Startup / SaaS benchmarks
Startup metrics benchmark 2026
Planning bands for CAC, LTV, ROAS, churn, conversion, burn, and runway—by industry segment. Use with our free calculators; not audited market data or investment advice.
Revision 2026-06 · Content revision: 2026-05
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Curated planning bands for founders and operators—not audited market research, venture benchmarks, or investment advice. Ranges synthesize commonly cited public reports; verify with your own data.
- OpenView / SaaS benchmarks (public summaries) (accessed 2026-06)
- ProfitWell / Paddle retention studies (public summaries) (accessed 2026-06)
- E-commerce industry reports (public summaries) (accessed 2026-06)
CAC
Customer acquisition cost (fully loaded marketing + sales per new customer)
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | $900 | $1,800 | $4,200 |
| B2C SaaS | $25 | $65 | $180 |
| E-commerce (DTC) | $18 | $42 | $95 |
| Marketplace | $35 | $85 | $220 |
| Creator / digital products | $8 | $22 | $55 |
LTV
Lifetime value per customer (gross margin basis, simplified)
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | $9,000 | $18,000 | $45,000 |
| B2C SaaS | $120 | $280 | $720 |
| E-commerce (DTC) | $85 | $165 | $340 |
| Marketplace | $140 | $320 | $780 |
| Creator / digital products | $45 | $110 | $290 |
LTV:CAC
LTV divided by CAC — unitless ratio
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | 2.5× | 3.5× | 5.5× |
| B2C SaaS | 2× | 3× | 4.5× |
| E-commerce (DTC) | 2.2× | 3.2× | 4.8× |
| Marketplace | 2.8× | 4× | 6× |
| Creator / digital products | 2× | 3.5× | 6× |
ROAS
Revenue per dollar of ad spend (blended)
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | 1.8× | 2.8× | 4.2× |
| B2C SaaS | 1.5× | 2.4× | 3.8× |
| E-commerce (DTC) | 2× | 3.5× | 5.5× |
| Marketplace | 2.2× | 3.6× | 5× |
| Creator / digital products | 1.6× | 2.8× | 4.5× |
Monthly churn
Logo or revenue churn per month (%)
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | 2% | 3.5% | 6% |
| B2C SaaS | 4% | 6.5% | 10% |
| E-commerce (DTC)Repeat purchase rate proxy | 5% | 8% | 12% |
| Marketplace | 6% | 9% | 14% |
| Creator / digital products | 7% | 11% | 16% |
Trial → paid
Free trial to paid conversion (%)
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | 12% | 22% | 35% |
| B2C SaaS | 8% | 15% | 28% |
| E-commerce (DTC)Site visitor to purchase | 1.5% | 2.8% | 4.5% |
| Marketplace | 3% | 5.5% | 9% |
| Creator / digital products | 2% | 4.5% | 8% |
CAC payback
Months to recover CAC on gross margin
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | 10 mo | 16 mo | 24 mo |
| B2C SaaS | 4 mo | 8 mo | 14 mo |
| E-commerce (DTC) | 1 mo | 2 mo | 4 mo |
| Marketplace | 3 mo | 6 mo | 12 mo |
| Creator / digital products | 2 mo | 4 mo | 8 mo |
Net burn
Monthly cash burn for seed-stage teams (USD thousands)
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaSSeed / Series A planning bands | $40k/mo | $85k/mo | $180k/mo |
| B2C SaaS | $30k/mo | $70k/mo | $150k/mo |
| E-commerce (DTC) | $25k/mo | $55k/mo | $120k/mo |
| Marketplace | $50k/mo | $110k/mo | $220k/mo |
| Creator / digital products | $5k/mo | $15k/mo | $40k/mo |
Runway
Cash runway at current burn (months)
| Industry | p25 | p50 (median) | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | 12 mo | 18 mo | 30 mo |
| B2C SaaS | 10 mo | 16 mo | 24 mo |
| E-commerce (DTC) | 8 mo | 14 mo | 22 mo |
| Marketplace | 12 mo | 20 mo | 36 mo |
| Creator / digital products | 6 mo | 12 mo | 18 mo |
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Curated planning bands for founders and operators—not audited market research, venture benchmarks, or investment advice. Ranges synthesize commonly cited public reports; verify with your own data.