Gross revenue retention measures the percentage of recurring revenue retained from existing customers, excluding any expansion. It cannot exceed 100%. Because it strips out expansion, it reveals the true rate of revenue loss to churn and contraction, which net retention can mask.

Net retention can look healthy while the business quietly leaks, because expansion from a few accounts hides churn everywhere else. Gross retention removes that disguise. It shows how much revenue you keep before any growth, which is the honest measure of whether customers actually stay. Read it alongside net retention, never instead of it.

Example:

If net dollar retention is 110% but gross revenue retention is 80%, expansion is masking a serious churn problem that will surface if expansion slows.

Why look at gross retention when you have net retention?

Net retention can hide churn behind expansion. Gross retention strips out expansion to reveal the true rate of revenue loss.

Can gross revenue retention exceed 100%?

No. It excludes expansion, so the maximum is 100%, which would mean losing no revenue to churn or contraction at all.