How to Use This Cohort Analysis Template to Track Your SaaS Retention and MRR (Excel for Mac Friendly)
What is Cohort Analysis & Why Every SaaS Needs It
Cohort analysis tracks how groups of customers—who signed up at the same time—behave over their lifecycle. This is critical for SaaS founders, operators, and finance teams who need to understand:
• How fast customers churn
• When churn risk peaks (early churn vs. long-term)
• How much revenue you lose or gain from upgrades, downgrades, and cancellations
• Which cohorts retain best (and why)
If you’re building a SaaS business, especially with subscriptions, this is non-optional data.
What This Excel Template Does (Built for Mac Users)
This isn’t some clunky PC-only spreadsheet. It’s tested and works smoothly in Excel for Mac. No macros, no weird compatibility issues. Just clean cohort tracking.
You get these key sheets:
• CohortSmall: Your raw data (customers, subscription start/end dates, and payment amounts)
• MRR Monthly Spread: Automatically spreads MRR across months by cohort
• MRR Delta: Tracks how much MRR grows or shrinks each month
• MRR Waterfall: A simple waterfall chart showing where MRR gains and losses come from (new, churn, expansion, contraction)
• Cohort Analysis (Revenue): Retention rates and revenue tracked over time by cohort
• Cohort Analysis (Customer Count): Same, but counting customers instead of dollars
How to Use It (Step-by-Step)
1. Paste In Your Customer Data
In CohortSmall, add:
• Customer ID
• Start Date (when they first subscribed)
• End Date (if they churned)
• Subscription Amount (monthly)
2. Let the Spreadsheet Do the Work
The rest of the file calculates retention, churn, expansion, and contraction across every cohort and month.
3. Spot Trends & Take Action
Founders and operators can quickly see:
• When customers are most likely to churn
• Which cohorts retain best (by marketing channel, offer, etc.)
• If expansion revenue (upsells) offsets churn
• How pricing changes impact retention & LTV
4. Use It to Forecast Revenue
Finance teams can build cleaner revenue forecasts, using real retention curves from this file instead of making blind guesses.
Why SaaS Founders & Finance Teams Love This File
✅ Works on Mac Excel (no weird errors)
✅ Pre-built formulas = no coding needed
✅ Built for subscription businesses (MRR-first thinking)
✅ Saves hours vs building from scratch
Download the Cohort Template (Works in Excel for Mac)
Ready to track retention like a pro? Whether you’re a SaaS founder preparing for fundraising, a finance analyst building revenue models, or an operator obsessed with churn, this file gives you instant clarity.
Grab the template, drop in your data, and see your churn and MRR waterfall in minutes.