What is a good NPS score? Benchmarks and how to read yours
A good Net Promoter Score (NPS) is anything above 0, because a positive score means you have more promoters than detractors. Scores above 30 are generally considered strong, and 50+ is commonly considered excellent. NPS ranges from −100 to +100, and what counts as 'good' varies significantly by industry — so the most reliable benchmark is your own score over time.
How is NPS scored?
NPS comes from a single question: 'How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?' answered on a 0–10 scale. Respondents are grouped into promoters (9–10), passives (7–8), and detractors (0–6). The score is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors: NPS = %promoters − %detractors.
Because the formula subtracts one percentage from another, the result is a number between −100 (everyone is a detractor) and +100 (everyone is a promoter). It is written as a plain number, not a percentage: an NPS of 42, not 42%.
What do different NPS ranges mean?
| NPS range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Below 0 | More detractors than promoters — customers are actively at risk of churning and may be spreading negative word of mouth |
| 0 to 30 | Good — more promoters than detractors, with clear room to improve |
| 30 to 50 | Strong — a healthy base of loyal customers |
| 50 to 70 | Excellent — commonly cited as the threshold for top-tier customer loyalty |
| 70+ | World class — rare, and typically seen in beloved consumer brands |
Treat these ranges as general guidance, not law. They are widely used across the industry, but the right target for you depends heavily on what you sell and to whom.
Why does a good NPS vary by industry?
Industries differ in how emotionally attached customers are, how much friction the product involves, and how often people interact with it. Categories customers love talking about tend to score higher than categories people merely tolerate. Utilities, insurance, and telecom typically sit at the low end; specialty retail and premium consumer products typically sit at the high end.
That means an NPS of 25 could be excellent in one industry and mediocre in another. Comparing your score to a company in a different category tells you very little.
What is the best benchmark for your NPS?
Your own historical score. Trend beats absolute number. An NPS that moves from 12 to 24 over two quarters is a far stronger signal than knowing a competitor claims a 40 (self-reported scores are also frequently inflated by survey timing and audience selection). Benchmark against yourself with these rules:
- Survey the same way every time — same channel, same timing, same audience definition
- Track the score quarterly or after each major release, not ad hoc
- Watch the mix, not just the score: a flat NPS can hide detractors converting to passives
- Read the follow-up comments — the 'why' behind the number is where improvements come from
- Segment by customer type; a blended score can mask a struggling segment
Always pair the 0–10 question with one open-ended follow-up: 'What's the main reason for your score?' The verbatim answers are more actionable than the score itself, and they tell you exactly what to fix to convert passives into promoters.
How do you improve an NPS score?
- 1Close the loop with detractors fast — a quick, human follow-up often turns a 4 into an 8 next cycle
- 2Fix the most-mentioned theme in detractor comments before anything else
- 3Nudge passives (7–8) with small improvements; they are the cheapest group to convert
- 4Make it easy for promoters to actually recommend you — referral links, reviews, case studies
- 5Re-survey on a consistent cadence so you can attribute changes to specific fixes
If you want to start measuring, Formkii's free survey maker includes a built-in NPS question type with real-time results and CSV export, so you can run the standard 0–10 question plus a follow-up in a couple of minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Is an NPS of 50 good?
Yes. An NPS of 50 is commonly considered excellent in most industries. It means the share of promoters exceeds the share of detractors by 50 percentage points, which indicates a strongly loyal customer base.
Is a negative NPS bad?
A negative NPS means you have more detractors than promoters, which is a warning sign for churn and negative word of mouth. It is common in low-loyalty industries like telecom, but it should trigger immediate follow-up with detractors to understand why.
What is the average NPS score?
There is no single universal average because NPS varies widely by industry, survey channel, and timing. As general guidance: above 0 is good, above 30 is strong, and above 50 is excellent. Your own trend over time is a more reliable benchmark than any published average.
Can NPS be 100?
Theoretically yes — an NPS of 100 means every single respondent gave a 9 or 10. In practice it essentially never happens at meaningful sample sizes, and a persistent 100 usually signals a tiny or biased sample rather than perfect loyalty.