Email List Growth Calculator
Enter your list now, how many sign-ups you get each month and how many people leave. See the size month by month and when you reach your target.
A list that loses a share of its members each month settles at a ceiling. The result shows it when there is one.
Worked examples
A growing list
2,000 subscribers now, 150 new a month, 1.5% lost each month, 12 months
After month 1: 2,120. After 12 months: 3,327, a gain of 1,327
The list would level off at 10,000, where the 1.5% lost equals the 150 gained.
About Email List Growth Calculator
An email list does not grow in a straight line. Each month you gain new sign-ups, but you also lose people who unsubscribe, bounce or stop being reachable, and the bigger the list gets, the more people there are to lose. When the loss is a percentage of the list, growth slows over time and eventually levels off.
Enter your list size now, your monthly sign-ups and the share of subscribers you lose each month. You can add a referral rate for growth that comes from existing subscribers passing you on. The calculator builds a month by month table of the starting size, additions, losses and ending size, shows the list size at the end and the change over the period, and tells you in which month you reach a target. If losses will catch up with sign-ups, it shows the level at which the list stops growing.
How to use Email List Growth Calculator
- Enter your current number of subscribers.
- Enter new sign-ups per month and the share of the list lost each month.
- Add a referral rate if your subscribers bring in others, and the number of months to show.
- Enter a target size to see the month you reach it.
Common uses
- Setting a realistic list target for the year
- Seeing how a lower unsubscribe rate changes growth
- Working out how many sign-ups a month you need
- Planning for the point where growth levels off
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my monthly loss rate?
Add up the unsubscribes, bounces and removed addresses over a few months, divide by the average list size and the number of months. Use a few months of data because single months vary.
Why does the list level off?
If you lose a percentage of the list each month, a bigger list loses more people. At some size the losses equal the new sign-ups. With 100 sign-ups and a 2% loss rate, that is 5,000 subscribers.
What does the referral rate do?
It adds a percentage of the current list each month as extra sign-ups from people passed on by subscribers. Leave it at zero if you do not run a referral scheme.
Is a high unsubscribe rate normal?
Some losses are normal, but a sudden rise often means you are sending too often or to the wrong people. Cleaning out addresses that never open can help your results.
Can I project more than a year?
Yes, up to 60 months are shown in the table. The target month is searched for up to 50 years ahead.