Pillar
Benchmarks
Trial, freemium, PQL, activation, retention. Dated, sourced reference tables, not vague magnitudes.
Where to start
You run a free trial
Opt-in vs opt-out conversion, and what's actually good
You have a freemium tier
Freemium-to-paid rates, and why they run low by design
You want to convert the right users
PQL benchmarks, and why usage beats marketing signals
You need to set an activation metric
Why there's no activation benchmark worth copying, and what to do instead
You're reporting retention to a board
What NRR the named surveys actually report, and the scope everyone drops
Activation rate benchmarks (B2B SaaS)
What's a good activation rate? There is no trustworthy cross-company benchmark, and here's the evidence why. Every product defines activation differently, so the figures circulating come from vendor pages with no method behind them.
Net revenue retention benchmarks (B2B SaaS)
What's a good NRR? The two named surveys that publish a figure both land near 101-102% for private B2B SaaS, not the 106-108% that circulates. Dated, sourced, with the scope attached to each number.
Free trial conversion rate benchmarks (B2B SaaS)
What's a good free trial to paid conversion rate? Opt-in trials convert at a ~18.5% median; opt-out (card required) at ~48.8%. Dated, sourced ranges, with the honest caveats.
Freemium conversion rate benchmarks (B2B SaaS)
What's a good freemium to paid conversion rate? The median is ~2-5%, far lower than free trial, because a free tier is used indefinitely. Dated, sourced ranges.
PQL conversion rate benchmarks (and how PQLs beat MQLs)
Product-qualified leads convert to paid at ~8-20%, and free trials that use PQL scoring convert ~2.8x higher than those that don't. The benchmarks, and why usage beats marketing signals.