Knowledge: MRR

MRR stands for Monthly Recurring Revenue. It’s a key metric used by businesses with subscription-based or recurring revenue models, such as SaaS (Software as a Service) companies.  

Here’s a breakdown:

  • Predictable Income: MRR represents the predictable and consistent revenue a business expects to receive every month from its active subscriptions.  
  • Monthly Normalization: It normalizes all recurring revenue, regardless of billing cycles (monthly, quarterly, annual), into a monthly figure.  
  • Financial Health Indicator: MRR provides a clear picture of a company’s financial health and growth trajectory.  

Why is MRR important?

  • Forecasting: It helps businesses forecast future revenue and make informed financial decisions.  
  • Growth Tracking: It allows businesses to track their growth over time and identify trends.  
  • Investor Attraction: Investors often use MRR to evaluate the health and potential of subscription-based businesses.  

How to calculate MRR:

There are a couple of ways to calculate MRR:

  1. Simple Calculation: Multiply the number of paying customers by the average revenue per user (ARPU).
    • MRR = Number of Customers x ARPU
  2. Sum of all monthly subscriptions: Add up the monthly revenue from all active subscriptions.

Example:

Let’s say a company has:

  • 100 customers on a $10/month plan
  • 50 customers on a $20/month plan

The MRR would be:

  • (100 customers x $10) + (50 customers x $20) = $1000 + $1000 = $2000

Key things to note about MRR:

  • It excludes one-time payments, such as setup fees or professional services.  
  • It includes recurring charges from add-ons, upgrades, and discounts.  
  • It’s different from ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue), which is the annualized version of MRR.  

In summary, MRR is a crucial metric for subscription-based businesses to track their recurring revenue, forecast future income, and demonstrate their financial health to investors.