Marketing analytics
Email list growth rate.
Enter your list at the start of a month, how many people joined and how many left. See net growth, churn and where the list lands if the pace holds.
Growth rate = (new subscribers - unsubscribers) / list size at the start x 100. A 5,000-person list that adds 400 and loses 90 grew by 310 people, a 6.2% growth rate.
Your numbers
Result
Worked example
Start with 5,000 subscribers, add 400 and lose 90 in a month. Net growth = 400 - 90 = 310, so the growth rate is 310 / 5,000 = 6.2% and the list ends at 5,310. New sign-ups are 8% of the starting list and losses are 1.8%. If every month looked the same, 5,000 x 1.062 ^ 12 gives about 10,291 after 12 months, and the list first passes 10,000 in month 12.
How it works
Growth rate = (new subscribers - unsubscribers) / list size x 100. Shopify lists list growth rate among its email marketing metrics with this formula. This tool divides by the list size at the start of the period so the rate is easy to repeat month to month.
Projection compounds the rate. The list after n periods = start x (1 + growth rate) ^ n. Periods to a target = ln(target / start) / ln(1 + growth rate), rounded up. This assumes new sign-ups and losses scale with the list, which is rarely exactly true, so treat the projection as a what-if.
Count hard bounces and cleaned addresses under removals if you want net list size to match your email platform.
The rate says nothing about subscriber quality. Engagement and revenue per subscriber matter as much as size.
Sources and basis (opened 2026-10-08): Email Marketing Metrics: 13 KPIs to Track (2025) - Shopify. Everything else is arithmetic on your inputs.
Inputs are user-entered figures. Results are planning estimates, not financial advice or a forecast of future performance. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
FAQ
How do I calculate email list growth rate?
Subtract unsubscribes from new subscribers, divide by the list size at the start of the period and multiply by 100.
Should I include bounces?
If you want the net change in list size, yes: count removed and bounced addresses with unsubscribes.
Why does the projection use compounding?
Because a bigger list tends to add and lose more people in absolute terms. It is a what-if, not a forecast.
What if my list is shrinking?
The growth rate is negative and the calculator will say the target is not reached at this pace.