VC-backed.
🔥 Up to $1,000 (self-funded) or up to $200,000 (VC-backed) in Neon and Databricks creditsUK R&D Tax Relief (merged scheme and ERIS) 🎁 ProgramFree
A 20% R&D expenditure credit, or a 186% deduction plus payable credit for loss-making R&D-intensive UK SMEs.
Sentry for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
Up to $5,000 in Sentry credits and priority support for startups under two years old with under $5M raised.
🔥 Up to $5,000 in Sentry credits (12 months) and priority supportDigitalOcean Startups (Hatch) 🎁 ProgramFree
12 months of DigitalOcean credits, 15 months of free support and partner perks for startups that raised $10M or less.
🔥 12 months of DigitalOcean credits (amount set by your partner) plus 15 months of free Standard supportJetBrains Startup Program 🎁 ProgramFree
50% off JetBrains IDEs, team tools and JetBrains AI for up to 10 licences each, for five years.
🔥 50% off JetBrains IDEs, team tools and JetBrains AI (up to 10 licences each) for five yearsOVHcloud Startup Program 🎁 ProgramFree
Up to $12,000 (Start) or $120,000 (Scale) in OVHcloud public cloud credits for 12 months, plus free engineer time.
🔥 Up to $12,000 (Start) or $120,000 (Scale) in OVHcloud US public cloud credits for 12 monthsMongoDB for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
MongoDB Atlas credits and Voyage AI tokens in four tiers, from bootstrapped to rapidly scaling startups.
🔥 MongoDB Atlas credits and Voyage AI tokens (amount depends on tier)
Akamai Cloud Rise (formerly Linode) 🎁 ProgramFree
A three-year startup program on Akamai Cloud (Linode): $500 to $120,000 in year-one credits, then discounts.
🔥 $500 to $120,000 in year-one Akamai Cloud credits, then discounted years two and threeAlgolia for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
$10,000 in Algolia search credits, valid for 12 months, for new customers.
🔥 $10,000 in Algolia credits, valid for 12 monthsHelp Scout for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
Six months of Help Scout Plus free, with AI Answers, for incorporated tech startups under two years old
🔥 6 months free on Help Scout PlusAssemblyAI Startup Program 🎁 ProgramFree
12 months of recurring free speech-to-text credits and startup pricing for voice and audio products.
🔥 12 months of recurring free credits plus startup pricingTypeform for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
75% off Typeform Business for a year on annual billing, for small early-stage startups
🔥 75% off the Typeform Business plan for one year (annual billing)Miro for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
Up to $1,000 in Miro credit for early startups, $500 without a partner, plus a scale-up discount
🔥 Up to $1,000 Miro credit ($500 without a partner)Scaleway Startup Program 🎁 ProgramFree
European cloud credits from a €1,000 Founders voucher up to about €36,000 for growth-stage startups.
🔥 From a €1,000 Founders voucher up to €36,000 (Growth Stage) in Scaleway creditsZoho for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
Zoho Wallet credits for 55+ Zoho apps, valid 360 days, for startups via Zoho collaborators
🔥 Zoho Wallet credits for 55+ Zoho apps, valid 360 daysFounderPass 🎁 ProgramFreemium
Membership with 400+ negotiated software deals, free basic tier and Premium from $99 a year
Airtable for Startups 🎁 ProgramFree
$500 in free Airtable credit plus startup educational content for new workspaces.
🔥 $500 in free Airtable credit applied to one workspace, plus startup educational contentSecret (JoinSecret) 🎁 ProgramFreemium
A deals marketplace bundling 350+ startup discounts behind a free tier and a paid Premium plan.
🧾 Founder services for bootstrapped
Filter all founder services →Cloudflare Registrar 🧾 ServicePaid
Register and renew domains at cost with no markup, plus free WHOIS redaction and one-click DNSSEC.
Stripe 🧾 ServicePaid
Online payments, subscriptions and invoicing with no monthly fee: 2.9% + 30c per US card payment.
Gusto 🧾 ServicePaid
US payroll, benefits and HR in one place, with unlimited payroll runs and automatic tax filing.
Mercury 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Online business banking for US companies, with a $0 base plan and founders accepted from most countries.
🔥 Mercury Books ($35/mo) fee waived until 31 December 2026Deel 🧾 ServicePaid
Hire and pay contractors and employees in 150+ countries through EOR, contractor management and a US PEO.
Carrd 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Simple one-page sites for landing pages and waitlists; Pro with custom domains from $19 a year.
QuickBooks Online 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Intuit's cloud accounting for US small businesses, with a free plan and paid plans from $38 a month.
🔥 50% off paid plans for three months (shown on the US pricing page on 11 October 2026).Porkbun 🧾 ServicePaid
Low-cost domain registrar: .com at $11.08 a year to register and renew, with free WHOIS privacy and SSL.
Wise Business 🧾 ServicePaid
Multi-currency business account: hold, receive and pay in many currencies at low, transparent fees.
Xero 🧾 ServicePaid
Cloud accounting for small businesses: invoices, bills, bank reconciliation and payroll add-on, from $27 a month.
🔥 80% off for three months for new US customers (code DC80325309US, base plan only).Netlify 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Web hosting and deploys on a credit-based plan: free tier, Personal at $9 and Pro at $20 a month.
Paddle 🧾 ServicePaid
Merchant of record for SaaS, apps and digital products: 5% + 50c per transaction, global tax handled.
Remote 🧾 ServicePaid
Employer of record, contractor management, payroll and a US PEO with published per-person prices.
Cooley GO 🧾 ServiceFree
Free startup document generators and templates from law firm Cooley: SAFEs, NDAs, offer letters, incorporation.
Namecheap 🧾 ServicePaid
Domain registrar and shared hosting with free lifetime WHOIS privacy and a 30-day hosting trial.
🔥 30-day free trial on Stellar shared hosting plans (one per account).
Squarespace 🧾 ServicePaid
Template-based website builder with hosting, commerce and a free domain on annual plans; 14-day free trial.
Wix 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Drag-and-drop website builder with a free plan and premium plans from about $17 a month billed yearly.
iubenda 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Privacy and cookie policies, consent banner and compliance tools for sites selling into the EU and beyond.
Termly 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Privacy policy, terms and cookie consent banner generator with a free plan and paid plans from $10 a month.
🔥 Extra 20% off annual plans with code FALL2026 (shown on the pricing page on 11 October 2026).Justworks 🧾 ServicePaid
US payroll or a full PEO with access to group health insurance, plus EOR for hires abroad.
Relay 🧾 ServiceFreemium
No-fee US business banking with up to 20 checking accounts, open to owners from over 200 countries.
🔥 Scale plan at $90/mo instead of $120/mo (limited-time offer)Oyster 🧾 ServicePaid
Global EOR and contractor payments with a startup discount of up to $1,200 per team member.
🔥 Oyster for Startups: up to $1,200 off EOR subscription fees per team member for the first 12 months (pre-seed to Series A, or bootstrapped under 50 staff).Puzzle 🧾 ServicePaid
AI accounting software for startups, from $30 a month, with optional expert-reviewed bookkeeping and tax.
🔥 Starter plan free for two months.Firstbase 🧾 ServicePaid
Form a Delaware or Wyoming company from anywhere, then add registered agent, mailroom, accounting and tax.
🔥 Formation $99 one-time instead of $399, plus state feePayPal Business 🧾 ServicePaid
Accept PayPal, Venmo, cards and Pay Later with a free business account and per-transaction fees.
Hostinger 🧾 ServicePaid
Budget web hosting with a free domain for a year, from $2.99 a month on a 48-month term.
Revolut Business 🧾 ServicePaid
Multi-currency business account and cards for companies registered in the UK, EEA or US.
Northwest Registered Agent 🧾 ServicePaid
LLC formation for $39 plus state fees and a $125/year registered agent, with privacy by default.
Bluevine 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Interest-earning US business checking with a $0 Standard plan and paid tiers up to 3.0% APY.
doola 🧾 ServicePaid
US LLC or C-corp formation for founders in 175+ countries, with EIN, address, bookkeeping and tax plans.
Fondo 🧾 ServicePaid
Bookkeeping, corporate tax filing and R&D credits built for Delaware C corp startups.
🔥 Limited-time pricing: monthly bookkeeping from $399 (listed $499) and TaxPass from $1,450 a year (listed $1,950).LegalZoom Business Formation 🧾 ServiceFreemium
LLC and corporation filing in any US state, from $0 plus state fees, with optional attorney help.
Novo 🧾 ServiceFree
No-fee business checking for US-based small business owners and freelancers.
Lemon Squeezy 🧾 ServicePaid
Merchant of record for digital products and SaaS, owned by Stripe: 5% + 50c per transaction.
Navan 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Free travel booking and expense management for companies with up to 300 employees.
🔥 Navan Business: free for companies with up to 300 employees, unlimited Navan Travel bookings, first 5 monthly expense users free (then $15/uPleo 🧾 ServicePaid
European company cards and spend management, from £8/user/month, for teams across the EU and UK.
Highbeam 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Banking, high-yield savings and a revenue-based credit line built for US ecommerce brands.
Clearco 🧾 ServicePaid
Non-dilutive revenue-based financing up to $10M for US direct-to-consumer ecommerce brands.
Settle 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Free AP automation for CPG/ecommerce brands, plus non-dilutive inventory financing from $20K to $15M.
🔥 Settle Launch plan: free AP automation with no transaction fees; inventory financing from $20K to $15M, non-dilutiveBefore you apply
- Read the eligibility line on each page: funding stage, company age and region rule out more applications than anything else.
- Apply with a company domain email and a live website; many programs reject personal addresses.
- Keep a list of what you claimed and when it expires.