SaaS Launch Checklist: 100+ Items for a Flawless Launch

How to Use This Checklist

This checklist contains over 100 items organized into seven categories. Not every item will apply to every SaaS product, but reviewing each one ensures you do not miss something critical.

Priority Levels

Items are marked with priority levels:

• Critical: Must be completed before launch. Skipping these can cause launch failure.
• High: Strongly recommended. Missing these creates significant problems.
• Medium: Should complete if time permits. Can be addressed shortly after launch.
• Low: Nice to have. Can be deferred to post-launch.

Timeline Recommendations

• 4+ weeks before launch: Complete Critical items in Product, Technical, and Legal categories
• 2-4 weeks before launch: Complete High priority items and begin Marketing preparation
• 1-2 weeks before launch: Complete Medium priority items, finalize Team Preparation
• Launch week: Final verification of all Critical and High items

Reference the complete launch strategy guide for a broader framework of how these checklist items fit into your overall launch plan.

Product Checklist (25 Items)

Core Features

• [Critical] Core value proposition feature is complete and tested
• [Critical] User can complete primary use case end-to-end
• [Critical] All critical paths work without errors
• [High] Edge cases in core flows are handled gracefully
• [High] Feature parity across supported platforms (web, mobile, etc.)
• [Medium] Secondary features are functional and tested
• [Medium] All placeholder content replaced with real content

User Onboarding

• [Critical] Signup flow works with valid inputs
• [Critical] Signup flow handles errors gracefully (invalid email, weak password, etc.)
• [Critical] Email verification works if required
• [High] Welcome email sends immediately after signup
• [High] First-time user experience guides users to value
• [High] Onboarding can be completed in under 5 minutes
• [Medium] Progress indicators show onboarding completion
• [Medium] Skip options available for experienced users

Payment and Billing

• [Critical] Payment processing works with test cards
• [Critical] Payment processing works with real cards (live mode)
• [Critical] Subscription creation and management works
• [Critical] Receipts and invoices generate correctly
• [High] Upgrade and downgrade paths work
• [High] Cancellation flow works and data is retained appropriately
• [High] Failed payment handling and retry logic works
• [Medium] Promo codes and discounts apply correctly
• [Medium] Tax calculation is correct for applicable regions

Error Handling

• [Critical] Application does not crash on expected errors
• [High] Error messages are user-friendly (not technical jargon)
• [High] Users can recover from errors without losing data
• [Medium] Error states have clear calls-to-action

Mobile and Responsive Design

• [Critical] Core functionality works on mobile browsers
• [High] Layout adapts correctly to common screen sizes
• [High] Touch targets are appropriately sized
• [Medium] Tested on actual mobile devices (not just simulators)

Accessibility

• [High] Keyboard navigation works for critical flows
• [High] Color contrast meets WCAG guidelines
• [Medium] Screen reader compatibility for main features
• [Medium] Form labels properly associated with inputs

Technical/Infrastructure Checklist (20 Items)

Security

• [Critical] SSL/TLS certificate installed and working
• [Critical] All HTTP requests redirect to HTTPS
• [Critical] Passwords are hashed (never stored in plain text)
• [Critical] API authentication implemented and tested
• [High] SQL injection protection in place
• [High] XSS protection implemented
• [High] CSRF protection on forms
• [High] Rate limiting on authentication endpoints
• [Medium] Security headers configured (CSP, X-Frame-Options, etc.)
• [Medium] Third-party security audit completed (if applicable)

Performance

• [Critical] Page load time under 3 seconds on average connection
• [High] Core Web Vitals meet Google thresholds
• [High] Images optimized and lazy-loaded
• [High] CDN configured for static assets
• [Medium] Database queries optimized for common operations
• [Medium] Caching implemented where appropriate

Reliability

• [Critical] Automated backups configured and tested
• [Critical] Backup restoration procedure documented and tested
• [High] Monitoring and alerting configured for downtime
• [High] Error logging and tracking implemented
• [High] On-call rotation and escalation path defined
• [Medium] Disaster recovery plan documented

Scalability

• [High] Load testing completed at 2-5x expected traffic
• [High] Auto-scaling configured or manual scaling procedure documented
• [Medium] Database scaling path identified
• [Medium] Bottleneck identification and mitigation plan

Deployment

• [Critical] Production environment configured and tested
• [Critical] Deployment process documented and tested
• [High] Rollback procedure documented and tested
• [High] Environment variables and secrets properly managed
• [Medium] CI/CD pipeline configured for automated deployments
• [Medium] Feature flags implemented for gradual rollouts

Marketing Checklist (25 Items)

Website and Landing Page

• [Critical] Homepage clearly communicates value proposition
• [Critical] Pricing page is clear and accurate
• [Critical] Signup CTA is prominent and functional
• [High] Features page details key capabilities
• [High] About page establishes credibility
• [High] Contact information is visible
• [Medium] Customer logos or testimonials displayed (if available)
• [Medium] Demo video or product screenshots included

SEO Fundamentals

• [Critical] Title tags unique and descriptive for each page
• [Critical] Meta descriptions written for key pages
• [High] XML sitemap created and submitted to search engines
• [High] robots.txt file configured correctly
• [High] Google Search Console set up
• [Medium] Canonical URLs configured
• [Medium] Structured data markup implemented

Social Media

• [High] Twitter/X account created and branded
• [High] LinkedIn company page created
• [Medium] Social sharing meta tags (Open Graph, Twitter Cards)
• [Medium] Launch announcement posts drafted
• [Low] Additional platform profiles (Facebook, Instagram) if relevant

Email Marketing

• [Critical] Transactional email provider configured (welcome, password reset, etc.)
• [High] Marketing email provider configured
• [High] Welcome email sequence created
• [High] Unsubscribe link working in all emails
• [Medium] Launch announcement email drafted
• [Medium] Onboarding email sequence created

Content

• [High] Blog set up with at least 1-3 launch posts
• [High] Launch announcement blog post drafted
• [Medium] Press kit or media page created
• [Medium] Founder story or company background documented
• [Low] Guest post opportunities identified

Product Hunt Preparation (if applicable)

• [High] Product Hunt account created and engaged in community
• [High] Product Hunt listing assets prepared (thumbnail, gallery, video)
• [High] Tagline and description written
• [Medium] Hunter identified (or self-hunting planned)
• [Medium] First comment drafted

For a detailed pre-launch marketing checklist, see our dedicated guide.

Legal and Compliance Checklist (15 Items)

Required Legal Pages

• [Critical] Terms of Service published and linked
• [Critical] Privacy Policy published and linked
• [Critical] Cookie Policy published (if using cookies)
• [High] Refund/Cancellation policy clearly stated
• [High] Acceptable Use Policy (if applicable)
• [Medium] DPA (Data Processing Agreement) available for enterprise

Data Protection and Privacy

• [Critical] GDPR compliance if serving EU users (consent, data access, deletion)
• [Critical] CCPA compliance if serving California users
• [High] Cookie consent banner implemented
• [High] User data deletion process documented and working
• [High] Data export functionality available
• [Medium] Privacy settings accessible to users

Business Formation

• [High] Business entity formed (LLC, Corporation, etc.)
• [High] Business bank account opened
• [Medium] Trademark search completed for brand name
• [Medium] Domain ownership verified and secured

Financial Compliance

• [Critical] Payment processor compliance (PCI-DSS handled by Stripe/etc.)
• [High] Tax registration in applicable jurisdictions
• [High] Sales tax / VAT collection configured if required
• [Medium] Accounting system set up

Customer Support Checklist (10 Items)

Documentation

• [Critical] Getting started guide published
• [High] FAQ page covering common questions
• [High] Help documentation for core features
• [Medium] Video tutorials for complex features
• [Medium] Searchable knowledge base

Support Channels

• [Critical] Support email address set up and monitored
• [High] Response time expectations documented (SLA)
• [High] Support ticket system or help desk configured
• [Medium] Live chat widget installed (if offering real-time support)
• [Low] Community forum set up (for larger user bases)

Support Processes

• [High] Canned responses for common issues
• [High] Escalation path documented (support to engineering)
• [High] Bug reporting process established
• [Medium] Support coverage schedule defined
• [Medium] Quality metrics defined (response time, resolution rate)

Analytics and Tracking Checklist (10 Items)

Web Analytics

• [Critical] Google Analytics (or alternative) installed
• [High] Conversion tracking configured (signup, payment)
• [High] Goal tracking set up for key actions
• [Medium] UTM parameter tracking configured
• [Medium] Custom dashboards created for key metrics

Product Analytics

• [High] Product analytics tool installed (Mixpanel, Amplitude, PostHog, etc.)
• [High] Key events tracked (signup, activation, feature usage)
• [High] User identification configured for logged-in users
• [Medium] Funnel analysis set up for onboarding flow
• [Medium] Retention metrics configured

Error and Performance Monitoring

• [High] Error tracking tool installed (Sentry, Bugsnag, etc.)
• [High] Alerts configured for error spikes
• [Medium] Performance monitoring (APM) configured
• [Medium] Real user monitoring (RUM) for frontend performance

Business Metrics

• [High] MRR tracking configured (via Stripe, ChartMogul, etc.)
• [High] Customer count tracking
• [Medium] Churn tracking configured
• [Medium] LTV calculation methodology defined

Team Preparation Checklist (10 Items)

Role Assignments

• [Critical] Launch day owner identified (single point of responsibility)
• [Critical] Technical on-call person assigned
• [High] Support coverage assigned
• [High] Marketing/social media owner assigned
• [High] Backup contacts for each critical role

Communication

• [Critical] Launch day communication channel established (Slack channel, etc.)
• [Critical] Emergency contact list distributed
• [High] Decision-making authority defined (who can make calls)
• [Medium] External stakeholder communication plan (investors, advisors)

Launch Day Logistics

• [Critical] Launch day schedule documented and shared
• [High] Pre-launch team briefing scheduled
• [High] Post-launch debrief scheduled
• [Medium] Launch day meals/snacks arranged (for in-person teams)
• [Medium] Celebration plan for hitting milestones

Contingency Planning

• [High] Rollback decision criteria defined
• [High] Communication templates for issues prepared
• [Medium] Backup launch date identified (if major issues)
• [Medium] Post-mortem template ready

Downloadable Templates

To make this checklist actionable, here are templates you can copy and customize:

Notion Template

Create a Notion page with this checklist as a database. Each item becomes a task with:

• Status (Not Started, In Progress, Complete)
• Priority (Critical, High, Medium, Low)
• Owner (Team member responsible)
• Due Date
• Notes

Google Sheets Version

Create a spreadsheet with columns for:

• Category
• Item
• Priority
• Status (checkbox)
• Owner
• Due Date
• Notes

Filter by status to see remaining items. Sort by priority to focus on what matters.

Using This Checklist Effectively

1. Copy the template to your preferred tool
2. Remove items that do not apply to your product
3. Add items specific to your industry or use case
4. Assign owners to every Critical and High item
5. Set due dates working backward from launch
6. Review weekly as a team to track progress
7. Final verification of all Critical items 24 hours before launch

Quick Reference: Category Summary

For quick reference, here is the item count by category and priority:

Product (25 items)

• Critical: 8
• High: 10
• Medium: 7

Technical/Infrastructure (20 items)

• Critical: 7
• High: 9
• Medium: 4

Marketing (25 items)

• Critical: 4
• High: 13
• Medium: 7
• Low: 1

Legal and Compliance (15 items)

• Critical: 5
• High: 7
• Medium: 3

Customer Support (10 items)

• Critical: 2
• High: 5
• Medium: 2
• Low: 1

Analytics and Tracking (10 items)

• Critical: 1
• High: 6
• Medium: 3

Team Preparation (10 items)

• Critical: 4
• High: 5
• Medium: 3

Total: 115+ items

• Critical: 31 items (must complete)
• High: 55 items (strongly recommended)
• Medium: 29 items (complete if time permits)
• Low: 2 items (nice to have)

Conclusion

A successful SaaS launch is not about doing everything perfectly. It is about not missing anything critical. This checklist ensures you cover the essentials while having a systematic way to track everything else.

Use this checklist as your launch project plan. Work through it methodically. Verify Critical items multiple times. And when launch day arrives, you will have the confidence that comes from knowing you have prepared thoroughly.

Remember: The checklist is a tool, not a guarantee. Even with every box checked, launches are unpredictable. What the checklist does is minimize preventable failures so you can focus on the challenges that require creativity and judgment.

Good luck with your launch. You have got this.