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SaaS Metrics Calculator

The numbers that tell you whether a subscription business is healthy, and where it is heading.

  • Runs in your browser
  • No upload
  • No sign-up

Your business today

% a month
a month
%
Upgrades and downgrades (optional)
% of MRR a month
% of MRR a month

Expansion is extra monthly revenue from customers who upgrade or add seats; contraction is revenue lost to downgrades. Leave them empty for none.

Gross margin is revenue minus the direct cost of serving customers (hosting, support, payment fees), as a share of revenue. CAC is your sales and marketing spend ÷ new customers won.

Monthly recurring revenue (MRR)

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ARR
Customer lifetime
Lifetime value (LTV)
LTV:CAC
CAC payback
Yearly churn
Net revenue retention
Gross revenue retention
Net new MRR this month
Growth levels off at

The next 24 months, if nothing changes

Show

MRRWhere growth levels off

Move along the chart, or focus it and use the arrow keys, to read each month.

Customer numbers are rounded; the sums use exact values.

What each metric means

MRR and ARR
Monthly recurring revenue is customers × average revenue per customer (ARPU). Annual recurring revenue is MRR × 12. One-off fees don’t count.
Churn
The share of customers who cancel each month. 3% a month sounds small but loses about 31% of customers over a year. Many small-business products see 3–7% a month; products sold to large companies often aim for under 1%.
Customer lifetime
1 ÷ monthly churn. At 3% churn the average customer stays about 33 months. It is an average: some leave in month one, some stay for years.
LTV (lifetime value)
ARPU × gross margin ÷ churn: the gross profit an average customer brings in before leaving. Using profit rather than revenue keeps it honest about what you can spend to win a customer.
LTV:CAC
Lifetime value ÷ the cost to acquire a customer (CAC). A common rule of thumb is 3:1 or better. Below 1:1 each new customer loses money; far above 5:1 can mean you could afford to grow faster.
CAC payback
CAC ÷ (ARPU × gross margin): months of gross profit to earn back what a customer cost to win. Under 12 months is often quoted as healthy for smaller customers; 18–24 is common for big contracts.
Net revenue retention (NRR)
Revenue kept from existing customers after cancellations, downgrades and upgrades. Above 100% means upgrades outgrow losses, so you would grow even with no new customers. Gross revenue retention (GRR) leaves out upgrades.
Where growth levels off
New customers ÷ churn. When losses (customers × churn) equal new sign-ups, growth stops. With 60 new a month and 3% churn, that is 2,000 customers.

These ranges are rules of thumb that vary by market, price and stage, not targets every business must hit. The calculator assumes churn, prices and sign-ups stay steady and that customers who leave pay the average price. Yearly NRR and GRR here compound this month’s rates over 12 months, which is an estimate rather than a measured cohort.

A planning model, not a forecast or financial advice. Real churn, prices and sign-ups change month to month; the healthy ranges quoted are rules of thumb, not standards.

About this tool

This SaaS metrics calculator turns six numbers you already know into the measures investors, founders and finance teams use to judge a subscription business. Type your paying customers, new customers per month, monthly churn, average revenue per customer (ARPU), gross margin and the cost to win a customer (CAC). It works out monthly and annual recurring revenue (MRR and ARR), average customer lifetime, lifetime value (LTV), the LTV:CAC ratio, CAC payback in months and yearly churn, live as you type.

Add expansion (upgrades) and contraction (downgrades) to see net and gross revenue retention, plus how much MRR you add or lose this month. The calculator also shows the point where growth levels off, when the customers you lose each month equal the ones you win, which is often the most useful number on the page.

A 24-month projection then plays your numbers forward, with a chart you can switch between MRR and customers, a month-by-month table and a CSV download for your spreadsheet. Each metric is explained in plain English, with commonly quoted healthy ranges given as rules of thumb rather than hard targets. Everything is worked out in your browser.

How to use SaaS Metrics Calculator

  1. Pick your currency and type your paying customers now and new customers a month.
  2. Type your monthly customer churn, revenue per customer (ARPU), gross margin and cost to win a customer (CAC).
  3. Optionally fill in Upgrades and downgrades to see net revenue retention.
  4. Read MRR, LTV, LTV:CAC, CAC payback and where growth levels off. Press Copy summary to take them with you.
  5. Scroll to the 24-month projection, switch between MRR and Customers, and press Download CSV or Copy table.
Example

500 customers paying 50 a month is 25,000 MRR and 300,000 ARR. With 3% monthly churn, the average customer stays 33.3 months. At an 80% margin that is 40 of gross profit a month, so LTV is 40 ÷ 0.03 = 1,333.33. A CAC of 400 gives an LTV:CAC of 3.3 : 1 and a 10-month payback.

Features

  • MRR and ARR from customers and ARPU.
  • Average customer lifetime from churn, in months and years, and churn turned into a yearly figure.
  • LTV based on gross profit, with an extra figure that includes upgrades and downgrades.
  • LTV:CAC ratio and CAC payback months, with rule-of-thumb guidance beside each.
  • Net and gross revenue retention, monthly and compounded to a year.
  • Net new MRR this month, split into new and upgrade revenue against cancellations and downgrades.
  • The customer count and MRR where growth levels off, with a plain note on what changes it.
  • 24-month projection chart (MRR or customers) you can read with the arrow keys, plus a table, CSV download and copy.

Tips and good to know

  • Use gross margin, not 100%. LTV built on revenue rather than profit overstates what a customer is worth and tempts you to overspend on acquisition.
  • Include everything in CAC: ad spend, sales salaries, commissions and tools, divided by the customers won in the same period.
  • If your churn is yearly (for annual plans), convert it before typing. 20% a year is about 1.84% a month, not 1.67%.
  • Watch the levelling-off figure. If it is below your goal, more marketing alone will not get you there; lower churn will.
  • Try halving churn and doubling sign-ups in turn. The projection usually shows that churn moves the long-run number far more.
Is my business data uploaded?

No. Every figure is calculated in your browser on your own device. Nothing you type is sent to a server, logged or stored by us.

Is it free? Are there limits?

It is free with no account and no limits. Use it as often as you like for as many scenarios as you want.

Can I use it on a phone or offline?

Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android and modern desktop browsers. Once the page has loaded, the sums run on your device, so you can keep working without a connection.

How is LTV calculated?

LTV = ARPU × gross margin ÷ monthly churn. At 50 a month, an 80% margin and 3% churn: 50 × 0.8 ÷ 0.03 = 1,333.33. If you add upgrades and downgrades, a second figure divides by net revenue churn instead.

What is a good LTV:CAC ratio?

A widely quoted rule of thumb is 3 : 1 or better. Below 1 : 1 you lose money on each customer. Far above 5 : 1 can mean you are under-investing in growth. It varies by market, so treat it as a guide.

What is net revenue retention?

It is the share of revenue you keep from existing customers after cancellations, downgrades and upgrades. Above 100% means existing customers alone grow your revenue. Here it is monthly retention compounded over 12 months, an estimate rather than a measured cohort.

Why does growth level off?

Churn is a percentage, so the more customers you have, the more you lose each month. When those losses equal your new sign-ups, growth stops. That point is new customers ÷ churn: 60 a month at 3% churn levels off near 2,000.

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