What is the rule of 40 ARR?

Asked by: Wallace Emard  |  Last update: February 27, 2026
Score: 4.6/5 (45 votes)

The Rule of 40 states that the sum of a healthy SaaS company's annual recurring revenue growth rate and its EBITDA margin should be equal to or exceed 40%. It is a measure of how well a SaaS balances growth with profitability.

What is the rule of 40 formula?

Rule of 40 = Revenue Growth Rate (%) + Profit Margin (%)

Some other potential examples of the Rule of 40 include the following: Revenue Growth Rate of 20% + Profit Margin of 20% = 40% Revenue Growth Rate of 0% + Profit Margin of 40% = 40%

What is rule of 40 in financials?

The Rule of 40 – popularized by Brad Feld – states that an SaaS company's revenue growth rate plus profit margin should be equal to or exceed 40%. The Rule of 40 equation is the sum of the recurring revenue growth rate (%) and EBITDA margin (%).

Does the rule of 40 still apply?

All in all, the Rule of 40 is not dead, but it should not be your only plan of action. If we want to fairly assess SaaS companies, then their economic environment, their company size, and their growth stage should be taken into consideration before any conclusions are made.

What is the rule of 40 in private equity?

It suggests that the sum of a company's top line year over year growth rate (annual recurring revenue growth percentage) and its EBITDA margin should ideally be at least 40%. This rule helps buyers and investors evaluate whether a company is effectively balancing growth with profitability.

Uncover the Secrets of the Rule of 40: ARR, NRR and GRR Explained!

21 related questions found

What is the rule of 40 revenue or arr?

The Rule of 40 is a principle that states a software company's combined revenue growth rate and profit margin should equal or exceed 40%. SaaS companies above 40% are generating profit at a sustainable rate, whereas companies below 40% may face cash flow or liquidity issues.

What is the 80-20 rule in private equity?

In private equity, approximately 20% of portfolio companies are responsible for around 80% of the value generated. This allows investors to prioritize time and capital toward assessing these critical assets.

Who does Rule 40 apply to?

The rule applies to participants in the Olympic or Paralympic Summer Games 2024, including current competitors, coaches, trainers and officials. It only applies to participants in the current Games and is not applicable to alumni.

What is the Cramer rule of 40?

Rule of 40 Definition: In Software as a Service (SaaS) financial models, the “Rule of 40” states that a company's Revenue Growth + EBITDA Margin should equal or exceed 40% to be considered “healthy”; companies that exceed it by a wider margin may be valued more highly.

What is the difference between EBITDA and arr?

ARR – The company's annual recurring revenue. EBITDA – The company's earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortization; basically the same as operating cash flow, except it takes interest and taxes into account.

What is the golden rule of financial account?

What are the Golden Rules of Accounting? 1) Debit what comes in - credit what goes out. 2) Credit the giver and Debit the Receiver. 3) Credit all income and debit all expenses.

What is the magic number in SaaS?

The SaaS Magic Number is a widely used formula to measure sales efficiency. It measures the output of a year's worth of revenue growth for every dollar spent on sales and marketing. To think of it another way, for every dollar in S&M spend, how many dollars of ARR do you create.

What does arr mean in finance?

Annual recurring revenue (ARR) refers to all ongoing revenue for a product or business, projected over one year. Companies that offer yearly subscriptions use this metric to determine how much revenue they can expect each year.

What is the 3 3 2 2 2 rule of SaaS?

The rule of thumb for growth rate expectations at a successful SaaS company being managed for aggressive growth is 3, 3, 2, 2, 2: starting from a material baseline (e.g., over $1 million in annual recurring revenue [ARR]), the business needs to triple annual revenues for two consecutive years and then double them for ...

What does EBITDA mean?

EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization and is a metric used to evaluate a company's operating performance. It can be seen as a loose proxy for cash flow from the entire company's operations.

What is the 40 40 20 rule in investing?

My approach has been 40:40:20. That is, 40% in hybrid categories such as balanced advantage fund, multi asset funds, 40% in the diversified equity category and the last 20% should be for generating alpha from funds like thematic funds whether it is small cap or business cycle or a banking or infra fund.

What is the rule of 40 in SaaS?

The popular metric says that a SaaS company's growth rate when added to its free cash flow rate should equal 40 percent or higher. The rule has become a favorite of SaaS industry watchers, including boards and management teams, because it neatly distills a company's operating performance into one number.

What is the classic 60 40 investment strategy?

Introduction. The classic 60/40 allocation is very intuitive. The 60% equity allocation provides the lion's share of the returns as a simple yet effective exposure to broad economic growth. And no one wants too much risk, so the 40% bond allocation is a simple way to diversify the portfolio and avoid excessive risk.

What is the 1 rule of investing?

Warren Buffett and his mentor, Ben Graham, championed Rule #1 for one fundamental reason: minimizing loss. By minimizing losses, even in subpar investments, you increase your chances of finding winning investments over time.

What is a Rule 40?

In June 2019, the IOC updated Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter and established a set of Key Principles. These Key Principles set out how participants, including athletes participating in the Olympic Games can engage in, and benefit from, commercial activities around the Games.

What is the central conflict of Rule 40?

“Rule 40” is the somewhat controversial rule of the Olympic Charter which prevents athletes who are competing in the Games from allowing their name, image or sporting performance to be used in advertising during a 'blackout period' (just before and during the Games) without the permission of the IOC.

What is the Rule 40 ambush?

The IOC adopted Rule 40 (“Rule”) to control advertising by both official sponsors and others in an attempt to limit “ambush marketing.” Ambush marketing refers to advertising campaigns during an event like the Olympics, that incorporate words or images that associate a brand with the event (For more information on ...

What is the Pareto law?

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) is a phenomenon that states that roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes. In this article, we break down how you can use this principle to help prioritize tasks and business efforts.

What is the 8% rule finance?

Ramsey firmly believes that retirees can safely withdraw 8% of their portfolio's starting value each year, adjusted for inflation, without depleting their principal. However, many critics almost unanimously agree that this advice is unrealistic and potentially dangerous.

What is the rule of 72 in equity?

The Rule of 72 is a convenient method to estimate the approximate time for invested capital to double in value. By merely taking the number 72 and dividing it by the rate of return (or interest rate) expected to be earned, the output is the approximate number of years for an investment to double.