SaaS Metrics Dashboard
SaaS business metrics analysis - MRR, ARR, Churn, LTV, CAC, cohort analysis, and investor reporting
Your investors ask for LTV:CAC ratio and you're calculating it differently every month. MRR, churn, cohort retention, and unit economics should be standardized metrics — not ad-hoc spreadsheet exercises. A structured SaaS metrics dashboard ensures everyone sees the same numbers and knows what they mean.
Who it's for: SaaS founders tracking business health metrics for investors and the board, finance teams calculating and reporting recurring revenue metrics, growth teams analyzing CAC payback and unit economics, investor relations managers preparing SaaS-specific reporting packages, operations leaders monitoring retention and expansion metrics
Example
"Build a SaaS metrics dashboard from our billing and usage data" → Complete metrics suite: MRR/ARR with expansion, contraction, and churn components, cohort retention analysis with revenue and logo curves, LTV and CAC calculations with payback period, customer health scoring, and an investor-ready metrics summary with benchmark comparisons
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
# SaaS Metrics
Comprehensive SaaS metrics analysis covering MRR, ARR, Churn, LTV, CAC, cohort analysis, and investor reporting. Essential for SaaS founders, finance teams, and investors.
## Overview
This workflow enables:
- Revenue metrics calculation (MRR, ARR, NRR)
- Churn and retention analysis
- Unit economics (LTV, CAC, LTV:CAC)
- Cohort analysis and forecasting
- Investor-ready reporting
---
## Core Metrics Framework
### 1. Revenue Metrics
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MRR WATERFALL │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Starting MRR $100,000 │
│ + New MRR (new customers) +$15,000 │
│ + Expansion MRR (upgrades) +$8,000 │
│ + Reactivation MRR +$2,000 │
│ - Contraction MRR (downgrades) -$3,000 │
│ - Churn MRR (cancellations) -$7,000 │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ = Ending MRR $115,000 │
│ │
│ Net New MRR = $15,000 │
│ MRR Growth Rate = 15% │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
**Calculations**:
```yaml
mrr_metrics:
# Monthly Recurring Revenue
MRR: sum(all_active_subscriptions.monthly_value)
# Annual Recurring Revenue
ARR: MRR × 12
# MRR Components
new_mrr: sum(new_subscriptions_this_month)
expansion_mrr: sum(upgrades_this_month)
contraction_mrr: sum(downgrades_this_month)
churn_mrr: sum(cancelled_subscriptions_mrr)
reactivation_mrr: sum(reactivated_subscriptions)
# Net New MRR
net_new_mrr: new_mrr + expansion_mrr + reactivation_mrr - contraction_mrr - churn_mrr
# Growth Rates
mrr_growth_rate: (ending_mrr - starting_mrr) / starting_mrr × 100
mom_growth: (current_mrr - previous_mrr) / previous_mrr × 100
```
---
### 2. Churn Metrics
```yaml
churn_metrics:
# Logo Churn (Customer Count)
logo_churn_rate:
formula: customers_lost / customers_start_of_period × 100
benchmark: <5% monthly for SMB, <2% for Enterprise
# Revenue Churn (MRR)
gross_revenue_churn:
formula: churned_mrr / starting_mrr × 100
benchmark: <3% monthly
# Net Revenue Churn (includes expansion)
net_revenue_churn:
formula: (churned_mrr - expansion_mrr) / starting_mrr × 100
target: negative (net expansion)
# Net Revenue Retention (NRR)
nrr:
formula: (starting_mrr - churn + expansion) / starting_mrr × 100
benchmark:
good: 100-110%
great: 110-120%
best_in_class: >120%
```
**Churn Analysis Template**:
```markdown
## Churn Analysis - {Month}
### Summary
| Metric | Value | Benchmark | Status |
|--------|-------|-----------|--------|
| Logo Churn | 3.2% | <5% | ✅ |
| Gross Revenue Churn | 2.8% | <3% | ✅ |
| Net Revenue Retention | 108% | >100% | ✅ |
### Churn Breakdown
| Reason | Customers | MRR Lost | % of Total |
|--------|-----------|----------|------------|
| Price | 5 | $2,500 | 35% |
| Competitor | 3 | $1,800 | 25% |
| No longer needed | 4 | $1,500 | 21% |
| Product issues | 2 | $800 | 11% |
| Other | 2 | $600 | 8% |
### Cohort Performance
- Q1 2025 cohort: 95% retention at month 6
- Q4 2024 cohort: 88% retention at month 9
- Enterprise segment: 97% retention (best)
```
---
### 3. Unit Economics
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ UNIT ECONOMICS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) │
│ ──────────────────────────── │
│ ARPU × Gross Margin % │
│ ─────────────────────── = LTV │
│ Churn Rate │
│ │
│ Example: │
│ $100 ARPU × 80% margin / 3% churn = $2,667 LTV │
│ │
│ ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) │
│ ──────────────────────────────── │
│ Sales & Marketing Spend │
│ ─────────────────────────── = CAC │
│ New Customers Acquired │
│ │
│ Example: │
│ $50,000 S&M / 50 customers = $1,000 CAC │
│ │
│ ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ LTV:CAC Ratio = $2,667 / $1,000 = 2.67x │
│ CAC Payback = $1,000 / ($100 × 80%) = 12.5 months │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
**Benchmarks**:
```yaml
unit_economics_benchmarks:
ltv_cac_ratio:
poor: <1x
acceptable: 1-2x
good: 2-3x
great: 3-5x
excellent: >5x
cac_payback_months:
enterprise: <18
mid_market: <12
smb: <6
consumer: <3
gross_margin:
saas_typical: 70-85%
infrastructure: 50-70%
services_heavy: 40-60%
```
---
### 4. Cohort Analysis
```yaml
cohort_analysis:
# Define cohorts by signup month
cohort_definition: signup_month
# Track retention over time
retention_matrix:
columns: [Month_0, Month_1, Month_2, ..., Month_12]
rows: [Jan_cohort, Feb_cohort, Mar_cohort, ...]
values: active_customers / initial_customers × 100
# Track revenue retention
revenue_cohort:
values: current_mrr / initial_mrr × 100
# Cohort LTV calculation
cohort_ltv:
formula: sum(all_revenue_from_cohort) / initial_cohort_size
```
**Cohort Table Example**:
```
Retention by Cohort (% of customers still active)
Month 0 Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 6 Month 12
Jan '25 100% 92% 87% 84% 78% 65%
Feb '25 100% 94% 89% 86% 80% -
Mar '25 100% 93% 88% 85% - -
Apr '25 100% 95% 90% - - -
May '25 100% 94% - - - -
Jun '25 100% - - - - -
Average 100% 94% 89% 85% 79% 65%
```
---
## Quick Ratio
```yaml
quick_ratio:
formula: (new_mrr + expansion_mrr) / (contraction_mrr + churn_mrr)
interpretation:
"<1": Shrinking (losing more than gaining)
"1-2": Sustainable growth
"2-4": Good growth efficiency
">4": Excellent (hypergrowth potential)
example:
new_mrr: 15000
expansion_mrr: 8000
contraction_mrr: 3000
churn_mrr: 7000
quick_ratio: (15000 + 8000) / (3000 + 7000) = 2.3
```
---
## Investor Reporting Template
### Monthly Metrics Dashboard
```markdown
# {Company} - Monthly Metrics Report
## {Month Year}
### Key Metrics Summary
| Metric | Current | Previous | Change | Benchmark |
|--------|---------|----------|--------|-----------|
| ARR | $1.38M | $1.20M | +15% | - |
| MRR | $115K | $100K | +15% | - |
| Net New MRR | $15K | $12K | +25% | - |
| NRR | 108% | 105% | +3pp | >100% ✅ |
| Logo Churn | 3.2% | 3.5% | -0.3pp | <5% ✅ |
| LTV:CAC | 2.7x | 2.5x | +0.2x | >3x ⚠️ |
| CAC Payback | 12.5mo | 13mo | -0.5mo | <12mo ⚠️ |
### MRR Waterfall
```
Starting MRR: $100,000
+ New: +$15,000 (12 customers)
+ Expansion: +$8,000 (25 upgrades)
+ Reactivation: +$2,000 (5 returns)
- Contraction: -$3,000 (15 downgrades)
- Churn: -$7,000 (18 cancellations)
═════════════════════════════
Ending MRR: $115,000
```
### Customer Metrics
| Segment | Customers | MRR | ARPU | Churn |
|---------|-----------|-----|------|-------|
| Enterprise | 45 | $45K | $1,000 | 1.5% |
| Mid-Market | 120 | $36K | $300 | 2.8% |
| SMB | 350 | $34K | $97 | 4.5% |
| **Total** | **515** | **$115K** | **$223** | **3.2%** |
### Runway & Burn
- Cash Balance: $2.5M
- Monthly Burn: $85K
- Runway: 29 months
- Revenue/Burn Ratio: 1.35x
### Goals vs Actuals
| Goal | Target | Actual | Status |
|------|--------|--------|--------|
| New Customers | 15 | 12 | 🔴 80% |
| Net New MRR | $12K | $15K | 🟢 125% |
| NRR | 105% | 108% | 🟢 103% |
| CAC Payback | 12mo | 12.5mo | 🟡 96% |
### Next Month Outlook
- Pipeline: $45K in qualified opportunities
- Expected closes: 8-10 customers
- Projected MRR: $125-130K
- Key risks: Enterprise deal slip, holiday slowdown
```
---
## Forecasting Model
### Bottom-Up Revenue Forecast
```yaml
forecast_model:
# Starting point
base_mrr: 115000
# Growth assumptions
assumptions:
new_customers_monthly: 15
avg_new_customer_mrr: 1250
expansion_rate: 2% # of existing MRR
contraction_rate: 0.5%
logo_churn_rate: 3%
# Monthly calculation
monthly_forecast:
new_mrr: new_customers × avg_mrr
expansion_mrr: existing_mrr × expansion_rate
contraction_mrr: existing_mrr × contraction_rate
churn_mrr: existing_mrr × churn_rate
ending_mrr: |
starting_mrr
+ new_mrr
+ expansion_mrr
- contraction_mrr
- churn_mrr
```
### 12-Month Projection
```
Month Starting New Expansion Churn Ending Growth
Jan $115,000 $18,750 $2,300 $3,450 $132,600 15.3%
Feb $132,600 $18,750 $2,652 $3,978 $150,024 13.1%
Mar $150,024 $18,750 $3,000 $4,501 $167,274 11.5%
...
Dec $285,000 $18,750 $5,700 $8,550 $300,900 5.6%
Annual Summary:
- Starting ARR: $1.38M
- Ending ARR: $3.61M
- Growth: 162%
```
---
## Segmentation Analysis
```yaml
segment_analysis:
by_plan:
- name: Starter
mrr: 20000
customers: 300
arpu: 67
churn: 6%
- name: Professional
mrr: 45000
customers: 150
arpu: 300
churn: 3%
- name: Enterprise
mrr: 50000
customers: 50
arpu: 1000
churn: 1.5%
by_industry:
- tech: {mrr: 60000, churn: 2.5%}
- finance: {mrr: 30000, churn: 2%}
- retail: {mrr: 25000, churn: 5%}
by_company_size:
- 1-50: {arpu: 100, churn: 5%}
- 51-200: {arpu: 350, churn: 3%}
- 201+: {arpu: 1200, churn: 1.5%}
```
---
## Output Example
**Request**: "Calculate SaaS metrics for my company"
**Output**:
```markdown
# SaaS Metrics Analysis
## Executive Summary
Your SaaS business is showing healthy growth with some areas for optimization.
### Strengths ✅
- Net Revenue Retention of 108% (above 100% benchmark)
- Quick Ratio of 2.3x (good growth efficiency)
- Enterprise segment showing 97% retention
### Areas to Improve ⚠️
- LTV:CAC ratio at 2.7x (target: >3x)
- CAC payback at 12.5 months (target: <12 months)
- SMB segment churn at 4.5% (target: <4%)
### Recommendations
1. **Reduce CAC**: Focus on lower-cost acquisition channels
2. **Improve SMB retention**: Add onboarding sequences
3. **Expand enterprise**: Higher ARPU, lower churn
4. **Increase expansion revenue**: Upsell/cross-sell programs
### Key Metrics at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Status |
|--------|-------|--------|
| ARR | $1.38M | 📈 +15% MoM |
| NRR | 108% | ✅ Healthy |
| LTV:CAC | 2.7x | ⚠️ Improve |
| Runway | 29 months | ✅ Safe |
```
---
*SaaS Metrics Workflow - Part of Claude Code*What This Does
Comprehensive SaaS metrics analysis covering MRR, ARR, Churn, LTV, CAC, cohort analysis, and investor reporting. Essential for SaaS founders, finance teams, and investors.
Quick Start
Step 1: Create a Project Folder
mkdir -p ~/Documents/SaasMetrics
Step 2: Download the Template
Click Download above, then:
mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/Documents/SaasMetrics/
Step 3: Start Working
cd ~/Documents/SaasMetrics
claude