NPS Benchmarks: Average Net Promoter Score by Industry
Net Promoter Score benchmarks help companies understand how their customer loyalty compares to others in their industry.
NPS Benchmarks: Average Net Promoter Score by Industry
Net Promoter Score benchmarks help teams understand whether their customer loyalty is weak, healthy, or unusually strong for their market. A raw NPS number is useful, but it becomes more meaningful when you compare it with your own past results, similar companies, and the expectations customers bring to your industry.
The ranges below are practical interpretation ranges, not fixed global averages. Published benchmark products from Bain, Qualtrics XM Institute, Retently, CustomerGauge, and other providers can differ because they use different samples, regions, industries, survey timing, and calculation methods.
If you want to calculate your own score, you can use our free Net Promoter Score Calculator.
What Is an NPS benchmark?
An NPS benchmark is a reference point for comparing your Net Promoter Score with a relevant group, such as your industry, region, customer segment, competitor set, or previous company performance.
For example, an NPS of 40 may be strong in one industry and only moderate in another. The same score can also mean different things depending on whether it came from a relationship survey, a support interaction, a new-customer onboarding survey, or a churn-risk segment.
Good benchmarking helps companies answer practical questions such as:
- Is our NPS improving compared with our own history?
- How does our score compare with realistic industry expectations?
- Which customer journeys or segments are pulling the score down?
Why benchmark sources can disagree
Benchmark providers do not all measure the same thing. Bain describes competitive benchmark NPS as a way to compare performance against competitors and customer episodes, while Qualtrics XM Institute benchmark data is designed to compare organizations, industry averages, and leaders. Other public benchmark studies often combine different company sizes, geographies, and collection methods.
That is why a benchmark should be treated as directional context, not an absolute grade. The most reliable comparison is usually your own NPS trend measured with a consistent survey method.
Sources: https://nps.bain.com/resources/benchmarks/ and https://www.qualtrics.com/marketplace/nps-benchmarks/
What Is a good Net Promoter Score?
Net Promoter Score ranges from -100 to +100.
A simple rule of thumb is that scores above zero mean you have more promoters than detractors. Beyond that, context matters. Use these ranges as broad interpretation guidance before comparing your score with industry-specific factors.
| NPS Score | General interpretation |
|---|---|
| -100 to 0 | Needs attention |
| 0-30 | Positive, with room to improve |
| 31-50 | Strong |
| 51-70 | Excellent |
| 70+ | Rare and unusually strong |
- Scores below 0 deserve attention because detractors outnumber promoters.
- Scores above 30 are often a sign of healthy loyalty, but they still need segment-level analysis.
- Scores above 50 are usually strong, but sample size and survey timing should be checked before celebrating.
- Scores above 70 are rare at scale and should be validated against response quality and representativeness.
Practical NPS benchmark ranges by industry
The table below uses practical benchmark ranges for interpreting NPS by industry. They are intentionally shown as ranges because public benchmark sources vary and because industry averages move over time.
Use these ranges to frame the first conversation, then rely on your own historical trend and customer comments to decide what to improve.
| Industry | Practical range | What usually drives the score |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS | 30-50+ | Onboarding, product reliability, support quality, and realized value |
| Ecommerce | 20-45 | Delivery, product fit, returns, pricing, and service recovery |
| Fintech | 25-55 | Trust, ease of use, fees, support speed, and reliability |
| Banking | 10-40 | Digital experience, branch service, fees, and issue resolution |
| Insurance | 0-35 | Claims experience, policy clarity, price fairness, and renewal friction |
| Healthcare | 10-40 | Access, communication, billing clarity, and care coordination |
| Travel | 0-35 | Delays, disruption handling, booking, loyalty benefits, and support |
| Hospitality | 30-60+ | Service consistency, cleanliness, personalization, and recovery |
| Retail | 20-45 | Availability, store or site experience, returns, and staff helpfulness |
| Education | 15-45 | Learning outcomes, support, communication, and perceived value |
- Compare like with like: relationship NPS should not be mixed with transactional NPS.
- Check whether the benchmark source measures your geography, customer type, and company size.
- Use customer comments and segment cuts to explain the score instead of relying on the number alone.
- Helpful benchmark references include Bain NPS Prism, Qualtrics XM Institute, Retently, and CustomerGauge.
Why NPS benchmarks vary by industry
Different industries produce different Net Promoter Scores because customers judge different experiences by different standards.
- Customer expectations: customers judge a hotel stay, a bank account, and a SaaS subscription by different standards.
- Switching costs: industries with contracts or high switching friction can have passives who stay despite weak loyalty.
- Service complexity: regulated, high-stakes, or multi-step services often create more friction.
- Survey timing: a survey after a successful support case can produce a different score than an annual relationship survey.
- Sample quality: response rate, invitation channel, and customer mix can change the result dramatically.
How to use benchmarks without misreading them
Benchmarks are most useful when they help you ask sharper questions. They are less useful when they become a single target that teams try to hit without understanding the customer experience behind it.
A strong benchmark process usually combines four views: your current score, your trend over time, your segment-level results, and a credible external reference.
- Start with your own NPS trend before comparing externally.
- Separate relationship NPS from transactional NPS.
- Review promoters, passives, and detractors by product, plan, location, channel, and lifecycle stage.
- Read open-text comments to identify root causes behind score movement.
- Set improvement goals around customer journey fixes, not only score targets.
Recommended benchmark source notes
Bain explains that competitive benchmark NPS is most useful when it shows how you compare with competitors and with specific customer episodes. Qualtrics XM Institute describes benchmark dashboards that compare company performance with industry averages and leaders across hundreds of companies. Public benchmark articles from Retently and CustomerGauge can also be useful directional references, especially for SaaS and subscription businesses.
For Calculator for NPS content, the safest wording is to call benchmark numbers "practical ranges" or "directional benchmarks" unless a page cites a specific provider, study year, geography, and methodology.
Sources: https://nps.bain.com/resources/benchmarks/ https://www.qualtrics.com/nps-industry-benchmark-calculator/ https://www.retently.com/blog/nps-benchmarks/ https://customergauge.com
How these benchmark ranges were reviewed
The ranges on Calculator for NPS were reviewed on April 30, 2026. They are editorial, directional interpretation ranges, not fixed global averages from one benchmark provider.
They are built to help teams interpret NPS conservatively when exact source methodology, geography, sample size, or survey type is unknown. Each industry page includes source-year, geography, sample, and methodology caveats so the numbers are not presented as universal facts.
| Item | Benchmark note |
|---|---|
| Source year | Reviewed April 30, 2026; public benchmark sources and vendor benchmark products may update on different schedules. |
| Geography | Global directional context. Use regional or country-specific benchmarks when available. |
| Sample caveat | Not a single disclosed sample or weighted average. Public sources differ by company list, respondent pool, industry definition, and survey collection method. |
| Methodology note | Treat ranges as relationship NPS context unless a source clearly states the survey is transactional. Do not compare relationship, support, onboarding, renewal, and post-purchase NPS as if they are the same measurement. |
- Bain NPS Prism focuses on competitive benchmark NPS and customer episodes.
- Qualtrics XM Institute benchmark material covers hundreds of companies across multiple industries.
- CustomerGauge benchmark material includes B2B benchmark guidance and NPS & CX benchmark reporting with MIT CISR and NPSBenchmarks.
- Retently and other public benchmark articles can provide directional context, but their methods and samples should be checked before using the numbers as targets.
How to improve your Net Promoter Score
Improving Net Promoter Score requires acting on the customer experience, not only collecting more survey responses. The highest-value work usually starts with detractors and passives because those groups explain where loyalty is leaking.
- Close the feedback loop with detractors and high-value passives.
- Identify the journey steps that create the most negative comments.
- Turn promoter feedback into proof points for onboarding, sales, and customer success.
- Track NPS consistently so you can tell whether changes are improving loyalty.
- Pair NPS with CSAT, CES, retention, churn, and revenue data for a fuller view.
Calculate your Net Promoter Score
If you want to compare your company with benchmark guidance, the first step is calculating your current Net Promoter Score from real survey responses.
The calculator will show your NPS score, promoter percentage, passive percentage, and detractor percentage. From there, you can compare the result with the ranges above and decide which customer segments need deeper analysis.
Related pages on Calculator for NPS
Create your NPS survey in minutes
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average NPS score?
There is no single reliable average NPS score for every company. A practical cross-industry range is often around 20 to 40, but the right comparison depends on industry, geography, survey method, and whether the score is relationship or transactional NPS.
Is a 50 NPS score good?
Yes. An NPS score of 50 is usually strong, especially if it comes from a representative sample and a consistent survey process. Some industries may treat 50 as excellent, while others with high customer expectations may use it as a strong but still improvable benchmark.
What is considered a world-class NPS?
Scores above 70 are often described as world-class, but they are rare at scale. Before labeling a score world-class, check sample size, customer mix, response bias, and whether the result is stable over time.
Which benchmark should I trust?
Trust benchmarks that explain their sample, geography, timing, industry definitions, and survey method. If those details are missing, use the benchmark as directional context rather than a strict target.
How often should companies measure NPS?
Many companies measure relationship NPS quarterly or twice a year and use transactional NPS after important customer interactions. The key is to measure consistently enough to track trends without over-surveying customers.