Churn Rate Calculator
Measure customer churn. Enter how many customers you lost and how many you had at the start of the period.
How to enter your data: Type the number of customers you had at the start of the period into the first box, and the number who left during that period into the second box. Use plain whole numbers only, with no commas, percent signs, or currency symbols. The calculator does the division for you and shows the answer as a percentage.
Churn rate is the share of your customers, members, or subscribers who stopped using your service during a set period of time. This calculator turns two simple counts, how many you started with and how many left, into that percentage. A high number means you are losing a lot of people, while a low number means most of them stayed.
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Where it is used
- Subscription business owners: A magazine owner checks how many of last month's 500 subscribers cancelled to see whether renewals are holding up.
- Gym and membership managers: A gym manager works out what portion of members who were signed up in January had quit by June.
- HR and people staff: An HR officer measures how many employees left over the year to keep an eye on staff turnover.
Churn and retention
Churn rate is the percentage of customers lost over a period; retention is what remains. Tracking churn from repeated surveys helps you see whether experience changes are moving the needle.
When should you use it?
Use this calculator whenever you want to know how many customers, members, or subscribers you are losing over a set period, such as a month, a quarter, or a year. It suits any business or group where people can leave, cancel, or fail to renew. Reach for it after a billing cycle, a renewal season, or the end of a term. Use the same length of period each time so you can compare fairly. It also works for tracking staff who leave, which is often called turnover.
What does the result mean?
The result is a percentage. It tells you what share of the people you started with had gone by the end of the period. For example, ten percent means one in every ten left. Lower is better, because it means more people stayed. There is no single good number, as it depends heavily on your industry and the length of your period. Many subscription businesses aim for low single-digit percentages each month, but it is most useful to compare your figure against your own past results.
Mistakes to avoid
Make sure both numbers cover the same period. Do not count people who left in June against the total you had back in January. Use the count from the start of the period, not the end, as your starting number. Only count people who genuinely left, not those who simply paused or switched plan. Do not add new customers you gained into these boxes, as that is a separate figure. Keep your period length consistent, since a yearly rate will always look larger than a monthly one.
How to use this calculator
- In the first box, type how many customers you had at the start of the period.
- In the second box, type how many of them left, cancelled, or did not renew during that period.
- Check that both entries are plain whole numbers with no commas or symbols.
- Read the percentage shown, which is your churn rate; a lower number means more people stayed.
Worked example
Say a gym started March with 400 members. During March, 20 of them cancelled. Type 400 in the first box and 20 in the second. The calculator divides 20 by 400 and shows a churn rate of 5 percent, meaning 5 out of every 100 members left that month.
Frequently asked questions
What do I type in the first box?
The number of customers, members, or subscribers you had at the very start of the period you are looking at. Use a whole number.
What do I type in the second box?
The number of those people who left, cancelled, or did not renew during that same period. Do not include anyone new who joined.
Where do I get these numbers?
From your own records, such as a membership list, billing system, spreadsheet, or customer database. Count your starting total and how many dropped off.
What is a good churn rate?
Lower is better. There is no universal target, but many subscription businesses aim for low single-digit percentages per month. It helps most to compare against your own past figures.
Does the length of the period matter?
Yes. Churn measured over a year will look higher than over a month. Always note the period you used and keep it the same when comparing results.
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