Rule of 40

Rule of 40 adds SaaS revenue growth and profitability margin to evaluate growth efficiency.

Rule of 40 is a SaaS performance heuristic that adds revenue growth and profitability margin. It balances growth and profitability rather than rewarding growth at any cost.

Formula

Rule of 40 = Revenue growth rate + Profitability margin

The profitability margin can be EBITDA margin, free cash flow margin, or another consistent profit measure. Use it with SaaS CAC payback benchmarks and SaaS net revenue retention benchmarks.

Related calculator: SaaS Rule of 40 Calculator.