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Last updated: October 29, 2026
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Net Promoter Score (NPS) in 2027: Formula, Examples and How to Use It
Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures how likely customers are to recommend your company, on a scale from 0 to 10. Customers who answer 9 or 10 are promoters, 7 or 8 are passives, and 0 to 6 are detractors. Your NPS is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors, so it ranges from -100 to +100. It's a quick way to track loyalty over time, as long as you read the comments and act on them.
- Question: "How likely are you to recommend [company] to a friend or colleague?" (0 to 10).
- Promoters: 9 to 10. Passives: 7 to 8. Detractors: 0 to 6.
- Formula: NPS = % promoters minus % detractors.
- Range: -100 (all detractors) to +100 (all promoters).
- The follow-up question ("Why did you give this score?") is where most of the value lies.
How to calculate NPS
- Count all responses.
- Count promoters (9 and 10) and detractors (0 to 6). Leave passives out of the formula, but keep them in the total.
- Divide each group by the total to get percentages.
- Subtract the detractor percentage from the promoter percentage.
Worked example
You receive 200 responses: 110 promoters, 50 passives and 40 detractors.
| Group | Responses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Promoters (9 to 10) | 110 | 55% |
| Passives (7 to 8) | 50 | 25% |
| Detractors (0 to 6) | 40 | 20% |
NPS = 55 minus 20 = 35. NPS is written as a whole number, without a percent sign.
A quick spreadsheet formula
If scores sit in column A from row 2 to row 201, this formula returns the NPS:
=ROUND((COUNTIF(A2:A201,">=9")-COUNTIF(A2:A201,"<=6"))/COUNT(A2:A201)*100,0)
What is a good NPS?
Any positive score means you have more promoters than detractors. Beyond that, compare with yourself first: a score that rises from 10 to 25 over a year says more than a comparison with another industry. Published benchmarks vary widely by sector and by survey method, so treat them as rough context only.
| NPS | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Below 0 | More detractors than promoters; find the main complaints fast |
| 0 to 30 | Positive, with room to improve |
| 30 to 70 | Strong loyalty for most businesses |
| Above 70 | Exceptional; protect what customers love |
Relationship NPS vs transactional NPS
Relationship NPS asks about the company as a whole, usually every quarter or twice a year, and tracks overall loyalty. Transactional NPS asks right after an event, such as a purchase, onboarding or a support conversation, and shows how one part of the experience affects loyalty. Most small businesses start with a relationship survey and add transactional surveys at key moments.
How to run an NPS survey
- Choose who to ask: active customers, not trial users who never started.
- Choose the channel: email, in-app message or after a support chat.
- Ask the 0 to 10 question, then one open question: "What is the main reason for your score?"
- Send at a steady rhythm so results are comparable.
- Close the loop: reply to detractors personally and thank promoters.
- Share the themes with product, sales and support every month.
Survey template you can adapt
> Subject: One quick question about [company] > > Hi [name], on a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [company] to a friend or colleague? > > [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] > > Thanks, it takes ten seconds and helps us improve.
Follow-up page:
> What is the main reason for your score? Anything we could do better?
Closing the loop
The score alone doesn't fix anything. Within a few days:
- Detractors: a person from your team replies, asks for details and offers to help. Some detractors become loyal customers after a good reply.
- Passives: ask what would make the product a 9 or 10 for them.
- Promoters: thank them, and invite them to leave a public review or join a referral program if you have one.
Tag every comment by theme (price, onboarding, support, a missing feature) so you can see which issue moves the score most.
Tools that collect NPS
| Tool | How it helps with NPS | Entry price |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Customer feedback surveys in Service Hub, linked to CRM records | Free CRM; survey features on paid Service Hub plans |
| Intercom | In-app surveys and messages | Essential $19/seat/month (annual) |
| MailerLite | Email survey blocks to send the question by email | Free for 250 subscribers |
| Zendesk | Satisfaction surveys after tickets (CSAT), useful next to NPS | Support Team $19/agent/month (annual) |
| Airtable | Forms to collect answers and views to analyze them | Free for 1,000 records per base |
For most small businesses, an email survey from your email tool plus a spreadsheet is enough to start. Dedicated feedback tools make sense when you survey thousands of customers.
Start HubSpot free → Keep feedback next to every customer record · Affiliate link
NPS vs CSAT vs CES
| Metric | Question | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| NPS | How likely are you to recommend us? (0 to 10) | Overall loyalty over time |
| CSAT | How satisfied were you with this? (often 1 to 5) | A single interaction, such as a support ticket |
| CES | How easy was it to get what you needed? | Friction in a process |
Use NPS for the big picture and CSAT after support conversations. See our guides to the customer satisfaction score and customer service metrics.
Limits of NPS
NPS compresses an 11-point answer into three groups, so a move from 6 to 7 changes the score while a move from 0 to 6 doesn't. Small samples swing a lot: with 30 responses, two people changing their answer can move the score by several points. Response rates also matter, because unhappy customers often don't answer at all. Read NPS together with retention, churn and support data rather than on its own.
How to improve your NPS
- Fix the top complaint in detractor comments first; it usually affects many customers.
- Speed up support replies, since slow help is a common reason for low scores.
- Improve onboarding so new customers reach their first result quickly. See customer onboarding process.
- Tell customers what you changed because of their feedback.
- Track the score by segment (plan, country, customer age) to find where loyalty is weakest.
See also customer retention strategies.
Common mistakes
- Surveying too often, which lowers response rates.
- Reporting the score without reading the comments.
- Comparing your score with another industry's benchmark.
- Offering rewards for high scores, which biases answers.
- Never replying to detractors.
Terms explained
- Promoter: a customer who answers 9 or 10.
- Passive: a customer who answers 7 or 8.
- Detractor: a customer who answers 0 to 6.
- Closing the loop: following up with respondents after the survey.
- Relationship NPS: a periodic survey about the company as a whole.
Our verdict
Net Promoter Score is simple to run and easy to track, which is why so many companies use it. Calculate it as promoters minus detractors, compare it with your own past results, and spend most of your time on the comments. A free email tool or your CRM is enough to start; the real work is replying to customers and fixing what they tell you.
How we compiled this guide
The NPS formula and groups follow the standard definition of the metric. The worked example and survey template are original illustrations. Tool details come from official pricing pages checked October 30, 2026.
FAQ
How do you calculate Net Promoter Score?
Subtract the percentage of detractors (0 to 6) from the percentage of promoters (9 to 10).
What is a good NPS score?
Any positive score is a start; above 30 is strong for most businesses. Compare mainly with your own past results.
Can NPS be negative?
Yes. If you have more detractors than promoters, the score is below zero; the lowest possible is -100.
Why are passives left out of the formula?
They count in the total number of responses but not in either group, so many passives pull the score toward zero.
How often should I send an NPS survey?
Relationship surveys every quarter or twice a year; transactional surveys after key events.
How many responses do I need?
More is better; with fewer than about 100 responses, treat changes of a few points as noise.
Is NPS the same as customer satisfaction?
No. NPS measures loyalty and willingness to recommend; CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction.
Sources
Standard Net Promoter Score methodology; official pricing pages of HubSpot, Intercom, MailerLite, Zendesk and Airtable, checked October 30, 2026.