Net Promoter Score Calculator
Computes your Net Promoter Score from customer survey ratings to gauge overall loyalty and word-of-mouth potential. Use it after surveys to benchmark satisfaction and track it over time.
About this calculator
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a widely used customer loyalty metric derived from a single survey question: 'How likely are you to recommend us?' Respondents scoring 9–10 are Promoters, 7–8 are Passives (ignored in the calculation), and 0–6 are Detractors. The formula is: NPS = ((Promoters / Total Responses) − (Detractors / Total Responses)) × 100. The result ranges from −100 (every respondent is a Detractor) to +100 (every respondent is a Promoter). Scores above 0 are considered acceptable, above 50 are excellent, and above 70 are world-class. NPS is valued for its simplicity—one question, one number—but it is most powerful when paired with follow-up qualitative feedback explaining why customers gave their rating.
How to use
Suppose 200 customers completed your survey: 110 gave a 9 or 10 (Promoters), 50 gave a 7 or 8 (Passives), and 40 gave 0–6 (Detractors). Enter 110 in 'Promoters', 40 in 'Detractors', and 200 in 'Total Survey Responses'. The calculator computes: ((110/200) − (40/200)) × 100 = (0.55 − 0.20) × 100 = 35. An NPS of 35 is positive and respectable, though there is room to convert more Passives and reduce Detractors to reach the 50+ excellent range.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Net Promoter Score for my industry?
NPS benchmarks vary significantly by industry. Software and technology companies typically aim for scores of 30–50, while consumer packaged goods and retail can see scores above 60 among top performers. Financial services often cluster between 20 and 40. Rather than chasing a universal target, compare your NPS to direct competitors and track your own trend over time—consistent improvement matters more than hitting an arbitrary number. Resources like the Satmetrix or Bain & Company annual benchmarks provide industry-specific data.
How many survey responses do I need for a statistically reliable NPS?
A common rule of thumb is to collect at least 100 responses before treating your NPS as statistically meaningful, but the required sample size depends on your desired confidence level and the variability in your data. With fewer than 50 responses, a single segment of unhappy customers can swing the score by 10–20 points, making comparisons unreliable. For quarterly benchmarking, 200–300 responses per period typically yields stable, actionable results. Statistical significance calculators can give you a precise minimum based on your historical score variance.
Why do Passive respondents (7–8 ratings) not count in the NPS formula?
Fred Reichheld, who developed NPS, found through research that only strong advocates (9–10) reliably drive referral behavior and business growth, while moderately satisfied customers (7–8) behave more like satisfied but uncommitted buyers—they neither evangelize your brand nor actively discourage others. Including them in a simple average would dilute the signal. Excluding Passives also makes the metric more sensitive to the extremes that matter most for predicting revenue growth, which was the predictive behavior Reichheld's original research validated.