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.