Email List Growth Rate Calculator
Calculate your email list growth rate from new subscribers, unsubscribes and bounces, the churn rate, the average monthly growth and a 12-month projection of your subscriber count.
How it works
Net new = new subscribers − (unsubscribes + bounces + complaints) · Growth rate = net new ÷ starting subscribers × 100 · Churn = lost ÷ starting subscribers × 100 · Monthly growth = (end ÷ start)^(1 ÷ months) − 1
The list growth rate measures how fast your email audience grows after subtracting everyone who leaves. Email lists naturally decay — people unsubscribe, change jobs or abandon addresses — so a list that only adds sign-ups looks healthier than it is. Tracking growth and churn side by side shows whether your sign-up forms and lead magnets outpace that decay. Marketers often aim for a healthy net growth of a few percent a month.
Worked example
A list of 5,000 subscribers gains 600 sign-ups in one month and loses 120 unsubscribes plus 30 bounces and complaints. Net new = 600 − 150 = 450, so the list growth rate is 450 ÷ 5,000 = 9.00% and the churn rate is 3.00%. The list ends at 5,450 and, adding 450 a month, would reach 10,850 in 12 months.
Sources: Mailchimp — Email marketing benchmarks and statistics
Frequently asked questions
What is a good email list growth rate?
It depends on your industry and how actively you collect sign-ups, but steady net growth of about 2–5% a month is a common healthy range. A negative rate means you lose subscribers faster than you gain them.
Should I count bounces as lost subscribers?
Yes. Hard bounces and spam complaints remove people from the list just like unsubscribes, so counting them gives the true net growth.
How can I grow my email list faster?
Offer a clear incentive (a guide, discount or checklist), place sign-up forms where visitors already engage, use exit-intent pop-ups sparingly, and run referral or giveaway campaigns. Cleaning inactive subscribers lowers growth in the short term but improves deliverability.
What is email list churn?
Churn is the share of subscribers you lose in a period through unsubscribes, bounces and complaints. Keeping churn low with relevant content and a sensible sending frequency is as important as adding new sign-ups.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.