Research Lab / SaaS marketing benchmarks
Start with the number. Then inspect the definition.
Compare verified private B2B SaaS marketing, selling, growth, CAC, NRR, expansion, and profitability benchmarks. Every row keeps its metric definition, population, statistic, and source.
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Verified benchmark records
| Metric | Segment | Observed value | Definition | Statistic | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing spend | Private B2B SaaS overall | 8% | Median annual marketing expense reported as a percentage of ARR. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Selling cost | Private B2B SaaS overall | 15% | Median annual selling cost reported as a percentage of ARR. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Marketing spend | $3 million to $5 million ARR | 8% | Median annual marketing expense for the reported $3 million to $5 million ARR cohort. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Selling cost | $3 million to $5 million ARR | 12% | Median annual selling cost for the reported $3 million to $5 million ARR cohort. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Annual growth | Bootstrapped | 20% | Median annual growth reported for bootstrapped respondents. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Annual growth | Equity backed | 25% | Median annual growth reported for equity-backed respondents. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Profitable or near breakeven | Bootstrapped | 83% | Share of bootstrapped respondents reported as profitable or within two percentage points of breakeven. | share | SaaS Capital |
| Profitable or near breakeven | Equity backed | 52% | Share of equity-backed respondents reported as profitable or within two percentage points of breakeven. | share | SaaS Capital |
| Annual growth | Private B2B SaaS overall | 26% | Median 2024 growth reported in the 2025 benchmark study. | median | Benchmarkit |
| Net revenue retention | Private B2B SaaS overall | 101% | Median net revenue retention reported by the source. | median | Benchmarkit |
| New Customer CAC Ratio | Private B2B SaaS overall | 2.00× | Sales and marketing expense required for each dollar of new-customer ARR. | median | Benchmarkit |
| Expansion contribution to new ARR | Private B2B SaaS overall | 40% | Share of total new ARR attributed to expansion from existing customers. | share | Benchmarkit |
| Sales and marketing expense | VC backed | 47% | Median combined sales and marketing expense for VC-backed companies as a percentage of revenue. | median | Benchmarkit |
| Sales and marketing expense | PE backed | 33% | Median combined sales and marketing expense for PE-backed companies as a percentage of revenue. | median | Benchmarkit |
| Annual growth | Maxio customer population | 18% | Average growth reported across the source population. | average | Maxio |
| Companies declining year over year | Maxio customer population | 35% | Share of companies reported as declining year over year. | share | Maxio |
| Annual growth | Private B2B SaaS overall | 25% | Median annual growth reported across private B2B SaaS respondents. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Flat or negative growth | Private B2B SaaS overall | 6.9% | Share of respondents reporting flat or negative growth. | share | SaaS Capital |
| Annual growth | Bootstrapped | 23% | Median annual growth reported for bootstrapped respondents in the 2025 growth study. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Annual growth | Equity backed | 25% | Median annual growth reported for equity-backed respondents in the 2025 growth study. | median | SaaS Capital |
| Growth associated with a higher NRR band | 90% to 100% NRR compared with 100% to 110% NRR | 5 percentage points | Reported growth difference associated with moving into the specified higher NRR band. | association | SaaS Capital |
| Expected ARR growth | Private SaaS survey respondents | 20% | Expected ARR growth reported for 2025, up from 15% in 2024. | expected | KeyBanc Capital Markets and Sapphire Ventures |
Method and interpretation
These values describe observed populations. They do not produce a company forecast or replace a budget model built from retention, conversion, sales capacity, ACV, and cash constraints. Last reviewed 2026-07-15.