What does NPS stand for?

NPS stands for Net Promoter Score, a measure of how likely customers are to recommend a product or company.

How do you calculate NPS?

Ask customers to rate from 0 to 10 how likely they are to recommend you, then subtract the percentage scoring 0 to 6 from the percentage scoring 9 or 10.

Any positive score means more promoters than detractors. Norms vary widely by industry, so compare against your own past scores first.

Net Promoter Score (NPS): Formula, Survey and Examples

Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer loyalty with one question: how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague, from 0 to 10? Subtract the percentage of detractors (0 to 6) from the percentage of promoters (9 or 10) to get a score between −100 and +100.

By Javier Alonso, Founder & CEO. Updated 2026-10-25.

Formula

NPS: % Promoters (9–10) − % Detractors (0–6) (Passives (7–8) count in the total but not in either group.)

The survey

The standard question is: "On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [product] to a friend or colleague?" Follow it with an open question: "What is the main reason for your score?" The open answers are usually more useful than the number.

NPS was developed by Fred Reichheld with Bain & Company and Satmetrix.

Worked example

200 customers answer. 110 score 9 or 10 (55% promoters), 50 score 7 or 8 (25% passives) and 40 score 0 to 6 (20% detractors).

NPS = 55% − 20% = +35.

How to use NPS well

Close the loop. Contact detractors to understand and fix the problem, and ask promoters for reviews or referrals.
Segment it. NPS by customer type often reveals your real ideal customer.
Track the trend. Compare your score over time rather than against other industries, where norms differ a lot.
Survey at the right moment, such as after a customer has used the product for a while, not on day one.

Limits

NPS records what people say they would do, not what they do. Small samples swing wildly. For early products, the PMF survey and retention data are usually better signals of whether people truly need the product. Use NPS as one input, alongside behavior.

For your role

Service providers: NPS after each project, with the open question, gives you testimonials from promoters and early warning from detractors.
Accelerators & incubators: Programs often use NPS to measure founder satisfaction with the program itself. Pair it with outcome measures, since satisfaction and progress are not the same thing.

Primary sources

Measuring Your Net Promoter Score — Bain & Company

Common questions

What does NPS stand for?: NPS stands for Net Promoter Score, a measure of how likely customers are to recommend a product or company.
How do you calculate NPS?: Ask customers to rate from 0 to 10 how likely they are to recommend you, then subtract the percentage scoring 0 to 6 from the percentage scoring 9 or 10.
What is a good NPS?: Any positive score means more promoters than detractors. Norms vary widely by industry, so compare against your own past scores first.