DiscoverSaaS Metrics SchoolHow SaaS Companies Turn Usage Revenue into ARR
How SaaS Companies Turn Usage Revenue into ARR

How SaaS Companies Turn Usage Revenue into ARR

Update: 2025-07-18
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Description

How do usage-based SaaS companies convert transactional or variable revenue into Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)? Episode #299 gives you a practical framework for presenting usage-based ARR to your Board, investors, and internal teams with clarity and confidence.


After manually reviewing hundreds of public filings and investor materials, Ben Murray breaks down the real-world methods used by companies like Confluent and Datadog to turn usage into ARR.


What You’ll Learn




  • The most common method for usage-based ARR




  • The second most common method




  • How these methods compare to traditional MRR x 12 for subscription models




  • Why ARR is often used as a North Star Metric and how transparency is improving across SaaS companies.




Resources Mentioned



Ben’s Research Process


“Over 100 hours of manual research. I tried using AI—OpenAI couldn’t handle it. I had to read the filings myself. These ARR methods are backed by real-world data from public SaaS companies.”

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How SaaS Companies Turn Usage Revenue into ARR

How SaaS Companies Turn Usage Revenue into ARR

Ben Murray