NRR Benchmark by ARR Band
Net Revenue Retention improves with scale. Pre-$1M median is 100%; $50M+ public SaaS median is 118%. See where you rank in your ARR band.
Scaling SaaS, typically Series A through early Series B
How the Benchmark Works
NRR measures whether existing customers are generating more or less revenue over time. It improves with scale because larger SaaS serves larger customers with more expansion potential.
1. Pick your segment
Benchmarks vary wildly across segments. The right comparison is your peer group, not the industry at large.
2. Enter your number
Your actual metric from last quarter or year. Use a trailing-12-month average if your numbers are volatile.
3. See your percentile
Result maps to a percentile against your peer segment's P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 benchmarks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NRR (Net Revenue Retention)?
NRR = (Starting MRR + expansion MRR - contraction MRR - churned MRR) / Starting MRR × 100. It measures whether your existing customer base is generating more or less revenue over time. NRR above 100% means you grow without new sales.
Why does NRR improve with ARR scale?
Larger SaaS serves larger customers who have more expansion room (more seats, more usage). Small early-stage SaaS serves SMBs with limited expansion potential and higher churn. NRR improving with scale is a natural outcome of moving upmarket.
What is a good NRR for my stage?
Pre-$1M ARR: 100% acceptable, 105% strong. $1-10M: 105% median, 115% strong. $10-50M: 110% median, 125%+ best-in-class. $50M+: 115% median, 130%+ top-tier. Public SaaS with 130%+ NRR command the highest valuation multiples.
What's the difference between GRR and NRR?
GRR excludes expansion: (Starting MRR - churned MRR - contraction MRR) / Starting MRR. NRR includes expansion and can exceed 100%. You need both: GRR measures real retention, NRR measures growth from existing customers.
How do I calculate NRR for a monthly subscription business?
Take your MRR at month 12, compare to MRR of the same cohort at month 1 (excluding anyone who joined during the year). Industry practice is trailing-12-month NRR to smooth volatility.
My NRR is below 90%. How urgent is this?
Urgent. NRR <90% means your existing customer base is shrinking each year. You need to acquire new customers faster than 10% annually just to stay flat. At this level, fundraising gets hard and CAC payback math breaks.
Where is the benchmark data sourced from?
Bessemer Cloud Index (public SaaS), ChartMogul SaaS metrics benchmarks, SaaS Capital surveys, and OpenView 2024 benchmarks. Percentile ranges reflect trailing-12-month 2024-2025 data.
Does NRR include new customer revenue?
No. NRR measures the same cohort of customers from period start to period end, excluding new customers added during the period. Including new revenue would always make NRR >100% and tell you nothing about retention.
Track NRR by Cohort
Blended NRR hides cohort-level drift. Track cohort NRR over time to catch degradation 2 quarters before it shows up in the blended number.