Contributors:
Amol Ghemud Published: November 14, 2025
Summary
MoM growth benchmarks by industry for 2026, with the source named on every row. Private B2B SaaS grows at a median 1.7% a month and US retail e-commerce at about 1.3%, while early-stage startups target 24% to 34%. Ranges with no public dataset are labelled upGrowth estimates.
In This Article
Share On:
Your traffic is up 10% this month. Good or bad? On its own the number says nothing, and most MoM growth benchmarks you find online turn up with no source attached.
This guide gives MoM growth benchmarks by industry for 2026 and shows where each number came from. Every range is either traced to a named, dated report you can open, or labelled an upGrowth estimate. The table marks which is which.
What Is a Good MoM Growth Rate in 2026?
A good MoM growth rate depends on your stage far more than your sector. Private B2B SaaS companies grew at a median 22% a year in 2026, which works out to 1.7% a month. Startups inside Y Combinator aim for 5% to 7% a week, or 24% to 34% a month. Both count as healthy.
The gap is scale, not industry. A product with 40 customers can add 20% in a month off a single campaign. The same 20% at 4,000 customers means 800 new accounts, every month.
Stage beats sector
Compare like with like: your revenue band, funding route and market. A bootstrapped SaaS business at $2M ARR should measure itself against bootstrapped SaaS at $2M ARR, not a funded rival posting a launch month. For the quarterly and annual view, see MoM vs QoQ vs YoY growth.
MoM Growth Benchmarks by Industry: The 2026 Table
Here are MoM growth benchmarks by industry with a source on every row. 5 ranges come from published reports we opened and checked. 4 are labelled upGrowth estimates, because no public dataset tracks monthly growth for traffic, leads, app installs or social.
MoM growth benchmarks by industry, 2026: each range labelled published or upGrowth estimate
Segment and metric
Healthy MoM range
Based on
Source
Early-stage startup (revenue or users)
24% to 34%
5% to 7% a week, compounded
Published: Paul Graham, Startup = Growth, Y Combinator (September 2012)
Private B2B SaaS, median (revenue)
1.5% to 1.9%
20% to 25% a year
Published: SaaS Capital growth rate benchmarks (August 2026)
Published: U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, Q2 2026 (August 2026)
Website traffic from SEO and content
3% to 8%
Client programs
upGrowth estimate, September 2026
B2B lead volume
4% to 10%
Client funnel programs
upGrowth estimate, September 2026
Mobile app installs and active users
4% to 10%
Client programs, spikes excluded
upGrowth estimate, September 2026
Social followers and engagement
3% to 8%
Organic programs, light paid
upGrowth estimate, September 2026
SaaS
SaaS Capital’s 2026 growth rate benchmarks, drawn from more than 1,000 private B2B SaaS companies, put the median at 22% a year. Bootstrapped firms report 20%, equity-backed firms 25%. That is 1.5% to 1.9% a month.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales report for Q2 2026, released 18 August 2026, put sales at $340.2 billion, up 3.8% on the prior quarter and 12.2% year on year, seasonally adjusted. That is roughly 1.0% to 1.3% a month. Single stores swing far wider, so separate campaign spikes from the trend.
Traffic, leads, apps and social
No public dataset publishes monthly growth benchmarks for these. Ahrefs’ organic traffic study covers 344,956 websites but reports median monthly clicks, not growth rates. So the 3% to 10% bands are upGrowth estimates from September 2026, from client programs with spikes and paid bursts stripped out.
How to Calculate MoM Growth and Convert a Benchmark
MoM growth is (this month minus last month) divided by last month, times 100. Traffic moving from 50,000 to 55,000 is 10% MoM. Published benchmarks rarely come monthly, so convert first: compound weekly rates up, and take the 12th root of annual rates.
Weekly to monthly
There are 52/12, or about 4.33, weeks in a month. Paul Graham’s Startup = Growth essay puts a good rate during Y Combinator at 5% to 7% a week, 10% a week as exceptional and 1% a week as a warning sign. Compounded, those are 24%, 34%, 51% and 4.4% a month.
Annual to monthly
Never divide an annual rate by 12. Take the 12th root: 22% a year is 1.22 to the power of 1/12, or 1.7% a month, not the 1.8% division gives. Run it backwards and the popular benchmarks collapse. 10% MoM held for 12 months compounds to 214% a year, 20% MoM to 792%, 30% MoM to 2,230%. To smooth several months into 1 figure, use compounded monthly growth rate.
How to Benchmark Your Own MoM Growth
Pick the benchmark that matches your stage, convert it to a monthly rate, then hold at least 6 months of your own data against it. A single month tells you about seasonality and campaign timing, not about growth.
Log every month beside its campaign calendar so promotions and launches stay visible. When a month misses the range, check acquisition and retention separately. Our roundup of month-on-month growth mistakes covers the traps, and our marketing calculators handle the arithmetic.
MoM Growth Benchmarks by Industry: FAQs
What is a good MoM growth rate?
It depends on stage more than sector. Private B2B SaaS grew at a median 22% a year in 2026 (SaaS Capital, August 2026), which is 1.7% a month. Startups inside Y Combinator target 5% to 7% a week, or 24% to 34% a month (Paul Graham, Startup = Growth, September 2012).
How do you calculate month over month growth?
Subtract last month’s figure from this month’s, divide by last month’s figure, then multiply by 100. Traffic moving from 50,000 to 55,000 gives 5,000 divided by 50,000, times 100, which is 10% MoM growth. Use the same metric and date window every month.
What is a good MoM growth rate for SaaS?
For an established private B2B SaaS business, 1.5% to 1.9% a month sits at the median, converted from SaaS Capital’s 2026 figures of 20% a year bootstrapped and 25% equity-backed. Younger companies run hotter: ChartMogul (2023) found the top quartile under $1M ARR grew 139.1% over 12 months, about 7.5% a month.
Is 10% MoM growth realistic?
For a short burst, yes. As a standing rate, rarely. 10% a month held for 12 months compounds to 214% a year, and 20% a month to 792%. Few businesses outside early-stage startups sustain that, so check what a benchmark compounds to before adopting it as a target.
Why do MoM growth benchmarks by industry vary so much?
Because most published tables mix stages, metrics and sources without saying so. US retail e-commerce grew 3.8% in Q2 2026 (U.S. Census Bureau, released 18 August 2026), roughly 1.3% a month, while a single new store can double. Always check what the number counts.
How many months of data do you need before benchmarking?
At least 6 months, and 12 is better. A single month captures seasonality, campaign timing and one-off spikes rather than real growth. Plot each month against your campaign calendar, then compare the smoothed trend with the benchmark range for your own stage.
Your Next Move: Use a Benchmark You Can Trace
A benchmark with no source is an opinion with a percentage sign. Take the row matching your stage, convert it to a monthly rate, and hold your last 6 months against it.
Amol has helped catalyse business growth with his strategic & data-driven methodologies. With a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has donned multiple hats, from channel optimization, data analytics and creative brand positioning to growth engineering and sales.
Growth Strategy and Planning
Inbound Growth
Growth Hacking
Fractional CMO
Search Engine Optimization
Paid and Performance Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Demand Generation
AI-Driven Growth Strategy
AI-Native Workflow Automation
Generative Engine Optimization
Grove — AI Growth Strategist
AI Automation
Framework
Case Study
Tools
Growth Tools
Decision Tree
Compare
Custom GPT's
AI Answer Gap
Offer
Webstories
Quizzes
Blog
AI-powered Apps
Social Media Tools
Agency Fit Score
