Gross Revenue Retention (GRR)

Gross revenue retention measures the percentage of recurring revenue you keep from existing customers over a period, counting only losses — churn and downgrades — and explicitly excluding any expansion. Formula: (starting recurring revenue − churned − contraction) ÷ starting recurring revenue. Unlike net revenue retention, GRR is capped at 100%; expansion can't mask leakage. That's exactly why it's revealing. NRR of 115% looks healthy, but if GRR is only 80%, the business is losing a fifth of its base every year and papering over it with upsells to survivors — a fragile foundation. Strong SaaS businesses show GRR in the high 80s to 90s (higher for enterprise, lower for SMB/self-serve). Track GRR and NRR side by side: NRR tells you the growth story, GRR tells you how sticky the product truly is. For builders, a low GRR is a product or fit problem no amount of sales can outrun.