Free generator
Lean canvas template you can fill in here
The nine boxes in Ash Maurya’s layout, numbered in the order to fill them, with guidance and a short example in each. It saves as you type; share it as a link or export it as a PNG or Markdown.
9 of 9 boxes filled
Ledgerly
Quick answer
What is a lean canvas?
A one-page business model for a new product, created by Ash Maurya in 2010 as an adaptation of the Business Model Canvas. Nine boxes, filled in this order: customer segments, problem, unique value proposition, solution, channels, revenue streams, cost structure, key metrics and unfair advantage. Example UVP: “Send the invoice in two clicks and get paid without chasing.”
How to fill in the lean canvas
- Start with customers and their problem
Boxes 1 and 2: who has the problem, the top one to three problems, and how people solve them today.
- Write the value proposition, then the solution
Box 3 is one sentence on why you are different; box 4 is the simplest fix for each problem.
- Add the business side
Channels, revenue streams, cost structure and the key metrics, boxes 5 to 8.
- Be honest about the unfair advantage
Box 9 stays blank until you have something that cannot be copied or bought. Then share the link or export it.
How the lean canvas works
Ash Maurya built the lean canvas from Alexander Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas, replacing boxes that matter less before launch with Problem, Solution, Key metrics and Unfair advantage. It fits on one page so you can write it in an afternoon and change it as you learn.
The numbers in each box are LEANSTACK’s suggested order, starting with customers and their problems. Maurya also says there is no single right order: the point is to write down your assumptions, then test the riskiest one first.
Your canvas saves in this browser as you type. Copy link compresses it into the part of the URL after #, which browsers never send to a server; a very long canvas will not fit, and the tool says so.
Worked example: a fictional invoicing app
- 1. Customer segments: freelance designers and developers who bill by the hour; early adopters are solo designers with 3 to 10 clients.
- 2. Problem: invoices take an evening a month and clients pay late; today they use spreadsheets and email reminders.
- 3. Unique value proposition: “Send the invoice in two clicks and get paid without chasing.”
- 6. Revenue streams: free for 3 clients, Pro at €9 a month.
- 9. Unfair advantage: payment history across thousands of invoices, which a new competitor would not have.
Lean canvas vs business model canvas
| Business Model Canvas box | In the lean canvas | Why, per LEANSTACK |
|---|---|---|
| Key partners | Dropped | Removed without a replacement. |
| Key activities | Solution | Activities can be worked out from the solution once the MVP is tested. |
| Key resources | Unfair advantage | Resources overlap with what makes you hard to copy. |
| Customer relationships | Channels | Better captured by the existing Channels box. |
| (new) | Problem, key metrics | Added, with solution and unfair advantage, for products that have not found customers yet. |
| Customer segments, value proposition, channels, revenue, costs | Kept | The value proposition becomes the unique value proposition. |
Tips for each box
Write short phrases, not paragraphs: a box that needs scrolling is a box you have not decided on. Name a narrow segment rather than “small businesses”. Put the price in Revenue streams even if it is a guess. In Key metrics, prefer numbers that show customers getting value, such as invoices paid, over page views. If two segments need different answers, make two canvases.
Lean canvas questions
- What are the 9 boxes of the lean canvas?
- Customer segments, problem, unique value proposition, solution, channels, revenue streams, cost structure, key metrics and unfair advantage. Problem, customer segments and the UVP also hold existing alternatives, early adopters and a high-level concept.
- Who created the lean canvas?
- Ash Maurya, in 2010, as an adaptation of Alexander Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas for early-stage products. LEANSTACK, his company, publishes it.
- In what order do you fill in a lean canvas?
- LEANSTACK suggests customer segments, problem, unique value proposition, solution, channels, revenue streams, cost structure, key metrics, then unfair advantage. Maurya says there is no single right order; start where you know most.
- What is the difference between a lean canvas and a business model canvas?
- The lean canvas swaps key partners, key activities, key resources and customer relationships for problem, solution, unfair advantage and key metrics, so it suits products that have not found customers yet.
- What is an unfair advantage in a lean canvas?
- Something competitors cannot easily copy or buy: data, a community, insider knowledge, a network effect. Features and “passion” do not count. It is fine to leave the box blank early on.
- Can I use this lean canvas template for free?
- Yes. It is free with no sign-up. The lean canvas itself is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0, so exports keep a one-line attribution.
- Is my canvas private?
- Yes. It runs in your browser and saves only on this device. A share link carries the canvas after the # in the URL, which browsers never send to a server.
Cite this tool
Free to link and quote. Use this reference:
SaaSCity, "Lean Canvas Generator", October 27, 2026. https://saascity.io/free-tools/lean-canvas-generator